In several countries around the world, the introduction of 5G has completely changed the enterprise environment and household connection. Nowhere is this clearer than in nations where Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) is used as a substitute for the uneven or limited availability of high-quality fibre.
Unitel Executive Board Member and CTO Dr Amílcar Safeca has indicated the great impact of its 5G deployment in Angola on society and enterprises in the country and its aims moving forward.
“Unitel has always been a leader in the ICT market in Angola,” he said, highlighting its deployment of 5G FWA, which debuted late last year and saw the company join an exclusive club of operators in Africa to have leapt 5G.
“We aim to provide fibre-like experiences to families and small businesses in Angola with lower cost and faster deployment, especially to those areas where there´s a lack of fibre connection, like in the suburbs of the cities,” the executive added.
With more than 10 million more connections than its closest rival, the operator is now ranked as the largest operator in the Angolan market, according to Q1 2023 data from GSMA Intelligence. This puts it in a great position to advance innovative ideas and technologies supported by cutting-edge network infrastructure.
As part of its drive to develop 5G and the digital ecosystem around it, Unitel and Huawei have embarked on a 5G Joint Innovation Programme.
Safeca said the strategy illustrated its determination to lead in 5G technology, alongside helping it deepen “technical cooperation and service innovation with a global top ICT supplier”.
“Soon Unitel will join industrial partners including Huawei to incubate more 5G business applications by leveraging the digital value of 5G,” he highlighted, citing the potential to unlock vertical industries including within smart mining, ports, agriculture and airports, all areas deemed of high potential in Angola.
Among the 5G application trials being performed by the partners are those falling within the augmented and virtual reality realms. The rationale here was to demonstrate the high qualities of 5G in speed and low latency.
