28 October 2022

Telkom has launched its commercial 5G network with technical support from Huawei.

According to Telkom, the 5G network will be available throughout South Africa. The company plans to focus primarily on providing 5G fixed wireless access services initially and will later add appropriate mobile offers based on demand.

This breakthrough comes months after Telkom invested 2.1 billion rand to acquire 42MHz of frequencies in the country's high-speed telecom spectrum auctioned by the Independent Communications Authority of Africa of the South (ICASA).

“5G, with its ultra-high speed and low latency, will support new services for South African consumers, including artificial/virtual reality online gaming and ultra-high-definition streaming. Computing will also allow businesses to benefit from cloud and artificial intelligence technologies,” said Fortune Wang, business division manager at Huawei South Africa.