At 2019 Mobile World Congress (MWC 2019), Data-only network Rain has announced it’s going to start offering 5G commercial services in South Africa in September 2019.
The company is partnering with hardware manufacturer Huawei, which will supply the devices necessary for consumers to enjoy the new, high-speed mobile standard. This move has made South Africa one of the first countries in the world to launch 5G.
According to Rain, it will continue to roll out 5G infrastructure across its network with the aim of covering much of Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban in due course.
Rain Group CEO Willem Roos says; “The network will provide fiber-like speeds without the installation complexities, time delays and cost of laying fiber in under-serviced areas.”
“Rain is very optimistic about the business prospects of South Africa’s 5G network, and will continue to invest more in 5G networks and better serve users,” he added.
At the recent Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Huawei launched its full range of 5G end-to-end product solutions, from core network, bearer network and base stations to terminals early in 2018.
Huawei also showcased its 5G foldable smartphone, the HUAWEI Mate X; and the HUAWEI 5G CPE (Customer Premise Equipment) Pro, the first commercial products housing the Balong 5000. These products deliver outstanding high-speed connectivity and bring a hyper connected, all-scenario experience closer than ever before.
Apart from deploying new base stations, Huawei’s solutions enable Rain to fully leverage its existing LTE network and allocated spectrum for 5G deployment. This approach of sharing facilities and leveraging existing infrastructure will enable Rain to roll out the 5G network in a quick and cost-effective manner.
Shi Jilin, President of Huawei Cloud Core Network Product Line, said: “It is an important step working with Rain to build the first 5G network in South Africa. With our solutions, we are committed to working with operators to build future-oriented networks that will give them the maximum value from their investment and give their customers the best user’s experience.”
