Econet CEO Douglas Mboweni together with Todd Ashton, Vice President and Head of Ericsson South and East Africa.

Zimbabwe Stock Exchange-listed MNO Econet Wireless Zimbabwe has partnered with Ericsson to launch 5G services in Harare, Zimbabwe.

According to a statement released by the companies, Ericsson will support Econet with its latest energy-efficient and high-performing Radio Access Network (RAN) and 5G Evolved Packet Core (EPC) solutions for 5G deployment in the capital Harare.

The partners assert that the solutions will boost Econet’s capacity and user experience with significantly faster network speeds, which are up to ten times the speed of 4G technology.

They add that 5G is set to present new opportunities for Econet’s consumer and business customers by offering services such as Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) for homes, small enterprise businesses and schools, among other enterprise customers in Zimbabwe.

The technology will also broaden access to financial inclusion in Zimbabwe’s urban and rural areas, they claim.

Ericsson’s common Network Functions Virtualisation Infrastructure (NFVI) platform aims to help Econet achieves a smooth migration experience from 3 and 4G networks, as the company rolls out 5G in Zimbabwe.

Econet CEO Douglas Mboweni said: “Working with Ericsson to launch 5G in Zimbabwe is an important milestone in our digital transformation journey. As we deploy the network across the country, our goal remains that of meeting and addressing our customers’ needs using the latest technology available. We are certain that Ericsson’s industry-leading and energy-efficient 5G solutions will help us achieve that goal, and significantly improve our customer experience through reliable connectivity to our subscribers.”

Todd Ashton, Vice President and Head of Ericsson South and East Africa, said: “We continue to strengthen our long-term partnership with Econet by providing Ericsson’s latest technology in Zimbabwe. 5G will play a critical role in accelerating the digitalization of the economy, increase financial inclusion and stimulate next-generation innovation for consumers and enterprises in the country. With our commitment to enhancing the digital infrastructure on the continent, we look forward to accelerating Zimbabwe’s digital future together with Econet and bring the benefits to the entire continent of Africa and in line with our #AfricaInMotion campaign, which focuses on empowering a connected and sustainable Africa.”