WIA Awarded Grant to Accelerate 5G Deployment in South Africa

ARLINGTON, Va. – The Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA) today announced it was awarded a grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce through the International Trade Administration’s Market Development Cooperator Program (MDCP) for its proposed Roadmap to 5G Success project, which is designed to accelerate 5G deployment in South Africa, thereby increasing business for U.S.-based companies.

Through the project, WIA will deliver training to the local, state, and central government staff and academic community in South Africa, helping them better understand the 5G ecosystem and learn best practices for efficient 5G rollout. The MDCP award will also fund training for these stakeholders to learn fundamentals of broadband and 5G through the Telecommunications Education Center, WIA’s dynamic learning program which offers instructor-led classroom learning, eLearning, and live webinars.

MDCP awards are designed to remove trade barriers and help U.S. firms to export. WIA was one of six awardees, and its application was supported by member companies SBA Communications and American Tower International—two leading U.S.-based providers of wireless communications infrastructure.

“We are thrilled to be partnering with the Department of Commerce and to work alongside our member companies to accelerate 5G deployment in South Africa,” said WIA President and CEO Patrick Halley. “Through our Telecommunications Education Center, WIA has become a global leader in broadband and 5G training, and we’re honored by the opportunity to support this project to bring the benefits of efficient 5G rollout to South Africa and strengthen America’s leadership as an exporter of 5G technology.”

“The U.S. Department of Commerce is pleased to support the Wireless Infrastructure Association’s (WIA) ‘Roadmap to 5G Success’ project,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “Before U.S. companies can export 5G products and services to South Africa, communities across the country need to understand what is required.

“Local cooperation is key to U.S. companies’ ability to help South Africa improve its telecommunications infrastructure. WIA’s dynamic learning program, the Telecommunications Education Center, will help South Africa prepare for this transformative technology and lead the continent in the race to 5G and broadband connectivity.”

This project further builds on WIA’s global leadership in telecommunications technology and training. At the request of the U.S. Department of Commerce, WIA has recently presented and shared the best practices of 5G infrastructure sharing and deployment policy to industry and government leaders in Jamaica, Malaysia, Colombia, Grenada, Trinidad and Tobago, Saint Lucia, Barbados, and the Bahamas.

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About WIA:

The Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA) represents the businesses that build, develop, own, and operate the nation’s wireless infrastructure. WIA advocates for the widespread, responsible deployment of wireless infrastructure to enable mobile broadband for communities everywhere.

Media Contact: Marshall Miller | 717-951-0795 | marshall.miller@wia.org