MTN Zambia first to launch LTE commercially

MTN Zambia has commercially launched its LTE network upgrade, making it the first operator in the country to offer the service.

CEO Abdul Ismail said the commercial launch of 4G LTE is part of a bigger network transformation plan that MTN has been undertaking over the past few years.

The cellco disclosed that the launch of LTE is the first phase that covers Lusaka, Kitwe, Ndola and Livingstone. Phase two, which is already a work-in-progress, will expand LTE coverage within these towns and cover some new towns as well.

The LTE launch comes just a few months after the company upgraded its 3G network to support 42Mbps download speeds following the connection of the network to the West Africa Cable System (WACS).

The WACS is a submarine communications cable that links to the UK along the west coast of Africa.