Orange Botswana has launched its 5G network commercially. The network is available in Gaborone and Francistown covering 30% of the population. Other cities are due to follow in early 2023. Orange says new healthcare, education, and security services will be enabled in the country thanks to the technology.
Orange Botswana is the first Orange affiliate country in Africa to launch 5G. The launch follows the launch of Botswana’s first Orange Digital Centre, which will help bridge the digital divide an prepare the Batswana Youth for employment in a blossoming digital ecosystem.
This 5G launch will further support innovation and digital inclusion in the country, putting Botswana at the forefront of 5G in Africa and is closely aligned with the government’s ambition to leverage Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) innovation towards transforming Botswana into a knowledge-based economy, leaving no-one behind.
With the launch, the company has also introduces 5G broadband services and 5G data bundles. Offers are available for both residential customers, and small and medium enterprises.
Orange Botswana’s 5G fixed services are available from 15Mbps for Prepaid users and 20Mbps for Postpaid at a fee of €53 per month (BWP 699).
After this very first commercial launch of its 5G services in Botswana, Orange Middle East and Africa intends to maintain its efforts in getting the latest and most advanced technologies in all its MEA countries adding value to local economies and continuously bridging the digital gap within the African populations.
In other countries, regulation boards still have not officially initiated the 5G licenses attribution process although many of them, such as in Cote d’Ivoire showed a clear will to make the 5G spectrum available in 2023. Meanwhile, Orange is collaborating with several regulatory bodies to help build a 5G deployment roadmap while testing the technology and developing use cases that fit with the local populations’ need.
Jerôme HENIQUE, CEO of Orange Middle East and Africa, says: “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.”
Nene MAIGA, CEO of Orange Botswana says: “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.”
