Nokia and Safaricom complete Africa’s first FWA 5G slicing trial

Nokia and Safaricom have piloted fixed wireless access (FWA) network slicing on a live 4G and 5G network in Nairobi, Kenya. This is the first-time 4G/5G network slicing has been successfully achieved in Africa.

The trial utilised a multi-vendor network environment and included radio access network (RAN), transport and core as well as software upgrades to a range of Nokia’s products and services. It demonstrated a number of solutions including Nokia’s AirScale 4G/5G base stations, the NetAct network management and assurance system and Nokia’s FastMile 4G/5G customer premises equipment (CPE).

Commenting on the development, James Maitai, network director, Safaricom, said, “We are proud to have hosted Africa’s first successful pilot of 4G/5G FWA slicing on our network, and looking forward to tailoring our service offerings to individual customers and industries, to meet their needs for high-speed connectivity precisely and without unnecessary cost. Nokia’s expertise has been key to this success, and we anticipate many more strategic wins in this area as our business expands.”