As we once reported beginning of June that South African mobile operator MTN was planning on rolling out its new 5G network by end of June, but there was no specific date and had already started promoting its 5G value proposition in its latest Y’ello magazine, we bring to you that it has confirmed 30 June 2020 as the launch date.
MTN will stream the launch to the media in an event that will feature “some of SA’s biggest names in tech, business, gaming, and entertainment”. MTN’s 5G network will be available to both post-paid and prepaid customers, the company previously confirmed.
RELATED READING: MTN PLANS TO LAUNCH NEW 5G NETWORK END OF JUNE
Users will simply need to have a 5G-enabled device and an LTE SIM card, while prices will be the same as its current LTE SIM card customer prices. MTN originally said in a Y’ello magazine that its 5G network service would be valid from Monday 1 June 2020, but delays in receiving 5G equipment pushed this date until the end of the month. As part of the 5G network campaign in its magazine, MTN recommended Huawei’s new 5G-enabled P40 and P40 Pro smartphones.
“Be one of the very first South Africans to experience the magic of a 5G-enabled smartphone when you get the Huawei P40 or P40 Pro,” the promotion stated. And the company confirmed that it has been preparing for the launch of this network long before the COVID-19 lockdown took effect.
“We have proactively been modernising our radio network to be 5G ready and have also been upgrading all elements in the value chain – specifically the transmission and core networks that are an integral part of a 5G network,” said O’Sullivan.
The company has been looking at the opportunity to use spectrum within the same band dynamically for both 4G and 5G. To this end, it upgraded its core network in 2019 to be 3GPP Release 15-compliant as part of its preparations to launch 5G.
