It’s only been a matter of months since a new service provider, Celtiis, entered the Benin market. Now, however, the number three operator is apparently preparing to deploy 5G mobile technology.
According to the Ecofin news agency, the company has said its telecom network is fully compatible with 5G technology. In fact, a pilot phase should be rolled out over the next few months.
This may seem quite a daring move given that Celtiis entered the Benin market in October last year, offering 2G, 3G and 4G services and that long-established operators MTN Benin and Moov Africa Benin have dominated the market since 2018.
However, Celtiis has state backing as a division of the state-owned Beninese Digital Infrastructure Company (SBIN). SBIN is managed by Senegal’s Sonatel, which is part of the Orange Group. In addition, according to TeleGeography’s CommsUpdate, the new arrival claimed 80% national population coverage with its network from launch.
It seems the launch of 5G is part of the strategic initiatives planned by the company to quickly establish itself in the national market in the context of strong demand for high-speed connectivity.
At the same time, as Ecofin points out, the deployment of the pilot phase of 5G is one of the major projects on the 2023 agenda of the Ministry of the Digital Economy, linked to the acceleration of the Benin government’s digital transformation ambitions.
