MTN South Africa wants to step up its game in the world of 5G. So much so that the hugely popular telecommunications company has a bold claim to make. MTN believes it will deliver 5G coverage for 25% of the country’s population by the end of the year. We told you it was bold. Luckily, MTN seems confident in its ability to pull this off.
MyBroadband recently spoke to MTN about how it plans to make this statement true.
“We want to have 5G connectivity across almost every part of South Africa. Our aim is to bring the benefits of the Fourth Industrial Revolution to more people in an efficient and cost-effective way.” said Charles Molapisi, MTN SA’s CEO.
“This means expanding our 5G coverage every day, with a strong focus on investment into main metros, peri-urban areas, and larger townships initially.”
This is good news for us South Africans. At the moment, 5G coverage is few and far between -. You’ll be lucky to have a 5G connection everywhere you go. A lot of the country is still using 3G, and are only now making the jump to 4G.
If you haven’t tried out 5G, you’re missing out for sure. 5G means faster connection speeds, lower latencies, and a more stable connection.
MTN’s control of 5G in South Africa
MTN went on to say that the recent spectrum auction certainly helped speed up the coverage of 5G in the country. At the moment, MTN currently has 555 5G sites in Gauteng alone. This is soon to become 575 though as soon as the Rustenberg and Brits sites come online. Which shouldn’t be long, according to MTN.
The Western Cape is a bit less, which is fair considering the population difference. Here, there are only 179 sites up and running, but more are planned for the Bloemfontein area later this year.
The Northern Cape and the Free State are still in the early stages of 5G. Only 45 sites can be found in the Free State, and 21 in the Northern Cape. MTN plans to add only 21 more sites across both provinces before the end of the year.
In Limpopo, things seem a little brighter for 5G coverage. MTN has 53 active sites, and is attempting to add 58 more to the bank.
Read More: Cell C is planning to bring 5G to its network
Making 5G more appealing
Besides MTN’s active 5G sites, the company seems to have more plans up its sleeve to get more people on board with 5G tech. Malls will be given 5G experimental zones to show off how powerful 5G can be. This would help for certain stores that promote gaming and technology sales. It also offers the option for more stores to become more tech-smart when it comes to how their businesses are run.
“Our investment will continue to drive the rollout of 5G as we want to bring the benefits of the modern, connected world to all. For us, every South African should be able “5G” their lives, homes, offices, and every aspect of their on-the-go lifestyles. Our intention is to keep increasing network coverage, improved throughputs, and customer experience”.
“We are moving fast to ensure our users are at the forefront of innovation and change. Thanks to its greater bandwidth and higher download speeds, 5G is a gamechanger and will continue to shake up the world of technology. MTN intends to ensure our customers experience the very best of 5G tech every step of the way.” Continued Charles Molapisi.
Source: MyBroadband