Telkom has expanded its next-generation LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) network to an additional 22 suburbs across South Africa, the telecommunications operator said on Tuesday.

Areas that now have coverage are Carlswald, Highveld, Halfway Gardens, Houghton Estate, Illovo, Melrose, Midstream Estate, Midlands Estate, Noordwyk, Parktown, Parktown North, Parkview, Greenside, Sandhurst, Saxonwold, Vorna Valley, Kyalami Hills, Killarney, Green Point and Craighall Park in Gauteng; Rondebosch, Rosebank, Sea Point, Three Anchor Bay and Mouille Point in the Western Cape; and Umhlanga and Prestondale in KwaZulu-Natal.

Telkom has an advantage over rival providers as it has access to sufficient spectrum to deploy LTE-A technology. Vodacom has said previously it is ready to switch on an LTE-A network, but can’t do so until it gets access to additional spectrum assets.

Telkom has access to 60MHz of spectrum in the 2,3GHz band, some of which it is using for its LTE-A roll-out.

The company said speeds in LTE-A coverage areas are “comparable to speeds available over a fibre network and offer a compelling alternative to fixed-line broadband for high-speed connectivity”.

Telkom’s LTE-A wireless broadband service supports downlink speeds of up to 150Mbit/s (users will in practice not get access that fast, however).