Vodacom launches 5G mobile network in South Africa

South African mobile operator Vodacom said on Monday it has switched on Africa’s first live 5G mobile network in three cities, with further rollouts planned in other parts of the country.

Vodacom was recently assigned temporary additional spectrum by the telecoms regulator for the duration of the national state of disaster, including 1 x 50 MHz in the 3.5 GHz band, which has been used to fasttrack its 5G launch, it said in a statement.

In February, Vodacom Chief Executive Shameel Joosub said Vodacom expects to offer 5G mobile services to its South African customers this year by using a network being built by another African operator, Liquid Telecom.