Vodacom makes South Africa’s first native 5G voice call
- Nhlanhla Muthe
- Aug 8
- 2 min read
Vodacom has completed the country’s first native 5G voice call, marking a major leap in mobile technology with faster call setup times and crystal-clear audio.
By Nhlanhla Muthe
Vodacom South Africa has taken a giant leap into the future of mobile communication, becoming the first operator in the country to complete a native 5G voice call, known as Voice over New Radio (VoNR).
The milestone call was made on Vodacom’s test network, setting the stage for a rollout on its live network and marking a significant moment in South Africa’s telecom evolution.
Beverly Ngwenya, Vodacom South Africa’s Technology Director hailed the successes of the innovation as testament to the telco’s commitment to the continuous evolution of its technological capabilities. “It’s a proud moment that highlights the strength of our network and the dedication of our teams in shaping the future of mobile communication,” she said.
Unlike previous generations, 5G VoNR calls offer ultra-fast setup times, crystal-clear voice quality with high-definition audio, and reduced background noise, a major upgrade from even 4G’s Voice over LTE (VoLTE), which Vodacom first introduced back in 2014.
The native 5G call used Vodacom’s sophisticated Single Packet Core (SPC), a complex next-gen system involving cloud-native applications, orchestration, and upgraded network infrastructure.
“This achievement underscores Vodacom’s 5G leadership and marks a significant step in our evolution in offering a fully-fledged 5G ecosystem, enabling future-ready services for our customers,” added Ngwenya.
She emphasised that with the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and increasingly data-heavy digital applications, the success of VoNR is more than just a technical win. “It signals Africa’s readiness to embrace next-generation connectivity,” stated Ngwenya.
For African consumers, this could translate into smoother, smarter, and faster digital experiences in everything from mobile communication to remote work, virtual healthcare, and immersive education.
“As South Africa’s operators race to define the continent’s 5G future, Vodacom has just set the tone,” said Ngwenya.
