Dr. Stanley Shanapinda, CEO, Telecom Namibia

Namibia's leading mobile carrier, Mobile Telecoms Company (MTC), and Chinese company Huawei Technologies held the country’s first 5G technology trials on Monday in Windhoek, the country's capital.

These trials came after the government lifted a 5G moratorium and the Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia allocated 5G spectrum to MTC and other telecom providers in Namibia.

Emma Theofelus, minister of information, communication, and technology, called the event as a watershed moment for Namibia, emphasising the necessity of embracing emerging technologies to propel national growth, adding that move was a boost to the government’s Vision 2030.

“The vision can only be achieved by keeping up with relevant technology such as 5G,” she said.

“Productivity gains are enabled through 5G’s enhanced capabilities of fast speed, lower latency and greater traffic capacity, which will continue to unlock value across industries through new use cases, applications and services,” Theofelus said.

MTC is the largest mobile operator in Namibia, with a market share of 8 percent and 97 percent population coverage.

Meanwhile, another operator, Telecom Namibia announced the activation of more than 50 3G and 4G sites across the country.

It said this initiative brings enhanced mobile connectivity and customer experience countrywide.

"This is just the beginning, as we plan to continue expanding our network across the country, ensuring wider coverage and capacity to meet the evolving needs of Namibians and contribute to the national development agenda, and economic and social progress,” Telecom Namibia CEO, Stanley Shanapinda, said.