African 5G penetration has received a boost with the launch of Orange Botswana’s 5G commercial services, marking Orange’s first affiliate to roll out a 5G network in the continent.
Africa’s 5G penetration is the slowest in the world for factors mainly attributed to insufficient 5G devices. 5G mobile subscriptions are expected to hit just 10% by 2027, according to Ericsson mobility report. The penetration will depend much on local mobile network operators like Orange Botswana that secure licenses for 5G spectrum from various governments.
Orange Botswana said the 5G service, which will be available in greater Gaborone and Francistown, will cover 30% of the population from the 11th November 2022 while other cities will follow in early 2023. The 5G technology will enable new healthcare, education and security services.
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“The launch of 5G technology in Botswana will allow us to scale-up this technology and gain experience for other Orange countries across Africa. The benefits and potential impact of this are promising. It will help promote Africa’s digital inclusion, resulting in socio-economic growth and job creation.
“It is also ensuring Africa’s skills development on digital management tools and is in line with the ambitions of the African Union “Digital Transformation for Africa (2022 – 2030). It begins here and now, in Botswana,” Jerôme HENIQUE, CEO of Orange Middle East and Africa said.
The company said this 5G launch will further support innovation and digital inclusion in the country, putting Botswana at the forefront of 5G in Africa and is closely aligned with the government’s ambition to leverage Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) innovation towards transforming Botswana into a knowledge-based economy, leaving no-one behind.
5G, with its ultra-high speed and low latency, will support new disruptive services such as e-health, connected vehicles, connected cities, real-time gaming, smart homes and learning through VR and augmented reality. It offers a new world of possibilities to companies, innovators and society at large.
The subscription of Prepaid offers is accessible through Orange Yame App, USSD and Card to Wallet.
Already, the company has launched services powered 5G network, which it believes will spur partnership with the government to further the deployment of 5G infrastructure.
Orange Botswana has partnered with MRI Botswana to create a “Connected Ambulance” project that will allow Doctors to guide Paramedics through life saving procedures on their way to hospitals. This telemedicine intervention will change lives and would not have been possible without 5G. Orange Botswana is looking forward to collaborating with government and enterprises to implement 5G-based use cases.
Orange Botswana introduces new 5G fixed broadband services and mobile data bundles. The offers are available for residential customers, small and medium enterprises and include value added services. The fixed offers are available from 15 Mbps for Prepaid and from 20Mbps for Postpaid with a monthly rental from BWP 699 (€53 per month). The subscription of Prepaid offers is accessible through Orange Yame App, USSD and Card to Wallet.
After this very first commercial launch of its 5G services in Botswana, Orange Middle East and Africa intends to maintain its efforts in getting the latest and most advanced technologies in all its MEA countries adding value to local economies and continuously bridging the digital gap within the African populations.
In other countries, regulation boards still have not officially initiated the 5G licenses attribution process although many of them, such as in Cote d’Ivoire showed a clear will to make the 5G spectrum available in 2023. Meanwhile, Orange is collaborating with several regulatory bodies to help build a 5G deployment roadmap while testing the technology and developing use cases that fit with the local populations’ needs.
“At Orange Botswana, we are excited to be bringing in a new technology that will allow economic players to discover new possibilities enabled by 5G, and the way it could positively transform their daily activities. 5G connectivity is an incredible opportunity for businesses and the government, who are eager to take their operations to the next level. It is going to change how customers experience connectivity,” Nene MAIGA, CEO of Orange Botswana said.
Although device availability remains the biggest challenge of 5G roll out in Africa, telecom companies’ push to deploy the infrastructure and service nevertheless, is seen as a positive sign for wider future adoption.