MTN and ZTE have upgraded their 5G network infrastructure at the Mossel Bay port – and our testing found that this allows users to achieve impressive 5G speeds while up to 22km from land.
When 22km from land – at the edge of international waters – we achieved speeds up to 116.92Mbps for single-UE (user equipment), and 210Mbps for multi-UE when using a 5G outdoor CPE.
The upgrades to this infrastructure formed part of MTN’s 5G Ultra-range Maritime Coverage Project, which saw the two companies partner to boost public 5G coverage out at sea in South Africa.
MTN and ZTE invited MyBroadband to join representatives from both companies on a boat trip to test the network using our industry-leading Speed Test tool.
We were joined by two key project role players from MTN – Radio Technology Senior Manager Dr Ronnie Kritzinger and RAN Planning Senior Specialist Livhuwani Mpfumba.
We were also joined by three ZTE professionals – Director of Marketing and Solutions Charles Yang, RAN Product Manager Farhan Saeed, and Wireless Engineer Chen Chen.
Together with these experts, we travelled 22km from the Mossel Bay Harbour to the territorial sea baseline – as far as we could go without entering international waters.
This is also the furthest point that MTN is allowed to extend the signal.
Our signal was received by a ZTE outdoor mobile 5G router, and we conducted multiple tests using the MyBroadband Speed Test app throughout the 3-hour journey to the end of territorial waters.
At the 10km mark, we achieved speeds of up to 200Mbps – which is incredibly impressive.
Even more impressive was that at the 22km mark – just near international waters – we achieved speeds up to 116.92Mbps for single UE (user equipment), and 210Mbps for multi-UE with the 5G outdoor CPE.
How it was done
These speeds were reached thanks to the special 5G configuration using a PRACH format and ZTE’s leading AAU (active antenna unit) equipment with 2,600MHz spectrum at a regular public wireless site.
This hardware was used in combination with MTN’s existing 5G network and the intelligent use of the network provider’s low-band frequencies.
“We used one of the low band frequencies we bid for in the [spectrum] auction,” explained Kritzinger.
“We aggregated our 800MHz spectrum with other LTE bands to deploy our 5G network, which enabled us to extend the 5G coverage into the ocean.”
Kritzinger added that environmental factors produce significant challenges when expanding mobile connectivity into the ocean.
Among the biggest challenges are large sea swells and strong winds – both of which we faced during our trip due to highly unfavourable weather conditions.
These conditions included winds reaching 30 knots as well as above-average swells.
Despite these challenges, the network still achieved exceptional performance on the MyBroadband Speed Test app.
How this network will help
According to ZTE, the deployment of the 5G Ultra Maritime Coverage project will support innovative applications such as real-time vessel tracking, advanced navigation systems, and remote monitoring – contributing to safer and more efficient maritime operations.
Local fishermen will also benefit from improved access to weather forecasts, real-time market prices, and communication tools.
This will enable these professionals to plan their operations better, while also enhancing safety and availing new opportunities for direct sales and global market access – thereby improving economic stability in the sector.