Orange Botswana has become the first Orange affiliate in Africa to launch 5G commercially. The 5G network will cover 30% of the population in the capital Gaborone and second city Francistown.
The 5G network, which, according to Orange, will enable new health, education and security services will also be used to launch other services including connected vehicles, connected cities, real-time gaming, smart homes, and learning through VR and augmented reality.
Orange Botswana has also partnered with MRI Botswana to use the 5G network capabilities to create a “Connected Ambulance” telemedicine project that will allow doctors to guide paramedics through life-saving procedures on their way to hospitals.
Speaking on the launch, Orange Botswana CEO Nene Maiga said, “At Orange Botswana, we are excited to be bringing in a new technology that will allow economic players to discover new possibilities enabled by 5G, and the way it could positively transform their daily activities. 5G connectivity is an incredible opportunity for businesses and the government, who are eager to take their operations to the next level. It is going to change how customers experience connectivity.”
Orange Botswana also introduced new 5G fixed broadband services and mobile data bundles for residential customers and small and medium enterprises. The fixed offers will be available from 15Mbps for prepaid and 20Mbps for postpaid with a monthly rental from P699.00.
The Orange CEO, Jerome Henique, stated that the Botswana launch of a 5G commercial network is a gateway to launching in other countries in Africa.
“The launch of 5G technology in Botswana will allow us to scale-up this technology and gain experience for other Orange countries across Africa. The benefits and potential impact of this are promising. It will help promote Africa’s digital inclusion, resulting in socio-economic growth and job creation. It is also ensuring Africa’s skills development on digital management tools and is in line with the ambitions of the African Union ‘Digital Transformation for Africa (2022 – 2030)’. It begins here and now, in Botswana,” he said.
