Telkom Targets Private 5G Network Expansion in South Africa

Telkom has set its sights on increasing its 5G footprint in South Africa, with a particular focus on driving private 5G networks. So said Serame Taukobong, Telkom Group CEO, yesterday in an interview with ITWeb after the telecommunications company announced its interim financial results for the six months ended 30 September. In October last year, Telkom became the latest telco to step into SA’s increasingly growing 5G market, launching the fifth-generation technology in partnership with Huawei.At the time, the company said it will primarily focus on providing superfast 5G fixed wireless access solutions. As the demand for mobile 5G increases, the group noted it would supplement this with suitable mobile propositions.

“If you look at 5G, we have rolled out about 400 sites, and we are continuing to drive that growth. The big focus for us is what we are calling 5G private networks. We have done a pilot with two mining companies,” Taukobong said.