Ericsson has helped MTN South Africa to launch a commercial LTE network which will be rolled out across the country. Along with its RBS 6000 family of base stations, the company is supplying the Evolved Packet Core, Home Subscriber Server (HSS) for user data management, Operating Support Systems (OSS), project management and services.

This is the first commercial LTE network built by Ericsson in Africa and the launch comes after the pilot network has been running for more than a year. LTE enables the fast transfer of huge amounts of data in an efficient and cost-effective manner, optimizing the use of spectrum. The increased capacity and lower latency will allow subscribers effortless access to faster web browsing, online gaming, social media and video.

Lambo Kanagaratnam, MTN South Africa Chief Technology Officer, said: "MTN's first LTE network will enable our South African customers an experience that is more efficient and seamless."

Lars Lindén, head of Region Sub-Saharan Africa, Ericsson, added: "This will open countless opportunities and will change the way people work, live and play. The commercial deployment of LTE will help users experience and interact in a better, more efficient way."