Although it has been excluded from other countries because of security concerns, Huawei remains the dominant supplier of telecom equipment in Africa, according to Reuters. South African carrier Telkom, which is part owned by the state, became the latest carrier on the continent to choose Huawei to deploy its 5G network on Friday, the publication reported.
Huawei has a footprint covering over 50 countries in Africa, according to the African Review. The OEM first entered the South African telecom market in 1998 culminating in world-class innovative solutions for the people of South Africa.
Telkom joined Vodacom and MTN, which have also deployed 5G networks in South Africa, but Vodacom chose Nokia and MTN uses an Open RAN network, using VANU, Parallel Wireless and NuRAN Wireless. Huawei has supported South African mobile operators to build more than 2,800 5G base stations, IT Web reported in July.
South African lives have changed since the advent of the COVID, Huawei noted. “The COVID pandemic has driven significant lifestyle changes for South Africans, who began to work from home or school from home in an ‘always on’ kind of culture,” said Fortune Wang, Carrier Business Director for Huawei South Africa in the Reuters report.
The initial market targeted by Telkom will be fixed wireless access to meet those changing connectivity needs. “At launch Telkom will primarily focus on providing super fast 5G fixed wireless access solutions, as the demand for mobile 5G increases, we will supplement this with suitable mobile propositions,” said Lunga Siyo, chief executive officer of Telkom Consumer and Business, according to News Central TV.
By J. Sharpe Smith, Inside Towers Technology Editor
Reader Interactions