Following hot the heels of Vodacom’s launch of a 5G network in Lesotho, Samsung South Africa and Comsol Network have today launched 5G connectivity along Vilakazi Street in Soweto.
The network is a pilot project that makes use of the 28GHz spectrum which Comsol Networks has access to in abundance.
This specific spectrum is best used for public WiFi hotspots which means that there won’t be much coverage (if any) beyond Vilakazi Street but those in the iconic location will be able to take advantage of WiFi that boasts peak download speeds of 1.75Gbps.
It’s important to note that this does not mean that the spectrum firms such as Vodacom have been calling for is now available. The spectrum needed for widespread rollout of 5G in South Africa is yet to be released as of time of writing.
“Vilakazi Street is the family home to two Nobel Prize laureates, and one of our nation’s boldest symbols of transformation and progress,” Comsol Networks’ chief executive officer Iain Stevenson said in a statement.
“In our own way, we want to play a role in South Africa’s future as we embrace the digital economy, showcasing just what’s possible with advanced 5G networks,” the CEO added.
The tech that made it possible
To make this 5G network possible at all Comsol Networks partnered with Samsung which supplied the tech.
“For the 5G pilot network service, Samsung provides 5G End-to-End FWA [fixed-wireless access] solutions, consists of 5G outdoor routers (CPEs) and 5G Radio comprised of a compact mmWave RFICs technologies and ASIC-based 5G modems developed by leveraging Samsung’s in-house expertise and assets,” said Samsung.
The network features a fibre backhaul provided by Dark Fibre Africa and the ISP in this instance is Mweb.
Truth be told this not exactly the 5G network we were hoping to see as it’s only available in one area but this news is still good.
To us the fact that Samsung and Comsol Networks are already piloting 5G projects shows us firms are hungry to bring the technology to everybody.
We just need government to give these firms the tools they need to make ubiquitous access to 5G a reality.
[Image – CC BY 2.0 Richard Matthews]
