Shows how health, homes and highways will instantly improve
Ericsson and Free in Senegal gave festival goers a taste of 5G at the recent Free Senegal Innovation Xperience (FIX) ceremony.
There’s been enthusiastic feedback on the event, held on June 2, which included demos from Music Connect, Connected Healthcare, Connected Vehicles and Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) for smart homes. The primary focus of the event, jointly held by equipment maker Ericsson and Mobile network operator (MNO) Free, was to show how 5G will create a more intelligent society. The demos also hinted at the role of connectivity in boosting consumer spending and industrial output across Senegal.
Music Connect
In the Music Connect demo artists across Senegal played together in harmony, showing how 5G can provide enriching experiences across distances. The Connected Vehicles and Connected Healthcare demos imagine the effect of minimal road hazards and remote health care with diagnoses being conducted instantly through real-time interaction. Festival goers witnessed how FWA’s high capacity could provide optimal network performance for smart homes.
Private 5G spreading
The collaboration is part of Ericsson and Free in Senegal’s network transformation partnership which has seen both parties work together to launch 4G services and 5G Non-standalone (NSA) sites across Dakar. With five 5G NSA trial sites launched across Dakar last year and twenty 5G NSA trial sites currently being installed, Ericsson and Free in Senegal are edge the nation closer to a nationwide rollout of commercial 5G with each 4G and 5G trial site they set up, according to Mamadou Mbengue, Free in Senegal’s CEO.
Economy runs on 5G
“In the last few years, mobile technology has had an increasing role in driving digitalization across Senegal. Ericsson and the frequency allocation from the regulator have helped us to show 5G’s potential to transform industries and creating use cases across the country,” said Mbengue. The collaboration with Ericsson wil help Free keep to the Digital Senegal Strategy for 2025, he said. Nora Wahby, Ericsson’s head of West Africa and Morocco, promised that the equipment maker is committed to supporting Free modernise the nation’s digital infrastructure. “We will meet ocial and economic challenges and evolve consumer experiences,” said Wahby.