MTN South Africa, working with Huawei, has led a proof of concept and the industry’s first commercial network validation of an advanced microwave spectrum-reuse capability. The capability, based on Huawei’s Co-Channel Interference Cancellation (CCIC) microwave solution, is designed to expand capacity while making more efficient use of existing licensed spectrum.

The new capability enables more efficient reuse of microwave spectrum and helps MTN expand capacity at locations where additional spectrum may be limited or difficult to secure. The solution demonstrated a significant improvement in spectrum-use efficiency while maintaining network performance, enabling rapid capacity expansion and supporting the accelerated roll-out of 5G services.

MTN South Africa is one of the country’s leading mobile communications and digital services providers, while MTN Group is the largest mobile operator on the African continent. As it expands commercial 5G services, MTN South Africa faces increasing demand for high-capacity microwave backhaul networks. This has created a pressing need to maximise the use of its licensed spectrum while controlling spectrum-related costs.

Acquiring additional spectrum is traditionally expensive and often involves lengthy regulatory processes. In addition, heavy interference in lower frequency bands can significantly affect backhaul service quality. At major hub sites, further network expansion is often constrained by limited spectrum availability and the difficulty of securing new spectrum assignments.

To address these challenges, MTN South Africa introduced Huawei’s CCIC solution. The technology continuously analyses co-channel interference in real time and generates compensation signals to suppress it. By overcoming the physical isolation limitations of traditional microwave systems, the solution enables more efficient reuse of existing microwave spectrum, supporting capacity expansion where spectrum is constrained. In the deployed configuration, it demonstrated a significant improvement in spectrum reuse efficiency.

The advance enables operators to reuse existing frequencies for both capacity growth and directional expansion, while optimising spectrum resources and reducing operational expenditure.

Spectrum scarcity

“The CCIC solution directly addresses spectrum scarcity challenges. It improves spectral efficiency and optimal use of spectrum during capacity expansion and removes spectrum limitations that have historically constrained hub-site growth. This enables maximum use of our existing spectrum assets while improving operational efficiency and lowering spectrum-related costs,” said Rodney Reddy, senior manager: transmission planning; Thivashen Naidoo, senior specialist: transmission; and Reem Al Saba, senior specialist: transmission at MTN South Africa.

“This milestone demonstrates how targeted innovation can help us efficiently expand capacity in constrained areas, improve value from licensed spectrum assets and build a scalable, future-ready transmission network. This deployment supports our broader strategic goal of expanding network capacity while maintaining investment discipline and operational efficiency,” said Nkosinathi Nzima, general manager: transport and OSS (operations support systems) tools at MTN Group.

“Huawei remains committed to continuous innovation in microwave transmission technologies. The CCIC solution significantly enhances spectrum efficiency, improves network performance and optimises total cost of ownership for operators. By enabling higher-capacity and more efficient microwave backhaul networks, the solution helps accelerate the large-scale deployment of 5G services,” said Alex Xing, vice-president of Huawei’s MTN Group key account department.

The deployment demonstrates the potential of CCIC technology to help operators maximise the value of existing spectrum assets, expand network capacity more efficiently and support the growing demands of 5G connectivity.

About Huawei
Founded in 1987, Huawei is a leading global provider of information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure and smart devices. With 213 000 employees operating in more than 170 countries, it serves more than three billion people worldwide.

Huawei is committed to bringing digital to every person, home and organisation for a fully connected, intelligent world. In 2025, Huawei generated C¥880.9-billion in revenue, reinvesting 21.8% (C¥192.3-billion) in research and development (R&D), with about 53.7% of its employees working in R&D. As a private company fully owned by its employees, Huawei focuses on customer-centric innovation and open collaboration to create lasting value and drive technological breakthroughs globally. For more information, visit Huawei South Africa or follow Huawei on X, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube.