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Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Airtel Uganda has activated the first 5G site at Bulange in Mengo to boost connectivity and digital inclusion in Uganda.
In February this year, Airtel Uganda conducted tests on 11 4G sites in Kampala after applying for a spectrum to Uganda Communications Commission to start deploying the 5G network across the country.
5G is the 5th generation mobile network that enables a new kind of network that is designed to connect virtually everyone and everything together including machines, objects, and devices at very high speeds. It delivers higher multi-Gbps peak data speeds, more reliability, massive network capacity, increased availability, and a more uniform user experience to more users.
At the ceremony on July 30, Airtel Uganda Managing Director, Manoj Murali said, “We recently announced that Airtel Uganda secured the 5G spectrum to start its deployment across the city and today we are pleased to activate our first site here at Bulange, in Mengo.”
He added, “The Central Business District which hosts Mengo is characterized by high socio-economic activity, hence there is a continuous need to improve connectivity so that our people can access improved telecommunication services via Airtel’s 5G Network, to connect families and friends to their loved ones, as well as businesses to their existing customers or new prospects.”
Uganda Communications Commission, Executive Director, Eng. Irene Kaggwa Sewankambo, appreciated Airtel Uganda for rolling out 5G, as digital inclusion is among the strategy engrained in the national vision 2040 that looks at ICT as a platform for improving the livelihoods of our people, and the 5G will guarantee that we have fast speeds which will support the transform our various sectors like agriculture which is our key economic activity, not forgetting the education, health among other sectors.
The 5G Network can support up to 1 million connected devices per square kilometre compared to 4G which can only support up to 100,000 connected devices in a similar area. This makes 5G the suitable network over which remote teams can collaborate to undertake tasks like surgery, shared online school classes, farmers can share live video farming tips, engineering tasks over video and stream gaming, and other entertainment experiences.
Owek. Robert Waggwa Nsibirwa, 2nd Deputy Katikiro of Buganda, who represented The Katikkiro,, recognized Airtel’s investments in Buganda and the country as a whole which investment has contributed to the country’s socio-economic growth.
