5G in South Africa: Where Are We?
“The 5G world will be a collaborative ecosystem, and the role of what each of us will do in that remains to be thought through.” Borje Ekholm, President and CEO of the Ericsson Group uttered these words which sound simultaneously exciting and a little puzzling.
There is a lot of hype around the advent of 5G in South Africa and what this technology will make possible for businesses. In fact, we’ve spoken about the business benefits of 5G connectivity in previous articles and what we can look forward to.
What we need to know, though, is what is happening right here in South Africa on the topic of 5G?
Where is 5G in South Africa?
5G is dangling the speed carrot before us all, promising 10x the speed of your current mobile 4G tech and 100x faster than 3G. (It’s faster than fibre right now too – that’s something to think about.) It’s no wonder we’re all so excited to know when, where and how much.
As of today, South Africa can choose between three 5G mobile networks: Vodacom, MTN, and Rain.
This success follows a rather drawn-out process between mobile operators and the South African government on the topic of spectrum licensing.
Spectrum Licensing Issues in SA
Mobile operators have long been asking for access to certain bands to satisfy the growing need for connectivity in South Africa.
In an article discussing spectrum licensing published back in November 2019, Paula Gilbert from Connecting Africa said, “ICASA last week published an “Information Memorandum” aimed at outlining the authority’s intentions with regard to the licensing process for high-demand International Mobile Telecommunication (IMT) spectrum.
“The memorandum includes plans for the licensing of the bands: 700MHz, 800MHz, 2.3GHz, 2.6GHz and 3.5GHz, which will likely be used for a combination of 4G and 5G services.
“This is a big step forward for South Africa, where mobile operators have been waiting for many years for high-demand radio frequency spectrum to be released by the government. Telcos have until now been forced to refarm 2G and 3G spectrum to provide 4G services, while plans for 5G have almost remained theoretical without access to the correct spectrum.
“The inclusion of the 3.5GHz band has caused the most excitement as it is one of the bands identified as key for 5G deployments. South Africans were under the impression that the licensing of 4G spectrum bands would come first with 5G possibilities only on the cards to be licensed in 2020 and 2021.”
Thankfully, these cards are falling into place to allow for more exciting developments.
Infrastructure challenges
The nature of a 5G signal means that there is a requirement for far more cell phone towers; while the signal facilitates lightning-fast speeds, the high-frequency carrier waves are shorter and need more hops (towers) to travel.
Of course, more towers require more land, more money and more time which has proven another hiccup in the 5G rollout.
What will 5G mean for business?
While the three mobile giants offer 5G, it is still limited to a few cities in South Africa. Small pockets within Cape Town, Johannesburg and Pretoria enjoy coverage, with MTN caring for parts of Bloemfontein and Port Elizabeth too, but right now it is limited so we will have to be patient until it comes to our area.
In the meantime, we’re seeing speeds up to 700Mbps from Rain, with peak speeds heading towards 1Gbps!
What can we do with speeds like this? How will it impact the way we work?
The Telegraph says, “With 5G, everything’s changed, and as such, this next generation network will be not just be beneficial in one single market or industry – the global impact will be exponential.”
The speed of 5G goes hand-in-hand with ultra-low latency which allows for almost real-time applications – from driverless cars to drone operation, remote machinery operations and augmented reality.
Gaming and training simulators can offer users the most incredible experiences with 5G in their pocket.
The article above further states, “5G will support up to 100-fold increase in traffic capacity and network efficiency compared to 4G in order to cope with simultaneous high-demand applications. This means users can easily access data services at big events where previously they couldn’t get a signal. By allowing communications for up to a million devices per square kilometre, 5G provides the platform to drive IoT connectivity for Industry 4.0 and smart cities.”
What should you be doing now?
A forward-thinking business will always be on the lookout for innovative ways to both grow and outsmart competitors.
How can 5G give you a competitive advantage? Will you lead or follow?
Huge Connect can help you to prepare and position your business for the future, harnessing the power of 5G. Please call one of our team and let’s chat.
