Vodacom DRC has become the first operator in the country to undertake a commercial launch of 4G services with speeds in excess of 20Mb/s.

This follows approval of the operator's 4G license application by the Posts, Telephones, New Information and Communication Technologies (PT-NTIC) Ministry last week.

Diego Gutierrez, Chief Operating Officer for International Markets at Vodacom says the 4G launch marks another significant milestone for the telco.

While the service is only accessible to customers in Kinshasa, Vodacom said there are plans to increase the number of cities in the near future – but offered no further details.

"We continue to accelerate the roll out of 4G networks to more regions and ensuring there is sufficient coverage in the rural areas. Currently our 3G and 4G coverage, as well as download speeds in countries like Tanzania, Lesotho and Mozambique are well above those of our next best competitors. The introduction of 4G enables us, amongst other things to, seize digital opportunities, grow our enterprise business, develop local content and media platforms, and empower customers through a seamless digital experience."

Vodacom says the South African market enjoys the widest 4G coverage, with 80% of the country's population covered.

The telco says 4G connectivity has the potential to operate at more than double the speed of any existing mobile connection in the DRC and will offer users buffer-free video and a better picture download experience.

Vodacom's year-end results for 2018, released this week, show that the mobile operator's number of customers grew by 13.8 to reach 11,8 million in a population of 84 million people.