Madagascan operator Telma and infrastructure and software vendor Ericsson have announced the launch of commercial 5G services in Madagascar.
Madagascar’s first commercial 5G network, launched in the 3.6-3.7 GHz band, went live late last week and is now available in multiple cities in Madagascar. Telma activated the 5G network in the 3.6-3.7 GHz mid-band using the latest radio access and transport products from the Ericsson Radio System portfolio.
The partners says that two key 5G use cases for the Madagascar market are enhanced mobile broadband and fixed wireless access. Citing greater capacity, higher data speeds and reduced latency, the partners say that 5G will power new experiences for Telma customers, from gaming and entertainment services, to IoT and business applications. In addition, continuing a theme that has been strongly emphasised during the recent pandemic, the partners add that healthcare and education are areas that will also benefit from this technology.
Ericsson was selected by Telma in October 2019 to upgrade its core and radio network in Madagascar, building on the two companies’ existing 5G partnership.
With Telma’s launch, Ericsson currently has 41 live 5G networks in 24 countries. Ericsson’s live networks are part of 95 commercial 5G agreements or contracts the company has with unique operators globally, of which 55 are publicly announced 5G deals.
Group Telma is a leading operator in the Indian Ocean region, with five million subscribers in Madagascar (whose estimated population is around 27 million) and 200,000 in Comoros.
