Wireless Networks

MTN and ZTE announce three major innovations in South Africa

MTN and ZTE announce three major innovations in South Africa

South African operator MTN and technology giant ZTE Corporation have announced three major joint innovations in South Africa that they say will transform network performance and customer experience.

They are: a quad-band massive-MIMO pilot site; a first for commercial five-band radio; and a 5G-Advanced integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) pilot.

The quad-band massive-MIMO pilot site is at Cape Town's Waterfront harbour area, a popular tourist destination. The site covers 700MHz to 3.5GHz and supports 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G and Internet of Things (IoT) services.

For customers, this means stronger signal quality, faster data speeds and improved reliability in high-traffic areas. The pilot site has two active antenna units to deliver massive MIMO across four key bands: 1.8GHz, 2.1GHz, 2.6GHz and 3.5GHz.

This approach, says ZTE, boosts capacity and coverage while reducing energy use, ensuring a greener network that can handle growing demand for streaming, gaming and business connectivity.

The debut of the five-band ultra-broadband radio (UBR), which integrates 700MHz, 800MHz, 900MHz, 1800MHz and 2100MHz into a single unit, is described as a world first.

By consolidating multiple frequency bands into one compact unit, the solution reduces site complexity, lowers energy consumption and optimises space. This innovation helps operators deliver consistent coverage and better voice and data quality, even in rural or hard-to-reach areas. For customers, this means faster rollout of new services and fewer disruptions during upgrades.

MTN and ZTE have also successfully piloted 5G-Advanced integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) at the Hout Bay Port, a seaside and harbour town in the Western Cape province. The system combines high-speed connectivity with environmental sensing, supporting port operations and marine ecology management.

For end users, this demonstrates how advanced networks can go beyond connectivity to create social value. By reusing 5G millimetre-wave signals and applying AI-based processing, the system can identify vessel signatures and monitor surface activity with high accuracy. This innovation, ZTE explains, shows how telecommunications infrastructure can support sustainability and smarter cities.

MTN and ZTE have worked together since 2014. They now plan to deepen cooperation in areas such as artificial intelligence, automation and next-generation networks.

This news isn’t just relevant to South Africa – it’s also the second ISAC-related news story from ZTE in as many days; the other announcement came from China. Yesterday we reported that ZTE, operator China Unicom Liaoning and Dalian Changhai Airport had announced the successful launch of a 5G-Advanced (5G-A) ISAC private network aimed at improving low-altitude security and airport safety.



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