MTN Zambia Unveils the Country’s Debut 5G Network

After successfully completing trials of the revolutionary technology over the previous 11 months, MTN Zambia has now launched its 5G network, making it the first mobile operator in Zambia to offer 5G services commercially.

In January 2022, MTN Zambia started testing 5G; as of present, a commercial service is available in six Zambian cities.

Ralph Mupita, president and chief executive officer of MTN Group, noted that MTN Zambia was the company’s third African operation to roll out commercial 5G services, following debuts in South Africa in June 2020 and Nigeria in September 2022.

“Beyond simply enabling connection, 5G has the potential to revolutionize commerce and way of life. In Zambia, there are many of wonderful chances, particularly in the mining sector “explained he.

Hakainde Hichilema, the president of the Republic of Zambia, presided over the launch in Lusaka, which was also attended by many ministers as well as officials from the central bank and telecoms regulator.

5G coverage strategy

MTN’s 5G services have been activated to serve around 65% of the population in Lusaka, Kitwe, and Ndola, as well as some areas of Chingola, Solwezi, and Kalumbila, according to MTN Zambia CEO Bart Hofker. This equals around 15% of the entire population.

By the middle of 2023, Lusaka, Kitwe, and Ndola would all have 100% 5G coverage, according to Hofker, who also noted that MTN Zambia customers will need a 5G-enabled smartphone to connect to the 5G network in those areas.

After acquiring Telecel, MTN began operating in Zambia in 2005. It now offers communications services in all ten provinces using 4G, 3G, and 2G networks, as well as 5G.

The fifth generation of mobile networks, or 5G, provides higher speeds, lower latency, improved security and reliability, as well as the capacity to handle mobile data and connections with high throughput. According to MTN, it can connect almost anything, including machines, vehicles, and robots.

The operator sees potential use cases where a 5G network can be used to automate processes to increase capacity and efficiency in sectors like mining and manufacturing.

Rival gains traction

As of September 2022, MTN had about 7.1 million mobile subscribers, making it the second-largest mobile operator in Zambia, according to data from market research firm Omdia. In contrast, Airtel Zambia had about 7.9 million customers, while Zamtel had roughly 4.2 million.

According to Omdia data, MTN had more users at the end of 2021 than Airtel did, but Airtel gained ground in the first half of 2022 while MTN lost clients.

In order to further its mobile and fixed services, including the implementation of 5G, Airtel announced in October that it would spend US$29 million on more spectrum in Zambia.

The rollout of 5G is a component of a larger network strategy for MTN Zambia, which also includes the improvement and modernization of current 3G and 4G networks, the construction of a fiber network in Zambia with MTN GlobalConnect, and the expansion of coverage into more remote areas.

Through its rural connectivity program, MTN Zambia and its partners intend to launch 45 rural sites in 2022 and another 100 in 2023 using cost-effective coverage options.