MTN Uganda demonstrates speed of 5G network using virtual reality

MTN Uganda on Wednesday demonstrated how fast 5G network is by using virtual reality as it rolled the internet spectrum in Bugolobi and Lugogo areas of Kampala.

Virtual reality is a simulated 3D environment that enables users to explore and interact with a virtual surrounding in a way that approximates reality, as it is perceived through the users’ senses. 

MTN Chief Technical Information Officer Ali Monzer demonstrated the difference between 4G and 5G at a press conference in Kampala.

“In the right conditions, 5G can be 100 times faster than 4G, and relatedly, latency or the delay in the transmission of data between points can be reduced to a mere 5 milli seconds (from an average of 60 milli seconds on 4G),” MTN Uganda’s Chief Executive Officer Sylvia Mulinge said.

She said explained that Lugogo and Bugolobi were selected as starting points for the rollout of DG in Kampala due to the high concentration of devices supporting 5G internet speed in the areas. 

Mulinge also noted that Apple’s iPhone, Techno, and Huawei phone developers have already approved the 5G internet, allowing users of these brands to access the service. However, Samsung users will have to wait for at least two more weeks before they can enjoy the upgraded connectivity. 

“We normally work with different vendors, I spoke about iPhone which is unlocked for Ugandans for about three to four days, Samsung has sent engineers into the country, and they have committed to finishing this in two weeks. Techno and Huawei have already come on board,” she said.

Chris Baryomunsi, the Minister of Information, ICT and National Guidance who presided over the demonstration event, said that the government is working under the clock to ease inclusiveness by bringing down the costs of smartphones to as low as 40,000 Shillings.   

Baryomunsi is optimistic that harmonizing taxes imposed on mobile devices will give a chance to all people, and it will eventually bring down the price of the internet. 

Baryomunsi further cautioned MTN Uganda not to relax after introducing the 5G internet noting that while it is a good upgrade, it is yet to compete on the international scene. He said this while relating to the workshop he attended in Barcelona, Spain where he was introduced to 6G internet. 

Irene Kaggwa Sewankambo, the Executive Director of the Uganda Communications Commission- UCC, said that the youth need to utilize the improved technology to empower themselves socially and economically other than spending time on social media platforms that come with no value.

5G is the fifth-generation technology standard for broadband cellular networks, a successor to the existing 4G networks that currently provide connectivity to most cell phones in Uganda.