Telekom Networks Malawi (TNM) claims to have launched the country’s first 5G network pilot.
TNM subscribers can test the high-speed network at Clocktower Mall in Blantyre and Bingu International Convention Centre in Lilongwe, and the operator has confirmed plans to extend the trial to Mzuzu and Zomba.
The operator’s CEO Michel Hebert added that the operator is “inviting potential partners to identify needs for use cases for TNM to trial”. He confirmed that across the past two years, TNM has invested MWK5.2 billion (US$5 million) in preparing its network for 5G data traffic volumes by modernising its packet core network platform.
The investment – carried out in partnership with China’s Huawei – will ensure TNM’s 5G network can handle internet speeds of up to 600Mbps per site with 50MHz of spectrum, and up to 1.2Gbps per site with 100MHz of spectrum. Hebert noted that the network would allow TNM to expand its remit significantly, providing mission-critical communications and massive IoT connectivity in sectors such as smart agriculture, automated mining and manufacturing.
