Telecoms giant MTN Nigeria has announced the successful testing of the first commercial 25 Gbps full duplex microwave link in sub-Saharan Africa with Huawei Nigeria.

The test was conducted on the E-band frequency spectrum using advanced full-duplex technology.

This cutting-edge microwave link, operating in the 80 GHz E-band, achieves a data transmission rate of 25 Gbps using the 1 000 Mhz E-band spectrum, delivering a fourfold increase in spectral efficiency compared with traditional E-band solutions, thus setting a new benchmark for capacity and performance. This achievement provides an additional option for the development of ultra-high-speed connectivity and advanced mobile services in Nigeria.

According to MTN Nigeria CTO Yahaya Ibrahim, the 25 Gbps full duplex microwave link implementation is a gamechanger. “We are proud to lead, as the first mobile operator within the MTN Group and across sub-Saharan Africa, to pioneer the testing of this advanced microwave data transmission technology, underscoring our bold commitment to innovation and continuous network capabilities evolution, towards meeting the demands of a rapidly advancing digital landscape,” he said.

He added that “By Leveraging next-generation solutions and strengthening strategic partnerships, we are enhancing network quality, improving customer experience, and strengthening our position for sustained growth and market leadership, in an increasingly connected world.”

The increasing demand for video streaming, augmented reality, and low-latency applications continues to drive the need for higher capacity and faster communication infrastructure. The full duplex radio link solution directly addresses this need. This innovative technology, which will be deployed in 5G network infrastructure, enables data transmission of up to 50 Gbps via 2 000 Mhz per link thanks to its high-isolation integrated antenna structure, advanced spectrum efficiency, and interference prevention algorithms. MTN completed the 25 Gbps capacity test via 1 000 MHz based on actual spectrum resources.

This breakthrough represents a major leap for Nigeria’s telecommunications sector, underscoring the country’s leadership in adopting and pioneering cutting-edge digital solutions, while further enhancing its position as a regional leader in information and communication technology infrastructure across Africa.

This milestone also reflects MTN Nigeria’s commitment to delivering state-of-the-art technological solutions and enabling unprecedented connectivity speeds to accelerate digital transformation for businesses and individuals. By leveraging the 70/80 GHz spectrum, the new microwave link delivers unparalleled levels of capacity and performance, ensuring high-efficiency, high-quality ultra-fast data transmission to support next-generation 5G services.

What Is the Full Duplex Radio Link?

The Full-Duplex allows for simultaneous two-way transmission of data over both frequency pairs per direction, unlike common systems, which operate with a single frequency per direction at a time. This innovation significantly enhances connection efficiency and speed, meeting the requirement of 5G.