The latest innovation marks a significant step in MTN Zambia’s journey towards 5.5G.

MTN Zambia and Huawei have partnered to develop an antenna unit to enhance network performance and energy efficiency using innovative hardware and software.

Techtrends Zambia reports that the antenna, named Meta-Active Antenna Unit (Meta-AAU) is a third generation of 5G active antenna units, enabling more coverage range and bandwidth while consuming less energy as compared to the traditional antenna.

According to the companies, the Meta-AAU solution addresses some of the most common challenges that MTN faces such as limited tower space for equipment deployment, high operational expenditures, particularly costly deployments.

It also overcomes several technical challenges, including the integration of high-density extremely large antenna arrays; which is technology that employs a large number of antennas to transmit and receive signals, coordinated scheduling for dual bands, remote independent adjustment, and advanced sleep modes for energy efficiency, while allowing for a continuous 5G experience across various scenarios.

According to Thomas Ngoma, MTN Zambia chief technology officer, the innovation marks a significant step in MTN Zambia’s journey towards 5.5G, the next evolution of 5G technology.

“This collaboration marks a crucial step in MTN Zambia’s journey towards 5.5G. Huawei’s dual-band AAU technology not only enhances current network performance but also provides a clear path for future 5.5G evolution. It lays the foundation for the next phase of commercial 5G deployment,” he commented.

For Robin Yu Bin, director of Huawei’s Southern Africa Multi-country Management Department, the collaboration is about leveraging technology to enhance infrastructure.

“Its successful deployment demonstrates the feasibility and commercial value of this solution. Huawei will continue to leverage its expertise in 5G technology to help MTN build a sustainable, intelligent network infrastructure,” he added