Madagascar’s Agency for Regulation of Technology and Communication (Autorite de Regulation des Technologies de Communications, ARTEC), revealed technical challenges are preventing operators from launching 5G services but stated commercial launches are on the horizon.
The regulator said there are “anomalies” when conducting 5G tests at 20 sites by an operator that was not revealed, 17 sites were in the capital city Antananarivo and three in Taomasina. It explained the tests were interfering with neighbouring frequency bands.
To ensure 5G spectrum is allocated “under optimal conditions” ARTEC will publish its roadmap to detail its measures to ensure frequency bands are used.
In August 2020, Telecom Malagasy (Telma) launched commercial 5G services, as revealed by its vendor partner Ericsson. However, the operator was ordered to shut down its 5G network a month after by the regulator, which claimed Telma did not have its permission to launch.
