Telma Madagascar and Ericsson have deployed Ericsson’s three-sector, dual-band Radio 6626 across five major sites in Madagascar’s capital, Antananarivo.

According to the companies, by combining three sectors and two frequencies in one radio unit, Ericsson’s Radio 6626 will enable Telma Madagascar to radiate all three sectors in their towers through just one radio unit.

Additionally, Ericsson Radio 6626 will provide Telma Madagascar with multi-standard and multi-band coverage while lowering operating expenses (OPEX) and reducing footprint, with up to 18% lower energy consumption on every site configuration.

It will also enable a 67% reduction of radios in Telma Madagascar’s tower and a 20% reduction in weight and higher capacity in contrast to current installations.

Patrick Pisal Hamida, CEO of Telma Madagascar, said: “As we will launch new commercial 5G services in Madagascar, we are certain Ericsson’s Radio 6626 will not only help us with faster rollout onsite but also help us significantly minimise power consumption and weight on tower. With the benefits of this Ericsson dual-band, three-sector radio, we look forward to offering increased capacity on our network, lower power consumption and a superior user experience in Madagascar.”

Nora Wahby, Vice President and Head of Customer Unit West Africa and Morocco at Ericsson Middle East and Africa, says: “We are committed to always support a world where digitalisation is transforming the ecosystem; enabling sustainable growth and economic development. By reducing the number of radios on the tower from six to one, our cutting-edge and energy-efficient Radio 6626 will help Telma Madagascar significantly reduce its network power consumption and increase capacity.”

Ericsson Radio 6626 will arm Telma Madagascar with added support to boost capacity while enabling efficient site upgrades and accelerating the time-to-market of various 5G services.

Working alongside Telma Madagascar, Ericsson reaffirms its commitment to provide communication service providers across the continent with access to cutting-edge products and solutions that empower a sustainable and connected Africa and keep #AfricaInMotion.