By: Kebba AF Touray
One of The Gambia’s leading and largest GSM Company, QCell, on Friday, 2 June launched the first ever 5G network in the country.
The ground breaking and historic mega event was graced by the President of the Republic of the Gambia, Mr. Adama Barrow, and the Chief Executive Officer of QCell Muhammed Jah, and the entire staff and management of QCell Company, Cabinet Ministers, foreign diplomats and a cross section of the Gambian public.
According to QCell officials, the Fifth-Generation internet facility fondly called 5G, offers the users a download speeds and has a significant improvement over the previous generations, allows users to download a movie in minutes and a song in seconds, and offers users to stream up to 8k video quality.
“It also offers users to experience console-quality gaming on the go, to stream, share, post and work in public settings without being slowed down by everyone around the user when connected, and With QCell, people always have access to Gambia’s most reliable 5G network,” they stated.
The General Manager of Huawei, West Africa, Liu Zemin said “QCell is the first to introduce 5G in the Gambia. This is the beginning of a new era towards digitalization and intelligence. 5G reckons to the future. The large band will help the Gambia to promote the development of the digital economy and accelerate digital transformation across the industry.”
The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA), Alieu Ngum, said: “5G creates very high data upload and download speeds of 10 to 20 gigabytes per second and is possible with the 5G technology. The number of devices supported per square kilometer is expected to be in the millions.”
Deputy Information Minister of Sierra Leone, Solomon Jamiru, said “Thank you Qcell for being the first in West Africa to migrate to a new mobile wireless standard which has the ability to virtually connect everything and everyone.”
Digital Economy Minister, Osman Bah, said “5G is a pinnacle communication network that is a key instrument towards the realization of the digital transformation agenda. Where downloading heavy files takes hours, could now take seconds with the 5G”.
“As Gambians we are proud that within the ECOWAS Region, we are the first country commercially to roll out the latest generation of communication technology for cellular networks, that is the 5G,” said Gambia’s President, Adama Barrow.
“In demonstrating in the best possible way that our motto “we innovate, others follow,” is more than a slogan, I offer you QCell’s 5G network, with humility, hope and joy. Welcome to the future, the future is now,” said Business Mogul and CEO of QCell, Muhammed Jah.
