MTN SA CTIO Giovanni Chiarelli said this launch was made possible, in part, by the recent allocation of temporary spectrum by ICASA.<\/p>\n
MTN delivers 5G connectivity using four spectrum bands \u2013 3.5 GHz (58 sites), 2,100MHz and 1,800MHz (35 sites), 700MHz (5 sites), and 28GHz (3 sites).<\/p>\n
The operator is also re-farming some of its 4G spectrum to allow it to run 4G and 5G spectrum, at the same time, in the same band.<\/p>\n
MTN\u2019s 5G is currently only available in Bryanston and Honeydew in Gauteng, Blouberg in Cape Town, and Universitas in Bloemfontein.<\/p>\n
MTN SA CEO Godfrey Motsa said their 5G network rollout will be ramped up to more sites once government allocates permanent spectrum through the planned auction later this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur call to the regulator and government is to release permanent 4G and 5G spectrum as a matter of urgency so that we can fuel the digital revolution,\u201d said Motsa.<\/p>\n
5G versus 4G performance<\/h3>\n
MTN’s 5G home Wi-Fi promises average speeds of 100Mbps and peak speeds of 500Mbps, while 5G mobile offers average speeds of 50Mbps and peak speeds of 500Mbps.<\/p>\n
To compare the performance of MTN’s 5G and 4G mobile networks, we performed a series of speed tests on the MyBroadband Speed Test app using two Huawei P40 Pro smartphones.<\/p>\n
We ran the tests on MTN\u2019s 5G and 4G networks at four locations \u2013 Epsom Downs Shopping Centre, Design Quarter, The Palazzo at Montecasino, and Nando’s Bryanston.<\/p>\n
To ensure a like-for-like comparison, the tests were performed at the same locations and at the same times.<\/p>\n
For all the locations, we ensured we had full signal on both the 5G and 4G test phones, and used the MyBroadband Speed Test app’s signal monitor to verify that we were close to MTN’s towers.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Huawei-P40-Pro-MTN-5G-vs-MTN-4G.jpg\")
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