{"id":263951,"date":"2018-08-08T15:33:32","date_gmt":"2018-08-08T13:33:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=263951"},"modified":"2018-08-08T15:33:32","modified_gmt":"2018-08-08T13:33:32","slug":"mtn-ceo-warns-about-getting-too-excited-over-5g-in-south-africa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/mobile\/263951\/mtn-ceo-warns-about-getting-too-excited-over-5g-in-south-africa\/","title":{"rendered":"MTN CEO warns about getting too excited over 5G in South Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"

MTN group president and CEO, Rob Shuter, has warned over getting carried away with the imminent arrival of 5G\u00a0networks – the next generation of mobile internet connectivity, which will ensure faster speeds and more reliable connections for devices.<\/p>\n

Back in January, MTN,\u00a0in partnership with\u00a0Ericsson, conducted the first “5G technology and applications trial in Africa” at its head office in Johannesburg.<\/p>\n

MTN achieved a throughput of over 20Gbps with less than 5ms latency in the 5G trial, which is “the highest achieved on a mobile network in Africa”.<\/p>\n

The operator said that the time that the tests will lead to the\u00a0commercial deployment of 5G technologies in the near future.<\/p>\n

“MTN and its partners continue identifying 5G use cases and applications for the digital transformation of industries,” it said at the time.<\/p>\n

And in May<\/strong><\/a>, MTN partnered with Huawei to conduct the first 5G outdoor trial on the continent.<\/p>\n

Using Huawei\u2019s recently-launched commercial 5G terminal in conjunction with an existing tower, MTN reached download speeds of 530Mbps and upload speeds of 79Mbps, along with a latency of 7ms \u2013 measured in an online speed test.<\/p>\n

The network allocated 100MHz of its high-frequency 28GHz spectrum to conduct the test and used Huawei\u2019s 5G outdoor terminal to deliver the connection to a Huawei Wi-Fi router.<\/p>\n

“This is the first time we are demonstrating a complete end-to-end 5G network operating in a real-world environment,” said MTN.<\/p>\n

Shuter told media at the company’s headquarters on Wednesday, however, that the roll-out of 5G in the country will be much more case-based.<\/p>\n

“The way we speak about 3G coverage…and 4G, we won’t speak about it (5G) in the same way. This is a technology still looking for an application,” Shuter said, highlighting the expense related to the equipment, and roll-out of such a service.<\/p>\n

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Read: 5G countdown for South Africa: here\u2019s what you can expect<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Rival operator for South Africa, Vodacom Group, meanwhile is also investing in its local network to enable the wireless carrier to roll out fifth-generation connectivity – once a long-delayed auction of additional spectrum is given the green light.<\/p>\n

“We are modernizing our network, including radio and transmission,” chief technology officer Andries Delport told Bloomberg. “Accessing spectrum remains a critical factor in further improving network quality and coverage, and reducing data costs.”<\/p>\n

Vodacom has invested R4.6 billion in the first six months of 2018, to upgrade and expand its network in SA, while MTN said in a statement on Wednesday (08 August), that it spent R3.907 billion in 1H2018, with a guidance of R9.675 billion for 2018.<\/p>\n

According to MTN, 5G will allow for the following improvements over 4G:<\/p>\n