South Africa leads way to African 5G, but better backbones are key

For most parts of sub-Saharan Africa, 5G is not yet on the horizon, but South Africa is an exception. There, MTN says it will roll out initial commercial 5G networks next year and achieve broad coverage by 2022 (though the extent has not been specified). The pan-African group, which is headquartered in South Africa, has named Ericsson as its 5G launch vendor. The operator’s CTIO, Giovanni Chiarelli, told the recent AfricaCom conference: “South Africa is undergoing a huge digital transformation, which will open up new business opportunities and boost the nation’s economy. Launching 5G will accomplish this transformation and, with fixed wireless access, will ensure high quality, increased capacity, and greater reliability for our customers.” Ericsson will supply RAN, core…