Key Highlights:
- rain South Africa and Huawei have launched the world’s first large-scale commercial sub-1 GHz Massive MIMO 5G network, with plans to deploy thousands of sites across South Africa.
- The network significantly improves performance, delivering:
- 5 dB better uplink coverage
- 3 dB better downlink coverage
- Up to three times greater network capacity compared to conventional 4T4R equipment.
- This marks the first commercial deployment of Massive MIMO technology in the sub-1 GHz FDD spectrum, overcoming long-standing technical challenges related to antenna design, radio architecture, signal processing, and interference management.
- The innovation combines the wide coverage and deep indoor penetration of low-band spectrum with the high capacity and spectral efficiency of Massive MIMO, enabling broader and more reliable 5G connectivity.
- The deployment is expected to help operators:
- Expand 5G coverage.
- Improve user experience.
- Increase network capacity.
- Make more efficient use of low-band spectrum.
- Conrad Leigh, CEO of rain South Africa, said the milestone builds on the companies’ partnership since launching South Africa’s first commercial 5G network in 2019, emphasizing innovation and future-ready infrastructure.
- Fang Xiang, Huawei’s Corporate Vice President and President of Wireless Network Solutions, described the deployment as a global technology milestone, highlighting gains in spectral efficiency, coverage, latency, uplink performance, and energy efficiency.
The deployment is expected to serve as a model for the future evolution of 5G networks globally while strengthening South Africa’s advanced wireless infrastructure.
Sourcs : www.huawei.com
