Ericsson has won a 5G network deal from MTN South Africa. Financial details were not disclosed.
Ericsson said it has more than 70 5G network contracts with unique communication service providers. Ericsson said it is already powering 23 live 5G networks.
Ericsson, as a 5G network modernization vendor, will supply 5G products and solutions from its Radio Access Network (RAN), transport and Core portfolios. MTN South Africa will start the commercial rollout of 5G services in 2020.
MTN South Africa is upgrading its core network to support 3GPP-compliant 5G Non-Standalone (NSA) architecture.
Enhanced Mobile Broadband, Fixed Wireless Access, and the Internet of Things (IoT) are some of the focus areas. MTN and Ericsson are working together to identify and develop 5G use cases and applications that will contribute to the digital transformation of industry verticals.
Ericsson will assist MTN South Africa to modernize existing LTE and legacy radio access networks as part of a three-year deal signed earlier this year. This is aimed at accelerating MTN’s digitalization ambitions in South Africa.
Nicolas Blixell, vice president, Ericsson Middle East and Africa said MTN is using 5G New Radios (5G NR), basebands, and MINI-LINK microwave transmission products from the Ericsson Radio System portfolio to enhance network quality and user experiences for the company’s 30 million customers.
Ericsson has provided MTN with an Ericsson Cloud Core network, including 5G Evolved Packet Core (5G EPC) and User Data Management (UDM).
“MTN is rapidly upgrading network to deliver quality, capacity, and network performance that our enterprise and customers demand,” said Giovanni Chiarelli, chief technology and information officer of MTN South Africa.
