INTELLIGENT BRANDS // Mobile Technology
First 5G network launched in
South Africa
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S
outh African operator rain and Nokia
have announced the launch of the
country’s first commercial-ready 5G
network in Cape Town.
The achievement supports rain’s goal to
introduce 5G services at the earliest possible
time in line with South Africa’s vision to
ensure a seamless information infrastructure
by 2030 for an inclusive knowledge economy.
In addition, Nokia and rain have agreed to
collaborate on deploying the 5G network
with Nokia’s end-to-end 5G solutions
including optical fronthaul transport
products and its Fixed Wireless Access
FastMile 5G Gateway. Nokia’s FastMile 5G
Gateway is a home solution that brings high
speeds to homes using 3GPP compliant 5G
New Radio.
The 5G network opens the door for new
applications and services that rely on ultra-
high speeds and ultra-low latency, such
as Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and
Artificial Intelligence for improved education,
healthcare and entertainment.
The rollout will continue through 2020 to
extend the network to more areas. Later this
year the network will also support a variety
of 5G use cases when commercial 5G end-
user devices become available. This initiative
paves the way for the introduction of 5G
services in the entire country.
Willem Roos, Chief Executive Officer at rain,
said: “Together with Nokia, we are busy
building this country’s first 5G network
within a challenging time frame to advance
the rollout of 5G services. As ‘rain falls
equally on everyone’, we relentlessly pursue
providing affordable high-speed broadband
to everyone in South Africa. With the 5G
network, we will be able to achieve exactly
this and be a catalyst for the socio-economic
development in the country. Nokia is at the
forefront of 5G technology globally and
based on our experience we are confident
that its end-to-end innovative products and
world-class professional services will help us
bring the best possible 5G network to the
people of South Africa.”
Deon Geyser, head of the Southern Africa
subregion at Nokia, added: “We are excited
to support rain in its 5G vision. The 5G
technology promises to play a crucial role
in bridging the digital divide, which will
help in the overall economic and social
growth of the region. rain has taken the
lead with the first launch of 5G network in
South Africa. This will allow the company
to launch new and innovative 5G use
cases, attract new subscribers and improve
its revenue.”
Overview of the solution deployed
South African operator rain and Nokia have
announced the launch of the country’s first
commercial-ready 5G network in Cape Town
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INTELLIGENTCIO
• Nokia AirScale radio access network
solution, using 5G New Radio non-
standalone approach in 3.6 GHz
frequency spectrum to launch Fixed
Wireless Access services
• Massive MIMO approach provides
improved network capacity, better
coverage and superior speed
• NSA mode utilises the existing Nokia LTE
radio, which allows rain to provide 5G
services faster and cost-effectively
• Nokia NetAct gives single consolidated
view of the network allowing service
providers to react quickly to any pain points
• Nokia’s professional services helped
in the timely and effective rollout of
the network. n
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