Ericsson has completed the modernization of telecom operator Unitel’s existing core network in Angola, promising benefits from automation and enhanced 5G customer experience.
This modernization is based on network architecture that allows Unitel to integrate 4G and 5G technologies on a single platform. Ericsson said the integration enables the delivery of tailored services through network slicing, exposure and edge capabilities, as well as enhanced voice and data services over 5G Standalone (5G SA).
Unitel has implemented the Ericsson dual-mode 5G Core, IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), and cloud-native infrastructure solutions. The dual-mode 5G Core also supports the migration of existing 2G and 3G voice services to 4G and 5G networks.
Additionally, Ericsson’s IMS will enable Unitel to provide real-time communication services for both consumer and business users across any access network. “We are committed to enabling a fully connected Angola through the power of 5G, driving innovation and accelerating the country’s digital economy,” said Majda Lahlou Kassi, VP and head of Ericsson West and Southern Africa.
Júlio Gonçalves, director of core and services at Unitel, said the partnership enables the telco to provide customers with a “world-class network experience” that will drive socioeconomic growth and development across Angola.
5G data call test
In a separate initiative, Ericsson and Unitel successfully completed a trial data call over a 5G SA network in a live environment. Ericsson said the 5G SA technology maximizes 5G capabilities, allowing Unitel to offer higher speeds, lower latency, and advanced features to consumers and enterprises across multiple industries.
The strategic modernization of Unitel’s network will facilitate the provision of Voice-over-LTE (VoLTE), Wi-Fi calling, 5G voice, fixed wireless access (FWA), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), and high-speed, low-latency applications. Ericsson said it has been partnering with Unitel for over 20 years on its core network, radio access network and billing solutions.
Angola’s mobile market
State-owned Unitel is Angola’s biggest network according to statistics from market research company Omdia, a sister company of Connecting Africa. At the end of 2024, Unitel had an estimated 20.8 million mobile users, while Africell Angola had almost 5 million, and Movicel had just over 941,000 mobile users.
Africell is the newest player in the country, launching mobile services in April 2022. Unitel launched in 2001, and Movicel has been present in the Angolan market since 2003.
Changes at Unitel
The Angolan government is reportedly making moves to privatize Unitel sometime this year, according to a report from Bloomberg in January 2025, with part of the sale set to be conducted through the stock exchange. Plans for the re-privatization have been on the cards since late 2022, after the government effectively nationalized the mobile operator that year.
The government already owned 50% of Unitel via state-owned oil company Sonangol, but it seized the remaining shares from Vidatel – owned by Isabel dos Santos, the daughter of former President José Eduardo dos Santos – and Geni, which was owned by General Leopoldino Fragoso do Nascimento.
Dos Santos has faced civil and criminal investigations in a number of countries over the past few years. Angolan prosecutors charged her with embezzlement and money laundering in 2020, and fresh charges were leveled in 2024. Africa’s former richest woman has always denied the charges.
Author: Paula Gilbert
Editor, Connecting Africa
Source: www.connectingafrica.com