5G: Lesotho, South Africa move ahead of Nigeria


Lesotho and South Africa are set to commercialise 5 G ahead of Nigeria and other countries in Africa.

Already Vodacom, in August , launched Africa ’ s first commercial 5 G service for two enterprise customers in Lesotho, a new report by Ovum , a global technology research, and advisory firm , stated.

However in South Africa , Ovum said Vodacom, MTN, and Comsol had also commenced plans to launch 5 G , though lack of access to the necessary spectrum posed an impediment.

Findings of the survey carried out by Ovum showed that telecommunications companies in the two countries have already commenced 5 G applications in different sectors of the economy.


Analysts at Ovum predicted that the first use cases for 5 G in Africa would be for fixed wireless broadband , followed by enhanced mobile broadband.

Ovum expected mobile 5 G services to be launched in Africa by 2021 , but the number of mobile 5 G subscriptions on the continent will initially be small, rising to 5 . 9 million at end of 2023.

The report stated, “ The first use case for 5 G is for FWB . Comsol , a wholesale provider in South Africa , says it plans to launch commercial 5 G - based FWB services in 2019.

Vodacom and MTN are also preparing to deploy 5 G in South Africa . Vodacom said in August 2018 that it had already launched Africa ’ s first commercial 5 G service, for two enterprise customers in Lesotho. ”

“ As 5 G technology matures it could enable a range of new services and business models , ” it added.

The analysts identified data connectivity as the most significant growth opportunity in the continent , pointing out that expanding broadband networks to seize that opportunity should be a core strategy of telecom companies.

For most service providers on the continent , the network focus should increasingly be on improving LTE coverage and capacity. Advanced African operators should also be developing a network and commercial strategies for 5 G.

Access to high - speed Internet , according to the report , is encouraging the use of digital media as seen in the growth subscription to online video services.

Ovum added , “ 5 G Fixed Wireless Broadband and enhanced Mobile Broadband are based on the first set of 5 G standards , which were finalised in mid - 2018 but only cover the radio side of the network.

The next set of 5 G standards , covering the core network, are due to be completed toward the end of 2019 and will have new capabilities , for a massive Internet of Things and ultralow latency.

“ In Africa , these capabilities could enable new 5 G services for automation and remote monitoring and management in sectors such as agriculture , health , industry , and smart cities . But it will take some years for 5 G technology to mature and achieve significant scale , and for the new use cases that are expected to arise for 5 G to develop . ”

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