Denis Opudo
The 5G network piloting done by MTN in South Africa gave the mobile provider better reputation in Africa. Many people were happy with the 5G network since it was the first time to roll it out in South Africa. Presently, MTN in Swaziland is currently piloting the use of the 4G network. Practically, 5G works better than 4G hence MTN Swaziland should pull up their socks soon. The 5G has an increase in capacity by 1,000 times hence leading to a lower cost of data transport.
It also has speed improvement of 100 times. Moreover, 100 times more devices can connect at the same time. Therefore, the increase in devices can develop the smart city and smart agriculture users. This is according to report released by IT-Online. Despite the MTN piloting of 5G network in South Africa they intend to encourage their customers to use 4G network. The company is always at the forefront of taking new technologies to their markets. Nevertheless, they do not do that because their neighbors have influenced them.
The company considers the customers’ needs first before introducing new products. Currently, the 4G network is working well in their local markets. However, the company’s future decision will rely on the piloting of the 5G network. Many customers still prefer the 4G network. This includes those who download videos. However Swazi MTN will introduce the 5G network once they identify the need in the market.
The lack of another radio frequency spectrum will make it hard to roll out 5G in South Africa. This comes despite the fact that MTN had planned to roll out the network in 2019. South African companies are forced to move from 2G and 3G spectrums to 4G. This is because there is no allocation of spectrum to local operators. Therefore, people cannot use the 5G infrastructure. Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) handles issuing out needed spectrum. For a 5G network to work well in SA, the company needs to consider various factors. There should be a device ecosystem, network virtualization, and spectrum readiness.
