MTN South Africa and Pivotal Commware have successfully completed a series of joint field trials demonstrating how advanced 5G repeater technology can expand broadband reach and significantly boost capacity for 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) customers.
As demand for high-speed home and business connectivity continues to rise, 5G FWA has become a key pillar of broadband delivery in South Africa, particularly in areas where fibre deployment is limited or commercially unviable. However, the rapid growth in FWA traffic places pressure on traditional sub‑6 GHz mobile broadband spectrum, which must support both mobile users and fixed wireless households.
To address this, MTN South Africa sought to demonstrate how the 5G millimetre‑wave (mmWave) spectrum can serve as a dedicated, high‑capacity layer for FWA. mmWave provides substantially larger bandwidth than traditional 5G spectrum bands, enabling enhanced throughput and improved customer experience in high‑demand environments.
Many homes, particularly those obstructed by foliage, dense housing or high‑rise structures, struggle to access mmWave signals due to inherent propagation limitations. The repeater solution addresses this by redirecting and strengthening signals without requiring additional macro site builds.
“Our purpose is to build an ecosystem that brings more people into the digital world, supports the national drive toward greater inclusion and boosts economic growth,” said Zoltan Miklos, General Manager: Access Planning and Architecture at MTN South Africa. “These field trials bring us closer to improving broadband availability in communities with limited access.” He added that this work builds on MTN South Africa’s ongoing investment in network excellence, consistently recognised through industry accolades.
Initiated in 2024, the field trials assessed the viability of 5G mmWave Pivot repeaters to extend FWA coverage to locations ordinarily out of range for cell towers or lacking a clear line of sight to existing infrastructure. The goal was to expand the reach of 5G, improve spectrum utilisation and increase the number of households and small businesses that can access high‑speed broadband.
For the purpose of these trials, MTN South Africa obtained the necessary trial licences from the regulator, enabling the responsible exploration of mmWave spectrum and its potential benefits for the local market.
In partnership with Pivotal, MTN South Africa selected three locations in Vanderbijlpark (Emfuleni, Gauteng) and Seshego (Polokwane, Limpopo) following extensive site surveys. Advanced WaveScape software was used to determine the optimal areas for equipment placement and signal strength. This allowed both teams to maximise the number of serviceable homes while reducing the need for new infrastructure, demonstrating how targeted planning can unlock greater value from existing network assets.
The performance results were overwhelmingly positive. Across all test locations, switching on the Pivot 5G repeaters made a clear difference to internet performance. Without the repeaters, equipment on each premises connected only to slower 4G networks or detected very weak 5G signals. When the repeaters were active, equipment received a strong 5G mmWave signal, resulting in download speeds between two and five times faster. These gains confirm the potential to significantly expand the addressable market for 5G in challenging environments.
As Brian Deutsch, CEO of Pivotal, explains: “These results show that Pivot 5G repeaters can successfully work around obstacles like buildings and trees, helping 5G signals reach places that were previously hard to connect. This reinforces our confidence in the technology’s ability to support more resilient networks. The implications for small business growth, public sector digitisation and township and rural economies are substantial. We are proud of these results and excited to see how our partnership with MTN South Africa unfolds, supporting broader digital inclusion across the country.”