NEWS
ZTE and MTN launch the first 5G SA network
in East Africa
Z
TE and MTN Uganda have jointly
launched the first 5G SA network in
East Africa, demonstrating 5G use cases at
an event themed ‘Experience the Future
Together’, taking place in the Nyonyi Garden,
Kampala, Uganda. ZTE and MTN Uganda
have showcased a high-speed 5G SA network
under the 60 MHz spectrum bandwidth with
an actual rate of more than 1.494 Gbps,
which can support a variety of applications,
such as Gigabit withoutfFibre connectivity,
Cloud XR, ultra-HD live broadcast, automatic
driving and remote surgery.
Its deployment and operation adopt
ZTE’s end-to-end 5G equipment, including
Common Core, to achieve the complete
separation of the signalling plane and the
data plane without relying on the existing
LTE core network EPC. Furthermore, the
network can further support typical 5G
applications, including uRLLC and mMTC,
through smooth upgrade.
In addition, ZTE also presented its
end-to-end commercialised 5G solutions,
including the 5G Common Core, Beyond
100G Transmission, 5G Flexhaul, 5G New
Radio and Big Video, as well as its 5G
terminal devices, such as Axon 10 Pro
5G smartphones, 5G indoor and
outdoor routers.
“ZTE is very keen on sharing new
technologies with MTN,” said Bill Yi, Vice
President at ZTE. “We have been constantly
enhancing our 5G capabilities and have
become a core supplier of end-to-end
solutions in the global ICT industry.”
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Frogfoot fibre now live in Polokwane
F
rogfoot Networks (Pty) Ltd, a licensed
open access fibre network provider, has
announced that it has commenced with a
phased rollout of its infrastructure in the
Limpopo capital Polokwane. Areas that
have gone live with high speed broadband
Internet are Bendor Park and Welgelegen,
with over 600 homes passed, though
this makes up just around 10% of the
company’s planned fibre network rollout in
the city.
businesses that are based in and around
the residential areas.”
According to Frogfoot Head of Sales, Shane
Chorley, the expansion forms part of the
infrastructure company’s strategy of rolling
out fibre to secondary towns across South
Africa, including the likes of Bloemfontein,
East London, Ermelo, Middelburg,
Pietermaritzburg, Richards Bay and Witbank.
“Frogfoot is expanding in these towns
as they meet our criteria in terms of the
number of houses that can be connected,
as well as the average household income in
these areas,” said Chorley.
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INTELLIGENTCIO
Shane Chorley, Frogfoot Head of Sales
“While we are looking primarily at the
consumer market, there are opportunities
to target certain types of smaller
“Previous experience of expanding our
network around South Africa has shown
that these smaller towns are data starved
and that the introduction of affordable
broadband connectivity leads to noticeable
changes in user behaviour,” added Chorley.
“It might take a while, but as people become
exposed to the possibilities of quality high
speed internet, they consume far more data
than before.”
www.intelligentcio.com