MTN Group CEO Ralph Mupita has announced that come 2025, its 3G network would be decommissioned.
This announcement was made following the company’s plans to enable 5G connectivity to 25% of the South African population the company intends now to decommission 3G in 2025-2026.
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Stating that the company had to be innovative in its utilisation of the available spectrum, MTN Group CEO, Ralph Mupita, said in a meeting with investors that it’s South African business, which is the largest after Nigeria, had the least amount of spectrum in the group before the auction. Following the auction, MTN South Africa is now “in the middle of the pack”.
Reason For The 3G Decommissioning
MTN is urging its customers to embrace the future of data connection as it crosses the Ts and dots the Is to ensure that 5G network is made available to its subscribers. 3G is the third generation of wireless communication technology, which was launched in 1998. 4G is much faster than 3G, while 5G is some 10 times faster than the 4G, allowing speeds of around 200Mbps.
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MTN SA has been on a path of expanding its network capacity, including 4G and 5G rollout as part of its growth strategy. The company has established more than 1000 5G sites so far.
“The ambition is clear, this year we will deliver 25% population coverage on 5G, and by 2025 we are going to take the coverage on the 5G layer to 60%,” said chief executive Charles Molapisi.
The 3G decommissioning will bring with it the spectrum that we are going to use on the 5G layer or even the 4G. We see 4G technology as long-term.