Orange is yet another telecom to announce a fourth generation internet commonly known as 4G LTE, This makes Orange the 3rd telecom to announce LTE internet speeds in Uganda after Smile and MTN. During the launch at the Orange headquarters on Clement hill, Orange’s CFO Godfrey Kisekka said the 4G, LTE-enabled devices will have access to the service.
This definately means faster internet for its subscribers. 4G LTE is faster than 3G, so any subscriber with an LTE enabled device will be able to access 4G speeds within 4G coverage areas. And users dont have to worry about backward compatibility because Orange LTE transitions from 4G to 3G to 2G as one changes from one coverage area to another, which other providers don’t have.
4G is initially in Kampala but is going to be rolled out to other areas, the bandwidth will be at 850Mhz which is higher than their competitors, and the LTE dongle will cost 299,000/- which comes with 4.8Gb of data valid for 4 months. and other gadgets from Orange with 4G will include the Nokia Lumia 920 and 820 which are from all Orange shops. The dongle switches from 4G to 3G or 2G automatically according to the network coverage and Prices for data bundles on 4G and 3G are the same
What does this mean for Orange and the rest of Us?
We are going to definately have faster internet but time will tell how fast this internet will be and the backward compatibility will help a great deal because, we won’t have to have an LTE only dongle and have to change to a 3G dongle when we change location.
We also anticipate reduction in price for routers and dongles among all providers however the bundle price may not change that much.
