5g in africa
Nigeria’s 5G Launch is Finally Here
Sourced from the Guardian Nigeria. In a historic moment for Nigerian telecoms, MTN Nigeria has today officially turned on its fifth-generation (5G) mobile internet services at 190 sites across the West African country, with the main concentration of sites in Lagos and Abuja, according to BusinessDay. Some users in these areas are reportedly already experiencing internet speeds greater than 1.4GBs per second. The country’s National Communication Commission (NCC) had previously set Wednesday 24 August as the date for the rollout of 5G after nearly 3 years of preparation from the Federal Government. Nigeria now joins South Africa and Kenya as the three African nations to launch 5G services. South Africa received 5G first in 2019 through a humble rollout by provider Rain, while Kenya saw Safar...
The 5 African Countries That Have Launched 5G Services So Far
Many governments across Africa have been incredibly optimistic about technological advancements being the key to pull Africans from the developing space right into the developed. One of these emerging technologies that have a lot of weight and emphasis pulled behind it is 5G. Certain analysts predict that 5G could add an additional $2.2-trillion to Africa’s economy by 2034. However countries across the continent are struggling to launch the new technology due to either infrastructure challenges, adoption issues, the expensive nature of the technology and the devices needed to utilise it and even safety concerns around 5G. Many African countries are currently testing 5G and a few have successfully launched the technology in a commercial nature. These are the countries currently testing or a...
Here’s How Much MTN Spent During the ICASA Spectrum Auction
MTN announced on Thursday that it had secured the high-demand spectrum required for its 4G and 5G network expansion drive from the highly anticipated ICASA spectrum auction. ICASA announced that MTN had successfully secured the following spectrum bands: 2 x 10 MHz in 800 MHz – R2,933 billion ($195.7-million) 40 MHz of 2600 MHz – R1,093 billion ($73-million) 40 MHz of 3500 MHz – R1,127 billion ($75.2-million) The Group spent a total of $347-million on securing the spectrum it requires. “This is a significant milestone, not only for MTN and the telecommunication industry at large but also for South Africa’s digital future. Spectrum is the lifeblood of our industry and is key to reliable and extensive connectivity for our customers across the country,” said MTN SA’s CEO, Charles Molapisi. “Ou...
How to Plan for 5G Success in Sub-Saharan Africa
Spectrum planning is key to the successful rollout of mobile services. While the rollout of 5G is only growing, what happens now with spectrum policy will have a massive impact on the success of 5G and its deployment in Sub-Saharan Africa. Forward-thinking governments and regulators across the region have the opportunity to make decisions to help make the most of the prospects 5G offers. So, what should governments and regulators do next? In a new report, we look at current spectrum assignments and future needs across Sub-Saharan Africa. The report then sets out a roadmap to help governments and regulators enable 5G in the most efficient way possible. It also provides recommendations based on international best practices. Building a Successful 5G Policy The first step on the path to settin...
Benefits & Challenges of Harnessing 5G in South Africa
Fifth-generation (5G) wireless broadband is no longer a future technology – it’s here and is already available in limited key metropolitan areas in South Africa. The country, with its limited Internet access and infrastructure, high data costs and ailing economy, can benefit in multiple ways from 5G. However, there are also some issues that South Africa needs to deal with as communication service providers (CSPs) gear themselves for the 5G era and maximise the value the technology can bring. A recent study by IT services and consulting company Accenture, titled The Future Home in the 5G Era, opens a window into consumer lives in a 5G world and offers a roadmap for service providers to make hyperconnected 5G living a reality when we need it most. Globally, the value of access to information...
5 Reasons Why 5G Makes a Real Difference
Over the last 36 months, 5G has rapidly gained mindshare in society as a vital technology. But not all stakeholders in industries adjacent to the telecom industry understand what makes 5G different from its predecessors. In this post, we describe a set of strategic choices made for previous mobile generations of which we made a single choice. 5G makes it possible to embrace both options, thereby unlocking larger opportunities earlier in the deployment cycle. Here are 5 Reasons Why 5G Makes a Real Difference: 5G is for Both Consumer and Business Users The introduction of 4G was consumer-led, with infrastructure and device technology development centred around smartphones for consumers. Businesses adopted consumer technology through a more visible, bring-your-own-device (BYOD) movement. Inte...
Sub-Saharan Africa to Reach 70 Million 5G Subscriptions in Next 5 Years
Ericsson projects via a new report that 5G mobile subscriptions will exceed 580 million by the end of 2021, driven by an estimated one million new 5G mobile subscriptions every day. “Fastest Adopted Mobile Generation” The forecast, which features in the latest Ericsson Mobility Report, confirms the expectation that 5G will become the fastest adopted mobile generation. 5G is expected to surpass a billion subscriptions two years ahead of the 4G LTE timeline for the same milestone. The report features breakout statistics from Sub-Saharan African markets where around 15% of mobile subscriptions were for 4G at the end of 2020. Mobile broadband subscriptions in Sub-Saharan Africa are predicted to increase, reaching 76% of mobile subscriptions by 2026. However, 5G volumes are not expected to...
Nigeria Still Waiting on Federal Government’s Approval for 5G Deployment
Image sourced from the Verge. Nigeria’s final journey into the deployment of 5G technology is expected to begin sometime relatively soon, barring any unforeseen circumstances. The Guardian reports that the only obstacle to the deployment of the technology in Nigeria is approval by the country’s Federal Government. A previously existing obstacle, a supposed loose end, has recently been tightened by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). Approval from the Federal Government is expected within the next few months. Nigeria’s Senate Approves 5G After two trials conducted by MTN and Ericsson in 2019, with the supervision of the NCC, Nigeria’s Upper Legislative Chamber, the Senate approved the deployment of 5G networks in the country. The Senate had agreed that the technological impact tha...
Why 5G is Crucial to Closing the Digital Divide
It’s safe to say that high points during the COVID-19 pandemic have been few and far between. South Africans were, however, met with at least one welcome development earlier this year with the launch of the country’s first 5G which supports both commercial mobile and fixed wireless 5G services. Although people were confined to their homes for an extended period of time during lockdown, many South Africans living in major metros were able to use 5G technology to stay in touch, work from home and keep themselves entertained. Not surprisingly, the demand for data during this time was greater than ever before. Vodacom recorded a 40% increase in mobile data traffic in South Africa during the last week of June during the peak of the pandemic, compared with pre-COVID-19 lockdown levels. As the ci...
Why 5G Adoption has been so Slow
If you have been waiting for 5G super-connectivity to roll out overnight and instantly change your life, you might be in for a surprise. It took nearly 10 years for 4G to become the dominant technology in cellular connectivity and those in the know, believe that it might even take longer for 5G to settle in nicely. Nevertheless, there are a few wonderful changes to look forward to as we slowly but surely move into the fourth industrial revolution. “First you have to understand that in theory 5G can support millisecond latencies,” explains Christopher Riley, CEO of the notebook company. “This means that we are not far from fully autonomous driverless cars, telesurgery – where your surgeon might be thousands of miles away, which has been tested over 5G with great success – and Virtual Realit...
