Rain: Johannesburg and Cape Town will receive 5G networks in 2019

Last week, during the hustle and bustle of MWC 2019, we penned an article noting that Rain’s 5G network will initially roll out in Johannesburg using Huawei’s infrastructure. But it’s not the whole story.

Last Thursday, Nokia’s networking operations announced at MWC 2019 that it will be launching a 5G network with Rain… in Cape Town.

The announcement fits in with Rain’s initial testing of its 5G network, which took place in Cape Town using Nokia’s infrastructure.

Speaking with Rain’s chief marketing officer Khaya Dlanga, he explained that both Cape Town and Johannesburg will be the first cities to receive 5G networks in South Africa. And both will receive 5G networks at the same time.

“We are working hard building coverage, when we launch, initial coverage will be in Johannesburg and Cape Town,” he tells Memeburn in an email.

Dlanga also noted that both Huawei and Nokia infrastructure will be used across the country, but failed to specify just where each networking company would be at the helm.

“[W]e use both Huawei and Nokia. We have significant existing 4G network infrastructure from both of our partners in specific regions,” he tells us.

“In the 5G rollout we leverage the 4G network and as such the relevant partner. In terms of the radio access network (RAN) they are currently our only partners. We very proud to be able work with both of partners.”

As for the date of activation, Dlanga notes that it’s out of Rain’s hands.

“Unfortunately we are unable to provide an exact date at the moment as we are dependent on manufactures to deliver devices,” he adds.

No 5G smartphones have been announced for South Africa as yet, but plenty have been unveiled last week at MWC 2019 in Barcelona.

Luckily, once those devices to reach South Africa and if you’re in an area of “heavy usage”, you’ll be among the first to experience 5G connectivity in the country.

Feature image: Rain