MTN South Africa has completed what it claims to be Africa’s first 5G-Advanced Upper 6GHz (U6GHz) network trial, achieving peak download speeds of 10.35 Gbps.
MTN SA said the trial was conducted at its headquarters in Randburg, Johannesburg, under a temporary radio licence, granted by ICASA.
The test combined a dedicated 5G standalone core network, ultra-wideband active antennas and advanced beamforming technologies, utilising an ultra-wide 400 MHz bandwidth.
The achievement highlights the significant capacity, speed and efficiency that U6GHz spectrum could unlock in the future, the company added.
MTN asserts that as demand for data-intensive services continues to grow, technologies such as U6GHz have the potential to play an important role in expanding network capacity, supporting digital inclusion and enabling broader participation in the digital economy.
Among the practical benefits that the telco says that U6GHz offers are reliable home broadband connectivity and greater capacity in high-demand areas.
MTN South Africa said it has actively supported the identification of the U6GHz band to align with International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT) standards. ICASA’s National Radio Frequency Plan 2026 (NRFP 2026) formally allocated the full 700 MHz contiguous U6GHz band to IMT services.
While South Africa has yet to fully licence spectrum in these higher frequency bands, MTN gained a trial licence “to demonstrate the significant capacity, throughput and advanced use case potential that U6GHz spectrum can unlock for the country’s future connectivity requirements”, it said in a statement.
“Trials such as this help us better understand how next-generation spectrum bands could contribute to a more connected and digitally inclusive future,” said Ferdi Moolman, CEO, MTN South Africa.
Alex Xing, Vice President of Huawei’s MTN Group Key Account Department, said: “The U6GHz frequency band, as a core spectrum resource for 5G-A and 6G, helps underpin the leapfrog development of Africa’s digital economy.”
Share
