MTN to cover 25% of South Africa with 5G by the end of the year

MTN South Africa is ramping up the rollout of its 5G coverage in the coming months, with the group aiming to have at least 25% of the population covered by the end of 2022.

“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.

“This means expanding our 5G coverage every day, with a strong focus on investment into main metros, peri-urban areas, and larger townships initially,” said Charles Molapisi, MTN SA’s chief executive.

Molapisi said 5G wireless technology will allow for higher multi-Gbps peak data speeds, ultra-low latency, more reliability, massive network capacity, increased availability, and a more uniform user experience to more users.

He added that the recent spectrum auction in South Africa accelerated the adoption of 5G across the country.

• The group already has 555 5G sites in Gauteng; increasing to 575 when Rustenburg and Brits areas in the North West come online shortly, and this expansion will continue.

• Total 5G coverage is set to reach 179 sites in the Western Cape alone by the end of the year, while more 5G sites are planned for Bloemfontein.

• Investment into the Free State and Northern Cape will be ramped up and MTN SA is on track to add 21 additional 5G sites across both provinces – to build on the existing 45 in the Free State and 21 in the Northern Cape.

• In Limpopo, the extension of MTN’s 5G connectivity includes rolling out 58 new sites in 2022 to add to the existing 53. Currently, the province has over 100 live 5G sites and more are planned for 2022.

MTN is also rolling out 5G experiential zones in major shopping centres to showcase the capabilities of the technology and make these benefits available across the new world of 5G gaming, smart home and motion tracking, among many others, Molapisi said.

“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,” said Molapisi.

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