South Africa’s major mobile network operators have been expanding their 5G networks, with the technology now available through most operators in most of the country’s major metros. MTN, Rain, Telkom, and Vodacom have provided updates on their 5G coverage.
MTN has 1,568 5G capacity sites in South Africa, with most of them focused in the metropolitan areas of Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town, and Durban. The operator also offers limited coverage in areas surrounding Polokwane, East London, Gqeberha, and Bloemfontein. MTN South Africa CEO Charles Molapisi recently stated that the network operator would dial back its 5G rollout to focus its investments on battery backups and generators for its towers, which will result in further price increases for customers.
Rain, on the other hand, has expanded its 5G network to cover more than seven million households since launching in 2019. The operator has expanded to over 56 new regions, metros, and towns across SA and plans to continue rolling out 5G throughout 2023 using a new spectrum. Rain is also deploying backup power solutions at its towers to help fight the effects of load-shedding.
Telkom and Vodacom had not provided updates on their 5G coverage at the time of publication.
Battery theft and load-shedding-associated risks affect all of South Africa’s major mobile network operators. The rotational power cuts are killing 5G in South Africa, according to Wireless Access Provider’s Association executive committee member Paul Colmer. Despite the technology being touted as more energy efficient per bit, the rate at which it transfers data makes its towers consume more energy than other cellular technologies.
“One of the selling points of 5G is that it’s more ‘eco-friendly’ than LTE,” said Colmer. “But even though 5G consumes less power per bit of data, because it transmits significantly more data than LTE, the net result is also significantly higher power consumption. This is why power — or rather the lack of it — can ultimately be a 5G killer.”
In conclusion, South Africa’s major mobile network operators are expanding their 5G coverage, with MTN and Rain being at the forefront of the rollout. However, load-shedding-associated risks and battery theft are affecting the operators’ ability to fully deploy their 5G networks.
