Safaricom has today launched East Africa’s first commercial 5G network using both Huawei and Nokia for their network infrastucture. Using Nokia’s radio and FastMile 5G gateways provides ultra-fast Fixed Wireless Access services to subscribers. At the launch, Safaricom also showcased 5G hologram and UHD video communication using a live 5G network.
Nokia’s 5G Single Radio Access Network (SRAN) technology and 5G FastMile gateways enable ultra-fast Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) services to Safaricom’s subscribers across Kisumu and the Western Province of Kenya.
5G technology will enable new applications in areas such as virtual reality, augmented reality, and artificial intelligence for Safaricom subscribers. It will also benefit enterprises across important energy, healthcare, education, transport, and entertainment applications.
At a launch event in Nairobi, Safaricom showcased the capabilities of the 5G network with three use cases — 5G hologram, Ultra-HD video communication and virtual fashion shopping. In the hologram showcase, the live 5G network was used to teleport Safaricom’s executives from the Safaricom office in Kisumu to the launch event in Nairobi. And in the second showcase, Ultra-HD video communication was made using the 5G Fixed Wireless Access connectivity powered by WiFi-6 with Nokia Beacon 6. The third showcase of virtual shopping will change the shopping experience allowing users to try on clothes “virtually”.
Initial speed tests run by techweez, during the launch the fastest speed they have so far seen hits 1.3 Gbps (down). Up speeds are pretty normal and match what you would get with 4G standards. This is the same thing in other countries that have had the service for a little longer.
The above image is from Huawei Mate 30 Pro, however they also used a Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra for their tests. Safaricom has also revealed plans to later increase 5G internet speeds beyond 1,000 Mbps in later stages of the trial.
As part of the network, Nokia 5G Cloud Mobility Manager delivers the scalability, flexibility, high availability, and performance needed to support the growth of mobile and enterprise services. Nokia’s NetAct network management system helps Safaricom have a consolidated network view for improved network monitoring and management.
Peter Ndegwa, CEO of Safaricom, said: “We are proud to be the first operator in the East Africa to launch 5G services, bringing the benefits of 5G technology to our customers. 5G capabilities will change a lot of things in unimaginable ways for people and enterprises, playing a key role towards fulfilling our vision to transform lives. Our long-term partner Nokia’s technologies and services expertise helped us achieve this milestone in our journey to provide world-class broadband services to our customers.”
Amr K. El Leithy, SVP, Middle East and Africa Market, Nokia, said: “With over 200 commercial 5G agreements with leading customers across the globe, Nokia has been bringing 5G network to every part of the world. Our 5G network for Safaricom is a key part of this journey and we are committed to working with the operator to transform the communications landscape in the country. This will open new business opportunities for Safaricom.”
