Lack of cellphone signal turns customers’ faces red with anger

MBOMBELA - Vodacom customers living on Matumi Golf Estate and surrounds are up in arms after they have had issues with cellphone reception in the area for months now.

Early in June, Irma Green, a resident of Steiltes, posted on Facebook about the ongoing problem.

“So we have poor Vodacom signal in Steiltes area because 18 months after a dispute with the landowner where the Vodacom tower is, they have still not managed to sort it out. Is that in breach of their contract with us, too? We have been promised proper service. Why can they not set up a temporary structure somewhere?” she asked.

In a press release issued by Vodacom Mpumalanga, the company explained that the base station site providing coverage to the greater Matumi Estate and surrounding areas had been withdrawn from May 29.

“This resulted in loss of coverage for some our customers in the area. This happened because our recent negotiations with the landlord where our base station is located failed. In light of this, the temporary mobile base station at Matumi Estate will continue to service our subscribers in the area,” the press release stated.

In November 2019, Lowvelder reported that a dispute between cellphone service providers Vodacom and MTN had left residents with no or limited Vodacom signal and Internet connection.

This was the result of a dispute between MTN and the landlord where the cellphone tower, which was shared with Vodacom in terms of an agreement between the two companies, was located.

The tower in question was the Oustpan tower, situated in Steiltes. It provided coverage to Matumi Estate and the surrounding areas.

Vodacom failed to communicate this to its customers for three weeks, resulting in a flood of complaints from unhappy customers to Lowvelder.

Zakhele Jiyane, the service provider’s managing executive of Mpumalanga, at the time said that “the incident has to do with a contractual dispute between MTN and the landlord. We are working around the clock to find a permanent solution to this challenge”.

But, it seems, the issue is far from resolved. Residents of the affected area say they are still experiencing the same frustration with an unstable signal.

Jiyane said Vodacom, at the time when MTN could not resolve the dispute with the landowner of the tower in Valencia, engaged with MTN and proposed to take over the tower.

“MTN agreed and we started negotiating with the landlord. Unfortunately the landlord changed his mind and no longer wanted the tower in his premises. MTN notified us of the planned decommissioning of this tower, which happened on May 28.

Vodacom installed a mobile base station at the Matumi clubhouse on December 14, 2019, and it is currently operational.

“But we realised that this would not be enough to provide coverage to the entire estate. To this end, before lockdown we had a site under construction on the rooftop of the new Hypervalley Shopping Centre in Valencia, but unfortunately construction had to stop as a result of the lockdown.

“Telkom also has approval from Matumi to erect a base station inside the estate and we believe it is busy with the necessary permits from the council. Should it build the base station, we will be able to move the mobile equipment that is currently next to the clubhouse onto that new structure, which will offer better reception,” he said.

We are working around the clock to find a permanent solution to this challenge