MTN has officially launched its 5G network in Zambia after testing the “transformative technology” for almost a year and recording great success.
Very early in 2022, the telecommunications company declared its intention to launch 5G pilot demonstration sites in Lusaka and the Copperbelt Provinces. This is November; which means the Telco has been testing the the strong use of 5G since then. It is now the first mobile operator in Zambia to offer 5G services commercially.
The launch, which took place at Mulungushi International Conference Centre, saw the following dignitaries in attendance;
- His Excellency Mr. Hakainde Hichilema, President of the Republic of Zambia, who presided over the occasion
- Several Zambian government ministers and representatives of the sector regulator
- The country’s Central bank
- Chairman Mcebisi Jonas, who led the MTN Group delegation
- Group President and CEO Ralph Mupita and
- Vice President Yolanda Cuba.
The company emphasises 5G’s compelling use case in sectors like mining and manufacturing because Zambia is home to some of the world’s highest-grade copper deposits.
It is expected that the telco will gradually expand its 5G network to other areas, but it claims it will have achieved 100% 5G coverage in Lusaka, Kitwe, and Ndola by the middle of 2023.
Moreover, it intends to improve and update its current 3G and 4G networks, as well as to extend its service area to include more remote areas. MTN Global Connect will work with the government of Zambia to construct a fibre ring.
Also, as part of our rural connectivity programme, MTN Zambia and our partners plan to deploy 45 rural sites in 2022 and another 100 in 2023 using efficient coverage alternatives.
MTN got started in Zambia in 2005 when it bought Telecel. It now offers 4G, 3G, and 2G services in all ten provinces.
MTN thinks that 5G will help increase access to the Internet in Zambia, where fixed broadband use is still low, and that it will also have a number of innovative uses.
And while the telco has since secured its license ownership in February, creeping Airtel and rival says it wants the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to grant it the licence without going through the process of auctioning. We shared that Airtel wanted a piece of the 5G cake – priced $273.6 million – but won’t go through auction.
The Telco argued that that its participation in the last bid round in the 3.5GHz spectrum led to boosting Federal Government’s revenue as the auction led to the increase from the initial reserve price of $197.4 million set by the NCC.
