MTN South Africa has achieved peak download speeds of 10.35Gbit/s during a live trial of 5G-Advanced technology operating in the upper 6GHz spectrum band. Conducted at MTN’s Johannesburg headquarters under a temporary test license from the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa), the trial represents Africa’s first demonstration of 5G-Advanced in this frequency range.
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Positioned as an evolutionary step toward commercial 6G networks anticipated near the end of the decade, 5G-Advanced promises substantial throughput and latency enhancements over baseline 5G deployments.
Executed in partnership with technology vendor Huawei, the test utilized 400MHz of continuous spectrum, a standalone 5G core network, and specialized wideband active antenna units featuring advanced beamforming to direct radio energy toward target devices. While the 10.35Gbit/s metric reflects idealized laboratory conditions rather than guaranteed commercial speeds, the demonstration serves as a strategic milestone in the ongoing industry battle for mid-band spectrum access.
The trial follows the publication of the National Radio Frequency Plan 2026, approved by Communications Minister Solly Malatsi and gazetted by Icasa. The updated framework designated the complete upper 6GHz band, spanning 700MHz from 6.425GHz to 7.125GHz, for International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT).
While mobile operators and global industry bodies like the GSMA championed the IMT classification for licensed cellular expansion, Wi-Fi advocacy groups had petitioned regulator Icasa to allocate the band for unlicenced Wi-Fi usage. Icasa previously designated the lower 6GHz spectrum range (5.925GHz to 6.425GHz) for unlicenced Wi-Fi in 2023.
Although the 2026 frequency plan opens the upper 6GHz band to mobile services, Icasa has yet to formally auction or assign operational licenses to South African mobile network operators. MTN maintains that access to the band will prove crucial for deploying ultra-high-speed fixed-wireless access (FWA) home broadband and alleviating network congestion across high-density urban hubs, stadiums, and transport centres.
