According to Hall, 3G and 4G population coverage in the region is now 99.5 percent and 97.6 percent respectively. "This increase in access to connectivity has the potential to transform lives, especially in previously under-served areas in which existing inequalities continue to widen," said Hall. The company said base station sites are often challenged with vandalism, battery and cable theft. Vodacom said five to seven base stations are vandalised each week in the Western Cape. "This can impact network availability, particularly during load-shedding when back-up batteries and generators are needed to minimise service disruption," said Vodacom. Hall said that through ongoing evaluations of network performance and capacity upgrade projects, Vodacom can manage increased loads and network faults faster, achieving more reliable restoration times. BUSINESS REPORT ONLINE