MTN has conducted the first \u201c5G technology and applications trial in Africa\u201d at its head office in Johannesburg.<\/p>\n
The trial was conducted in partnership with\u00a0Ericsson, and is part of the companies\u2019 planned 5G demonstration.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis follows the signing by the two companies of a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on the rollout of 5G technologies in South Africa,\u201d said MTN.<\/p>\n
MTN achieved a throughput of over 20Gbps with less than 5ms latency in the 5G trial, which is \u201cthe highest achieved on a mobile network in Africa\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe 5G trial is based on commercially-available baseband hardware and 5G mobility is supported.\u201d<\/p>\n
MTN said the tests will lead to the\u00a0commercial deployment of 5G technologies in the near future.<\/p>\n
\u201cMTN and its partners continue identifying 5G use cases and applications for the digital transformation of industries,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n
Giovanni Chiarelli, CTIO at MTN SA, said 5G offers a new world of potential for South Africa.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith 5G, remote healthcare through connected robots could offer world-class surgery in the most remote parts of the continent and the world. Self-driving cars could change the face of road safety, along with smart agriculture, smart mining, and smart cities,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
There is no doubt that 5G will offer the consumer higher speeds\u2026 but to achieve this, we need the capacity that comes with additional spectrum.\u201d<\/p>\n