Uganda is to get a fourth-generation (4G) mobile network using long-term evolution (LTE) technology. MTN’s subsidiary in the East African country will deploy the network in the coming months.

MTN claims it will be the first to offer 4G in East Africa, although it appears the company has overlooked Smile Telecoms — started by former MTN executive Irene Charnley — which has already launched an LTE-based 4G network in Tanzania. That network was supplied by Alcatel-Lucent and built in spectrum around 800MHz.

MTN has already switched on a commercial 4G network in South Africa, providing consumers with bandwidth speeds in ideal conditions of more than 40Mbit/s.

The company says its Ugandan network will offer consumers speeds of up to 100Mbit/s. MTN has expanded its fibre-optic network to about 2 800km and built regional switching centres in various parts of the country. It plans to invest US$70m in 2013, from $80m in 2012, to expand infrastructure to support growth in mobile subscribers and to support new products and services.

MTN claims it has more than 1m customers on its 3G data network in Uganda. It has 1 100 base stations in the East African country. According to MTN’s most recent quarterly financial update, the operator has 7,2m active subscribers in Uganda. — (c) 2013 NewsCentral Media