MTN Leverages Huawei’s Equipment to Launch 5G Services in South Africa

MTN South Africa is leveraging Huawei’s equipment to successfully launch 5G services in South Africa. The network is now available across major cities, including Cape Town, Johannesburg, Bloemfontein, and Port Elizabeth. MTN conducted a Youtube Livestream media launch.

MTN organized speed trials to test-run the functionality of its 5G network. During the Livestream, download speed was over 600 Mbps, with latencies averaging 15ms. Tests performed by media reported download speeds above 700Mbps and upload speed of 100Mbps, respectively.

MTN deployed its 5G network using Huawei’s Dynamic Spectrum Sharing technology in 2.1GHz, 3.5GHz and 28GHz. Huawei Massive MIMO was used to guarantee user experience for services that require high bandwidths. It will be used for shooting 4K videos, multi-angle video, and AR/VR operations. The 5G network is available for both personal and commercial purposes.

“MTN is the first in Africa to deploy the Dynamic Spectrum Sharing technology in a 5G live network,” says Spawn Fan, Huawei CEO. The technology maximizes spectrum utilization and can dynamically adjust the spectrum in milliseconds based on 4G and 5G requirements. Its millimetre-wave band can provide services for hotspots and broadband for Enterprises and SMEs.

MTN’s customers in South Africa will enjoy high-speed internet services without relying on fibre optics connectivity. It will support individuals and businesses, especially now when COVID-19 has disrupted business activities in the country. It will boost the adoption of modern technology and transform South Africa into a digital economy.

Check out the various 5G offers here.