By Ruth Brook
Ethio-telecom announced an upgrade in their mobile services with the launch of state-of-the-art Long Term Evolution (LTE) advanced mobile services, on February 3rd 2020. The evolved mobile technology will be available at 50 sites in Addis Ababa.
LTE Advanced, an enhancement of the LTE communication standard, is expected to act as a solution to high mobile data demands. It is one of the latest advancements in mobile technology that is said to provide an enriched communications experience for customers through better coverage as well as overall faster performance.
What separates LTE Advanced from its predecessors is a key feature known as Carrier Aggregation which allows users to download data from multiple networks bands simultaneously. According to a press release by the telecommunications provider, the upgrade will provide customers with heightened speed to download or upload large-sized data, high definition multimedia as well as live streaming and video conferencing in real-time.
The LTE advanced network will be availed certain areas of the city, based on a high level of internet usage seen in those areas. The selected zones include Bole airport, Bole Friendship, Bole Medhanialem, Bole Atlas, Meskel Square, Stadium, Ethio telecom headquarters, Kazanchis, 4 kilo (Unity park), 6 kilo, Lideta (ECX), African Union and Old Airport.
In addition to the new feature in cellular services, Ethiopia’s sole communications provider announced an expansion of the existing 4G LTE network due to limitations in previous coverage; 4G LTE is now available everywhere in Addis Ababa.
The monumental endeavor towards the betterment of mobile services for Ethiopians cost 173 million birr and was undertaken by global communications provider Huawei. Customers wishing to adopt LTE Advanced Services on existing devices or SIM cards can obtain further information by visiting nearby Ethio-telecom shops or on its website.
