5G is here for the taking — if the government allows it
MTN says it has achieved download speeds of more than 20 gigabits per second in its first trial of fifth-generation (5G) technology."This is the highest achieved on a mobile network in Africa‚" the service provider said in a statement on Monday.It said it was ready to deploy the technology commercially but could not do so until it had access to additional frequency spectrum.The Independent Communications Authority of SA (Icasa), which regulates spectrum‚ has not yet allocated spectrum for 4G infrastructure‚ TechCentral reported‚ forcing operators to reallocate 2G and 3G spectrum.According to MTN SA chief technology and innovation officer Giovanni Chiarelli, "there is no doubt that 5G will offer the consumer higher speeds and lower latency‚ but to achieve this we need the capacity that comes with additional spectrum."Once again we call on the government to urgently release the much-needed spectrum that is required in SA to lower the cost of data and drive growth and development for a...
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