Vodacom Mozambique becomes first operator to launch 5G in the country

Vodacom Mozambique has become the first mobile operator to launch 5G services in the country, which would be deployed at selected sites in Maputo, Matola, the central area of Nampula, downtown Nacala, Munhava, Maquinino and Chipanga neighbourhoods, Beira, and Tete.

The new 5G network is expected to significantly improve the quality of telecommunications services provided in the country, particularly for the Internet of Things (IoT) and "smart everything" (smart cities, smart agriculture, smart ports, etc.), as it is the technology that better supports these cases.

Vodacom Mozambique's CEO, Nuno Quelhas, said that 5G would help expand financial inclusion in Mozambique, with the aim of covering 75% of the adult Mozambican population by 2025 and making payments through M-Pesa available anywhere in the country.

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TechloyAcquah Nana Yeboah

Vodacom Mozambique's Director General, Simon Karikari, said the operator has 11 million connections in the country, with 6 million M-Pesa subscribers. The operator's proportional Internet coverage is 75% for 2G and 80% for 4G.

Many African countries have been launching 5G networks, especially in 2022 and early 2023, including Orange in Botswana, MTN in Zambia in November 2022; Telkom in South Africa in October 2022; Vodacom in Tanzania in September 2022; and Econet in Zimbabwe in February 2022.

The telco's launch of 5G in Mozambique marks it as joining many other African telcos that have launched commercial 5G services on the continent.