Electron Native

Mobile operator Vodacom Group said on Monday it had switched on Africa’s first live 5G mobile network in three cities in South Africa, with further rollouts planned in other parts of the country.   Source: BizAfricaDaily According to Reuters, Vodacom has been recently assigned temporary additional spectrum by South Africa’s telecoms regulator for the duration of a national state of disaster to tackle the coronavirus pandemic, which has been used to fast track its 5G launch, the company said in a statement. Chief Executive Officer, Shameel Joosub had said in February that Vodacom is expected to offer 5G mobile services in South Africa this year by using a network being built by another African operator, Liquid Telecom. The deployment of 5G will help Vodacom manage the 40% increase in mobile network traffic and the 250% increase in fixed traffic experienced during the five-week long coronavirus lockdown, it said. The lockdown has resulted in a spike in online ac...

The issue of 5G licences marks a major step in the expansion of internet access in Germany, Jochen Homann, head of the Federal Network Agency, said in the western city of Mainz. Source: Dailymail.co.uk “The auction of the licences, which kicks off on Tuesday, will contribute to the gigabit society,’’ Hoffman said at a news conference in the city. Homann, when aAddressing concerns at the lack of mobile coverage in rural areas, said he was confident that mobile services would improve. He noted that conditions had been attached to the auction stipulating that all motorways had to have fast internet coverage. The auction is expected to last no less than three weeks and to result in revenues between 3 and 5 billion Euros (3.4 to 5.7 billion Dollars) for the state. Three established network operators and one newcomer have indicated an interest, including Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone and Telefonica, who already operate networks, and 1&1-Drillisch. Germany is looking to 5...