MTN announced today that it is launching its 5G network in parts of Johannesburg, Cape Town and Bloemfontein.
According to MTN, right now you’ll only be able to get coverage in Bryanston and Honeydew in Gauteng, Universitas in Bloemfontein and Blouberg in Cape Town
The company says it’s expanding coverage to other areas, including Pretoria, Port Elizabeth and Durban, on a rolling basis.
To check if you’re in an MTN 5G coverage area, click here.
The company just announced that its network has been launched in 100 sites around the country, including a surprising number of small towns so expect these to be switched on soon.
The smaller towns that can soon expect 5G are: Port Alfred, Hopetown, Virginia, Queenstown and Tsantsabane.
MTN also revealed pricing on a range of 24-month and 36-month contracts for use at home with a router. Prices range from R499 to R1,599. These are SIM-only prices, however.
The company hasn’t revealed handset bundle prices yet, but is using the Huawei P40, the P40 Pro, and the LG Velvet 5G.
Vodacom’s prices start at R699 per month over 24 months, but is part of a handset bundle that includes a LG V50 ThinQ smartphone.
MTN is also offering unlimited data packages, starting at R1,249 per month on a 24-month contract and R999 per month on a 36-month contract.
Supplied MTN
Rain’s two unlimited data packages are R699 per month and R999 per month.
5G is significantly faster than 4G or its LTE variant. At a launch event, the company demonstrated download speeds of 608 Mbps, and upload speeds of 112 Mbps.
The demonstration was in Bryanston, and in ideal conditions near a tower. Home users can expect average speeds of 100 Mbps, while mobile users can expect average speeds of 50Mbps. Peak speeds can reach 500Mbps, the company says.
To date, only Vodacom has had a 5G network in more than one region, as it is active in Cape Town, as well as Johannesburg and Pretoria. Data-only network Rain is only available in Gauteng.
