Original article Total Telecom:Read More
Interview
At the WinWin studio, Total Telecom was joined by James Maitai, Chief Technology and Information Officer from Safaricom GROUP, and David Li, Vice President of Huawei Wireless Network Product Line to discuss the development of 4G and 5G network evolution.
In Kenya currently, the 4G penetration rate is 60%. And, according to external forecasts, the 5G penetration rate will jump to about 30% by 2027. At the same time, the 4G and 5G user experience must keep improving:
“In commercial deployment, we consider taking advantage of the 2.6 GHz and 3.5 GHz spectrums to offload low and medium-band users, to improve 4G user experience with sufficient resources. At the same time, the large bandwidth and the LNR network dual-use technologies are used to greatly improve the experience of 5G users,” said Maitai.
In discussing the changes that mobile AI will bring to the wireless communications industry, Li highlighted four key challenges:
- AI traffic surge: The rapid growth of AI devices (phones, cars, robots) is driving massive increases in network traffic and data generation.
- Network adaptation: AI needs lower latency, higher uplink speeds, and seamless coverage, requiring a shift from current downlink-focused networks.
- Business model shift: AI-generated content will transform traffic consumption, creating new revenue opportunities for network operators.
- Power consumption: AI devices and infrastructure demand significantly more energy, making power efficiency a major challenge.
But, how will Safaricom deal with these challenges?
AI will introduce multi-dimensional network demands, requiring improvements in uplink, downlink, and latency. Meeting these needs depends on spectrum resources, with Kenya using TDD spectrum and massive MIMO for efficiency.
For predictable changes, deploying 2.6 GHz in cities and 3.5 GHz in hotspots will help improve network performance and user experience.
For uncertain changes, AI will impact business models and network intelligence. Safaricom plans to explore experience and service monetisation while integrating 5G and cloud technologies.
And how will Huawei’s solutions help Safaricom thrive in the mobile AI era? “In three directions: the first is All Bands in One, and the second is All Scenarios Seamless Coverage, and the last one is the All Days Green,” concluded Li.