Mauritius Telecom introduces 5G services across the country

Mauritius Telecom announced last week the introduction of 5G services to its offering on the island, a step which follows the provider’s receival of 5G license for mobile telephony earlier last month. 

The telco was among two other companies, Cellplus Ltd and Emtel Ltd, that had applied in February to a public consultation regarding the opening of frequency bands for 5G. 

By April, the three operators were invited to submit their applications for the spectrum.  

In parallel, Cellplus Ltd and Emtel Ltd are expected to launch their commercial 5G services in the island by the end of 2021. 

Meanwhile, Mauritius Telecom considered the event as a remarkable milestone that placed “our operator is among the first to launch 5G in Africa,” said Sherry Singh, CEO of the company during the unveiling ceremony held at the Hennessy Park hotel in Ebène. 

“With the launch of the four MyT 5G Experience Zones, Mauritius Telecom is the first operator to deploy the 5th generation of mobile network in Mauritius,” he highlighted. 

Singh explained that MyT Mobile subscribers will get a message inviting them to register to connect to the 5G network in the Cybercity regions of Ebene, Trianon, Bagatelle, and Reduit. 

According to the company’s spokesperson the new network is ten times faster than the current one. “With the deployment of its MyT 5G Experience Zones, Mauritius Telecom propels Mauritius on the world map of countries that have deployed 5G and at the same time joins the Top 10 African countries that have launched this technology,” said the CEO. 

“Despite a challenging business environment, we have to take a step and get our country ready for tomorrow’s Technology … today,” Singh added.   

Earlier in June, Information and Communication Technologies Authority (ICTA) — the authority responsible for granting 5G licenses to mobile operators—considered the country’s efforts towards deploying 5G services as essential to the telecommunications industry. 

 “This new technology is not just about higher speeds, as it will also make possible new applications in the areas of Smart home, Internet of Things, wireless health care, smart cities and autonomous vehicles amongst others. Around the world, 5G is looked upon as a foundation for huge benefits to both governments and businesses willing to optimize on the digital ecosystems which such a technology makes possible,” said Dick Ng Sui Wa, chairman of the ICT Board, in a statement.