Movicel Commercializes Africa's First LTE FDD 1.8GHz Network

Movicel, Africa's leading operator and pioneer in providing mobile services to Angola, announced the deployment of Africa's first commercial 1.8GHz Long Term Evolution (LTE) network in the Cabinda province , the most productive crude oil region in Angola. It provides mobile broadband services with a downlink speed of up to 100Mb/s.

During MWC 2012 in Barcelona, Movicel announced it would deploy the first commercial LTE FDD 1.8 GHz network in Angola by the end of May 2012 and underscoring Movicel's competence and commitment to the society, that network was launched today - 45 days ahead of the original plan. This is a great step forward for Angola, as enhanced mobility and broadband capabilities will enhance quality of life, business efficiency and industry productivity. It also supports Angola's economic prosperity which resorts to rich communication, fast information and experience exchange.

As a 100% Angolan company, Movicel champions the country's information industry revolution, and this new LTE network will further support Angola's industrialization and informationization. The network is an ultra-high-speed wireless information highway that will allow the Angolan people to enjoy – easy and greater access, faster data rates, better performance due to lower latency, and enriched multimedia services. It also enables governments and enterprises to realize a more efficient and automated global exchange of information.

Movicel will provide the most advanced mobile broadband technologies and services across the entire country within three years. In 2012, Movicel plans to expand LTE coverage to major cities, where economic development urges more information infrastructure. This plan reflects the management philosophy of Movicel's CEO, Mr. Yon Moreira da Silva Júnior, which is based on courage, confidence and innovation.

Huawei, a leading global information and communications technology (ICT) solutions provider, deployed this network for Movicel and was a close partner throughout the project.