Vodacom Tanzania, a part of Vodafone Group, today launched the first ever 5G mobile network in the country.

The new non-standalone 5G service offers faster speeds, lower latency and will support the emerging technologies in Tanzania, such as the Internet of Things

Vodacom Tanzania will deploy various sites in Dar es Salaam with a target to expand 5G technology to approximately 230 locations in the country, including Arusha, Dodoma, Mwanza, Iringa, Kagera, Zanzibar, Mbeya and more.

The network will be available for fixed network customers through Vodacom’s 5G routers, and for smartphone users with 5G capable devices.

Customers can expect to enjoy speeds of up to 400 Mbps, with plans to offer more than 800Mbps in the coming months. Vodacom expects the network to achieve speeds of up to 1 Gigabit-per-second once the 5G spectrum is made fully available.

Vodacom Group CEO Shameel Joosub said: “Having been first to launch 5G in Africa, this is an exciting milestone in Vodacom’s history as we continue to densify 5G services across our Africa markets, bringing the continent closer to the global digital economy through the latest generation of mobile technology.”