Econet Wireless selected Ericsson to upgrade its RAN and mobile core network in Zimbabwe's capital city Harare, as part of its wider strategy to expand 5G footprint in the country and enable enterprise use cases.
In a statement from Ericsson, the vendor said the upgrades would “pave the way” for Econet to deliver 5G connectivity to more locations in Zimbabwe and enable advanced consumers and enterprise use cases.
Econet customers will see a range of new services such as VoLTE, access to apps that require low latency, and faster download speeds. Econet will also see its network coverage and capacity expansion, however, Ericsson did not detail exactly how much.
Enterprise will see a boost through increased deployment of 5G and enabling narrowband IoT and private networks.
Econet launched its 5G services in February 2022 in partnership with Ericsson has been deploying in phases throughout the country.
Econet Wireless Zimbabwe deputy CEO Roy Chimanikire (pictured, left): “Econet Wireless Zimbabwe is on a mission to realize an advanced 5G ecosystem in the country. Our latest partnership with Ericsson brings us closer to realizing this ambition with 5G expansions in more locations. Powering several digital technologies, 5G will play a pivotal role in realizing many of the goals outlined in the Smart Zimbabwe 2030 agenda, notably in smart industrialization.
