MTN SA, Huawei trial 4.5G for 1Gbps network

MTN SA today announced it has achieved the fastest indoor mobile data service in South Africa using LTE-Advanced technology. The service is able to provide customers with data speeds up to an incredible 1Gbps, which is the first Gigabit per second speed ever recorded in South Africa using a mobile broadband connection.

MTN's LTE-Advanced solution uses Huawei's latest small cell Lampsite product, which aggregates two unlicensed LTE 5GHz carriers (40MHz) with one licensed LTE 2100MHz carrier (15MHz), and combines this with next-generation MIMO and modulation schemes. LTE-Unlicensed technology operates in the 5GHz unlicensed band, and is ideal for in-building deployments due to its higher capacity.

The success of this LTE-Advanced deployment is a giant leap forward for mobile broadband technology in South Africa, and demonstrates the potential that mobile broadband technologies can achieve if additional spectrum is allocated to mobile network operators.

With this innovative technology, combined with the ultra-speed capacity of Huawei's small cell Lampsite solution, MTN is able to cater for more demanding enterprise, financial and content services in indoor environments, while offering mobile broadband subscribers a significantly improved quality of experience.

Through the implementation of this Gigabit per second LTE-Advanced solution, MTN has yet again demonstrated its constant drive towards innovation, and improved customer service, which would not have been possible without Huawei's continual support and advanced mobile technology capabilities.

MTN acting Chief Technology Officer Krishna Chetty says: "MTN has been upgrading base stations and our fibre-optic transmission network in preparation for this launch. It's great to claim another South African first for MTN with the trial towards building a 4.5G network. It is even more pleasing that we've done this ahead of many other advanced economies around the world."