MTN South Africa and Huawei have completed Africa’s first 5.5G network trial at MTN’s headquarters in Johannesburg, in a groundbreaking partnership.
This marks a major milestone in African telecommunications, with MTN once again at the forefront of advancing 5G technology to drive a tech-centric future for the continent. The introduction of MTN’s 5.5G network with 10 gigabit capabilities aims to boost South Africa’s digital economy by expanding connectivity, enhancing access, and improving the quality of life for South Africans.
This next-generation 5.5G technology brings five major innovations: the 10-gigabit experience, all-scenario Internet of Things (IoT) support, integrated communication perception, L4-level autonomous driving networks, and energy-efficient green ICT.
The 5.5G era promises tenfold improvements in network performance compared to current 5G standards, delivering 10 Gbps speeds, a tenfold increase in IoT connections, and drastically lower latency.
Furthermore, network energy consumption per terabyte is expected to decrease to a tenth of current levels, while autonomous driving technology will streamline operations and maintenance efficiency by a factor of 10. This advancement opens up a host of new possibilities for both businesses and consumers.
For this trial, MTN South Africa utilized Huawei’s commercial SingleRAN ultra-wideband active antenna units, deploying hybrid beamforming architecture with dynamic beam management and Inter-FR carrier aggregation (CA) technologies.
The network trial involved spectrum in the millimetre wave and C-band through a special trial license, operating in standalone 5G mode. During testing, MTN achieved speeds of 8.6 Gbps, close to the 10-gigabit target, which sets the stage for cutting-edge services like 24K Extended Reality (XR), High-Speed Fixed Wireless Access (FWA), holographic conferencing, and enhanced 5G private networks.
MTN South Africa CTO Rami Farah highlighted the achievement noting that “The validation of 5.5G technology with Huawei is not only a technical breakthrough but also an affirmation of MTN’s commitment to providing the best possible network experience.”
He expressed optimism about continued innovations to deliver an enhanced experience for South Africans. Li Chen, Vice President of Huawei’s Sub-Saharan Region, added, “This 5.5G release with MTN South Africa not only strengthens our strategic partnership but also aligns with Huawei’s vision to bring cutting-edge technologies to Africa, helping bridge the digital divide and supporting the continent’s digital economy and mobile AI future.”
Huawei MTN SA Managing Director Jason Shao celebrated the accomplishment, noting that the 5.5G trial marks a significant milestone for communications in South Africa. Huawei aims to continue working with MTN SA to drive digital transformation, building an intelligent, vibrant future for the country.
