iPhone 12 5G will only be available on MTN in South Africa

The Apple iPhone 12 will support 5G connectivity in South Africa when it launches on 18 December, but this capability will be exclusive to MTN’s network at first.

The operator has stated it is the only network authorised to enable 5G on the new iPhone 12, from December 2020, into early 2021.

“Through rigorous 5G testing with Apple, MTN is proud to announce that on launch the Apple iPhone 12 will be enabled for 5G on the MTN network,” MTN said in a statement today.

Chief Technology and Information Officer at MTN South Africa Giovanni Chiarelli said that the operator was honoured to be the only mobile network in South Africa enabled to support 5G on the Apple iPhone 12.

“MTN’s 5G strategy has been years in the making and the success in the Apple tests confirms that MTN’s approach of building a strong foundation to grow and support its 5G ecosystem, has been time well-spent.

“We are now seeing the results of this investment and we are proud to be able to keep delivering exceptional and high-quality experiences for our customers,” said Chiarelli.

He added that MTN would be deploying 5G at selected MTN stores in its 5G-enabled coverage areas.

MTN will offer the full iPhone 12 lineup, including the iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max, iPhone 12, and iPhone 12 mini with 5G connectivity.

Pre-orders for the range will be opened from 11 December 2020.

iPhone 12 pricing revealed

This announcement follows the iStore revealing local pricing for the iPhone 12 range earlier on Friday.

Customers will be able to purchase the smartphones for cash or upgrade their MTN, Vodacom, or Telkom contract at iStores nationwide or online.

“They are also able to complete their contract upgrade at iStore, no matter where they initially signed up and have the benefit of selecting from major networks all in one place,” iStore said.

The table below shows the pricing for the new iPhone 12 range in South Africa:

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