Airtel’s big move on 5G network

Airtel Uganda is now ready for the trailblazing 5G technology, its Managing Director, Manoj Murali said on Feb.22. 5G is the 5th generation mobile network that enables a new kind of network that is designed to connect virtually everyone and everything together including machines, objects, and devices at very high speeds. It delivers higher multi-Gbps peak data speeds, more reliability, massive network capacity, increased availability, and a more uniform user experience to more users. 5G can support a significant higher number of devices per square kilometre compared to the existing 4G technologies. This makes 5G the suitable network over which remote teams can collaborate to undertake tasks like surgery, shared online school classes, farmers can share live video farming tips, engineering tasks over video and stream gaming and other entertainment experiences. The 11 towers that have successfully tested the 5G technology in Uganda include areas such as Industrial area, Garden City Area, Upper Kololo, Clement Hill, Hannington Road, Lower airstrip Kololo and Wampewo Avenue. Customers with 5G compatible devices can now enjoy the 5G experience using their existing 4G SIM Cards. All other Airtel sites across the country have been configured and are ready for deployment once the spectrum has been allocated. Manoj said that Airtel Uganda has already applied for the required spectrum from the sector regulator, Uganda Communications Commission (UCC). Spectrum is a finite resource for the country and its use is regulated by the regulator.