Rain, the South African mobile network operator, will launch 5G network in the country on November 12, 2018. This was revealed by the company’s president Paul Harris, during a conference on investments in South Africa held on October 25-27, 2018 in Johannesburg. The 5G network will initially be used to provide high broadband to individuals and SMEs.

Because of the spectrum’s scarcity, Rain will use what it uses in operating its LTE network. The existing 3.6 GHz band will be used to build the 5G network with the support of its technical partners Huawei and Nokia. 

Will this approach of dividing installation and utilizing existing infrastructures, Rain wants to reduce operating costs and maximize profits. Once completed, the 5G network deployed by Rain will be used for many purposes like Internet of Things, smart cities and autonomous vehicles.

Rain expects to unveil its 5G network directly in Cape Town during AfricaCom, the largest conference on telecommunications in Africa.