BTC prepares 5G launch in Botswana as network modernization accelerates

State-owned Botswana Telecommunications Corporation (BTC) has announced plans to enter Botswana’s 5G market in October as part of a broader network modernization program for the 2026/27 financial year. The operator will invest BWP240 million, or about US$17.8 million, in upgrades that also include 4G expansion and capacity improvements.

The first 5G rollout will focus on strategic areas in Gaborone, with BTC then aiming to accelerate deployment to other cities and key villages. At the same time, the company plans to increase network capacity and extend 4G coverage across its footprint.

BTC said the investment will support upgrades at 599 mobile sites. The operator also intends to migrate fixed-line customers from copper infrastructure to fiber and fixed wireless access (FWA) technologies.
According to BTC CEO Jürgen Peschel, the company has now fully modernized its mobile network. He said that at sites where only voice service was previously available, data is now offered, while locations that already supported data have seen capacity increased by as much as five times.

Another major milestone is the migration of fixed services from legacy circuit-switched infrastructure to an IMS-based platform, which BTC expects to complete in December 2026.

BTC said its mobile network currently delivers 97% coverage for 2G and 4G, and 62% for 3G. The operator is arriving late to Botswana’s 5G race, with Mascom Wireless and Orange Botswana having launched commercial 5G services in 2022. However, the Botswana Communications Regulatory Authority does not publish subscriber figures by technology, leaving the actual scale of 5G adoption unclear.