MTN tests 5G mmWave services in Pretoria with Pivotal repeaters

Pivotal Commware announced it has concluded a successful 5G mmWave field trial with MTN South Africa. The field trial used Pivotal’s network planning tool, WaveScape, to optimise the placement of multiple Pivot 5G network repeaters, enhancing mmWave signal coverage for the Festival’s Edge apartment complex in Pretoria. 

These repeaters, which require no fibre connection, were able to extend mmWave signals beyond the range of the existing MTN base station’s line-of-sight, improving broadband service coverage more cost-effectively than using fibre-connected base stations alone, the vendor said. The Pivot 5G’s use of Holographic Beam Forming technology enabled fibre-like, gigabit speeds at customer premises. 

Future testing will include the use of Pivotal’s cloud-based Intelligent Beam Management System (IBMS) to commission, monitor, and optimize Pivot 5G functionality.