• BTC plans to launch commercial 5G in selected parts of Gaborone in October 2026 as part of more than BWP240 million in network investment
  • By October, the operator also plans capacity upgrades at 599 mobile sites and further migration of fixed customers from copper to fibre and fixed wireless access

The fact

Botswana Telecommunications Corporation plans to launch commercial 5G in selected parts of Gaborone in October 2026, according to its 2026 Integrated Report. The operator has committed more than BWP240 million for the 2026/27 financial year to 5G deployment, 4G expansion and additional network capacity.

BTC says the October programme also includes capacity upgrades at 599 mobile sites and the continued migration of fixed-line customers from copper to fibre and fixed wireless access. The company plans to expand 5G beyond Gaborone to other cities and key villages after the initial launch.

The 5G service is not yet commercial. BTC has not disclosed how many 5G sites will be active in October, the size of the initial coverage area or the spectrum that will support the launch.

The assessment

BTC's October target brings several pieces of network work together. For 5G, the new service has to be live and available to customers in the selected parts of Gaborone. At the 599 existing mobile sites, the planned capacity upgrades have to be installed and carrying traffic. Fixed customers also need a working fibre or fixed wireless replacement before they can move off copper.

Those jobs have different measures of completion. BTC has not said how many 5G sites it will launch, how much of Gaborone they will cover or how many fixed customers still need to be migrated. A commercial 5G launch therefore would not, by itself, show how much of the wider programme has been completed.

For BTW readers, October will show whether BTC can bring these separate upgrades into service on the same timetable. The 5G launch is one milestone; progress on the 599 mobile sites and the number of customers actually moved from copper will show how far the wider network upgrade has gone.

What to watch

Watch whether BTC launches 5G in October and discloses the number of active sites, spectrum and initial coverage. Progress on the 599 capacity upgrades and the number of fixed customers moved to fibre or fixed wireless access will show how much of the wider programme has reached service.