MTN Group announced on Monday it has commercially launched its 5G network in Congo-Brazzaville, making it the group’s sixth 5G launch in Africa along with last week’s launch of 5G in Benin.
MTN Congo has been trialling 5G in a pilot project since October 2022, and announced last month that it was ready to launch 5G services. The official commercial launch ceremony was held last Thursday, although no details were given in terms of coverage.
Ebenezer Twum Asante, MTN Group’s VP of the East, West and Central Africa, said in a statement that 5G would serve as a cornerstone for Congo-Brazzaville’s economic and social development.
“In a context where digital infrastructure has become the basis of economic growth, MTN Congo intends to actively contribute to making Congo a digital innovation hub in Central Africa,” he said.
MTN Group first launched commercial 5G in its home base of South Africa in June 2020. Since then, its subsidiaries have also launched 5G in Nigeria, Uganda and Zambia. On Friday, MTN officially launched Benin’s first commercial 5G network, with initial services available in select areas of the port city of Cotonou and Abomey-Calavi.
MTN said 5G trials are currently underway in South Sudan, and the group is working to secure the spectrum and licences to extend its 5G footprint. The group says it rolled out 2,251 5G sites across its various markets in 2023, and added another 829 5G sites in the first half of this year.
“5G is more than a technological advancement – it is the foundation for innovation, economic growth, and the creation of new opportunities,” said MTN Group chief technology and information officer Mazen Mroue.
