Ericsson worked with Telma to upgrade its core and radio network
A few days ago, Telma Madagascar switched on the country’s first 5G commercial network in multiple cities with the help of Ericsson. Specifically, the Swedish vendor was selected by the operator last October to upgrade its core and radio network. For Madagascar, there have been two critical use cases that have emerged for 5G: enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) and Fixed Wireless Access (FWA).
Activated on Telma’s 3.6-3.7 GHz mid-band, the network, according to Ericsson, uses the latest radio access and transport products from the Ericsson Radio System portfolio.
Patrick Pisal Hamida, CEO, Telma Madagascar, commented that 5G will transform how the country uses and adopts technology; it “will have a huge impact on businesses and society in Madagascar.”
“It will bring high speed, ultra-low latency and highly secure connectivity to a massive number of devices and is a technology that will unlock a vast array of new use cases through Telma’s next-generation network,” he continued. “We are very proud to be among the first countries in the world to roll out this technology. It’s a new step ahead for Madagascar as one of the leading ICT countries in the Indian Ocean and Africa.”
On the mainland, Ericsson worked with South African operator MTN to launch its 5G network even more recently, with the initial deployment of 100 5G sites in the country. The network currently covers areas of Johannesburg and Cape Town, as well as Bloemfontein and Port Elizabeth.
MTN said it had been carrying extensive 5G trials before the launch, which was made possible due to the South African Government’s decision to award temporary spectrum for 5G.
The South African operator is also making use of Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS), which allows operators to combine their 5G and 4G spectrum and then use that combine capacity to cover their customers. The operator said doing so will help its initial 5G deployments overcome the challenges of lack of dedicated 5G spectrum.
