Zambia becomes the global launchpad for next-generation indoor connectivity as the two companies activate a landmark LampSite solution at the Mulungushi International Conference Centre.
In a move that positions Zambia at the forefront of global telecommunications innovation, MTN Zambia and Huawei have completed the world’s first commercial deployment of a five-band LampSite solution, a single-box system capable of delivering indoor peak speeds of 1 Gbps.
The deployment, activated at the Mulungushi International Conference Centre, one of Zambia’s most high-profile event venues, combines five frequency bands — 1.8 GHz, 2.1 GHz, 2.3 GHz, TDD 2.6 GHz, and 3.5 GHz into a single headend unit supporting 2G through 5G. The result: seamless indoor connectivity that rivals outdoor performance, eliminating the dead zones and congestion that have long plagued high-traffic indoor environments.
Why This Matters
Indoor connectivity has emerged as one of the most critical and most neglected battlegrounds of the 5G era. As Zambia’s mobile internet user base continues to grow and demand for HD video, cloud services, and livestreaming intensifies, traditional indoor network infrastructure has struggled to keep pace. Conventional distributed antenna systems (DAS) lacked multi-band support, while 3.5 GHz macro base stations failed to penetrate deep into large indoor venues. The gap between outdoor 5G promise and indoor 5G reality was growing.
The Mulungushi Conference Centre, a regular host for major summits, diplomatic meetings, and business exhibitions, was a prime example of this challenge. Its indoor network simply could not meet 5G speed and capacity demands, a problem that required a fundamentally new approach.
The Technology Behind the Breakthrough
Huawei’s next-generation LampSite platform addresses the problem through an optical, multi-band architecture that consolidates what previously required multiple systems into a single, intelligent unit. Key features include carrier aggregation (CA) across 3.5 GHz and TDD 2.6 GHz, enabling single-user downlink speeds of up to 1 Gbps, the equivalent of downloading a full HD film in seconds.
The solution also cuts deployment complexity significantly, reducing the number of headend units by up to 50% for equivalent coverage area. Intelligent dormancy and symbol-level power saving enable what Huawei describes as a “0 Bit 0 Watt” energy model when no data is being transmitted, energy consumption drops accordingly, lowering operational costs and carbon footprint.
Critically, the system is built for the future. LampSite is designed to evolve with 5G-A standards, meaning it can support emerging technologies including XR (extended reality), AR navigation, and glasses-free 3D without requiring full infrastructure replacement.
Industry Voices
MTN Zambia’s CTO, Thomas Ngoma, underscored the deployment’s significance for customer experience: “Our 5-in-1 LampSite deployment at Mulungushi enables us to deliver consistent indoor and outdoor experiences. With this deployment, we will be better positioned to provide fast, seamless, and reliable connectivity for indoor HD video calling, online interactions, and AR/XR applications.”
Dr. Philip Song, President of Huawei’s Small Cell Product Line, signalled that Zambia is just the beginning: “We will deepen our collaboration with MTN Zambia to replicate the multi-band solution in more areas like airports, central business districts, and transportation hubs. We are confident that indoor 5G will enable digital infrastructure upgrades and stimulate the Zambian digital economy.”
The Bigger Picture
The deployment arrives at a defining moment for Zambia’s digital ambitions. With mobile internet adoption accelerating and digital commerce, remote work, and media consumption expanding rapidly, reliable indoor connectivity is no longer a premium feature, it is infrastructure. From conference centers to airports and financial districts, the expectation is that 5G performance follows users wherever they go.
By becoming the first country in the world to deploy this technology commercially, Zambia and MTN have made a clear statement: Africa is not simply adopting the world’s technology. In this case, it is leading it.
