Vodacom, in partnership with Huawei, has deployed Africa’s first commercial EcoMatrix network site in Tanzania, marking a major step toward more energy-efficient and high-performance mobile infrastructure across the continent.
The EcoMatrix solution introduces a simplified and highly integrated network architecture designed to improve coverage and user experience while reducing energy consumption and infrastructure requirements.
Following the upgrade, network tests showed a 1.5 dB improvement in 4G coverage and a 200 percent improvement in downlink user experience without requiring additional antenna space. The deployment also reduced the number of site modules by 60 percent, while next-generation radio units consume 22 percent less energy than legacy equipment.
EcoMatrix supports deployment across six integrated frequency bands — 700, 800, 900, 1800, 2100 and 2600 MHz — using a single cable-free antenna feeder system. This design allows operators to maximise existing site infrastructure while supporting greener, low-carbon network operations, including achieving “0-bit, 0-watt” energy consumption during idle traffic periods.
By consolidating nine modules into three per site, the solution addresses several technical challenges in mobile network deployment, including mast load limits, heat management issues and passive intermodulation risks.
Liren Naidoo, Acting Network Officer at Vodacom Group, said the new architecture improves coverage, enhances user experience and can potentially reduce site-level operational costs.
Huawei’s Chen Li noted that the EcoMatrix design enables operators to deploy all sub-3 GHz bands through a single antenna system, reducing energy use and site rental costs while leaving capacity for future network upgrades.
The Tanzania deployment is expected to guide future EcoMatrix rollouts across Vodacom’s African markets, particularly in regions where energy efficiency, resilient network performance and rapid connectivity expansion are critical for digital inclusion.
