Liquid Telecoms and Safaricom both plan to roll out 5G Technology in 2020. Liquid Telecoms will launch in South Africa, whereas Safaricom will be launching in Nairobi, Kenya.
Safaricom started testing 5G in Kenya last week. During the test, Safaricom’s internet speed reached 750mb/s. It seems the company wants to roll out low band 5G below 1GHz and mid bands between 2GHz to 6GHz.
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Safaricom also reframed its WIMAX frequencies to roll out fixed wireless 5G in Nairobi. The Kenyan Communications Authority plans to avail all standardized frequencies required for this project.
Liquid Telecoms, on the other hand, plans to launch the first 5G wholesale roaming service in South Africa. The network operator plans to introduce this in all major cities to enable wholesale operators to provide ultra-fast digital solutions. Liquid Telecom will be using its 3.5GHZ to build the technology so that Mobile Network Operators and ISPs will openly access the 5G network.
Safaricom and Liquid Telecoms are not the first telecommunication companies to launch 5G tech. Rain launched commercial 5G in South Africa last year. Its antenna creates a wireless connection that sends signals to routers strategically installed in certain locations. The 5G devices are then connected to a nearby router for frequency. Rain has an initial network of 250 sites and plans to launch 450 more 5G connected sites in 2020.