Safaricom will trial 5G network with consumer and enterprise customers
African carrier Safaricom activated its 5G network in Kenya, the telco said in a release.
The new 5G infrastructure, which was launched in the cities of Nairobi, Kisumu, Kisii and Kakamega, is expected to be expanded to 150 sites across nine towns over next twelve months.
Safaricom said that the 5G network trials will begin with both individual and enterprise customers in these initial four cities.
The telco said that the main goal of the trial would be to offer access speeds of up to 700 Mbps with plans to offer than 1,000 Mbps speeds in coming months.
“With 5G, we aim to empower our customers with super-fast internet at work, at home and when on the move, supplementing our growing fiber network. At Safaricom, we are proud to be the first in the country and the region to bring this latest innovation to both our retail and enterprise customers empowering them to start exploring new opportunities that 5G provides,” said Peter Ndegwa, CEO, Safaricom.
“I congratulate Safaricom on this milestone, reinforcing the country’s position at being at the forefront of innovation in the region and the world. 5G technology will usher increased internet speeds and capabilities for millions across the country, laying a strong foundation for a new generation of innovators and entrepreneurs,” said Joe Mucheru, Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Information and Technology.
Safaricom also noted that Nokia and Huawei have been selected as the two technology partners to implement the deployment of Safaricom’s 5G network.
In a separate statement, Nokia said that its 5G Single Radio Access Network (SRAN) technology and 5G FastMile gateways enable ultra-fast Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) services to Safaricom’s subscribers across Kisumu and the Western Province of Kenya.
5G technology will enable new applications in areas such as virtual reality, augmented reality and artificial intelligence for Safaricom subscribers. It will also benefit enterprises across important energy, healthcare, education, transport and entertainment applications, the Finnish vendor said.
At a launch event in Nairobi, Safaricom showcased the capabilities of the 5G network with three use cases — 5G hologram, Ultra-HD video communication and virtual fashion shopping. In the hologram showcase, the live 5G network was used to teleport Safaricom’s executives from Safaricom office in Kisumu to the launch event in Nairobi. And in the second showcase, Ultra-HD video communication was made using the 5G FWA connectivity powered by WiFi-6 with Nokia Beacon 6. The third showcase of virtual shopping will change shopping experience allowing users to try on clothes “virtually”.
Nokia said that the 5G network utilizes massive Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) radio to improve spectral efficiency and throughput capacity.
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