While Safaricom became the first telco to launch 5G in East Africa, Telkom has become the fourth network operator in South Africa to launch the fifth generation network — after Rain, MTN, and Vodacom — and will provide fixed-wireless 5G Internet to subscribers.
Telkom launched the network today in partnership with Chinese equipment vendor Huawei announcing 123 5G base stations at launch, located in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape, and the Western Cape.
Telkom says it has been meticulously building its 5G network capacity in preparation for the national rollout of its 5G network over the past 24 months,
However, the telco will focus mainly on providing “super-fast fixed-wireless access solutions”, at least initially, Telkom Consumer and Business CEO Lunga Siyo said adding that only later, as demand for mobile 5G increases, will it supplement this with “suitable mobile propositions”.
“5G is the next frontier of technological innovation and we are excited to bring this technology to the fingertips of all South Africans to realize the potential of a fully connected world,” Siyo continued.
