Dubai: Etisalat becomes the first telecom operator in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region to announce the launch of its first commercial 5G wireless network in the UAE.
The telecom operator has been testing the fifth generation of mobile network for the last couple of months and pre-commercially launched it in certain areas of the country.
The foundation of this commercial launch was laid in December last year.
In the first phase of the launch, 5G fixed wireless services (fixed and internet services) will be provided in selected locations in the UAE, which will gradually expand to other parts of the country depending on consumer demand and requirements. The commercial fixed devices and services will be available for consumers starting from September this year.
“5G stands out as a game-changer with rich potential, an evolution that would elevate services, performance, and enablement. It is the natural progression as part of our network modernisation journey, the anticipated technical specifications are promising, bringing along various desirable features and functionalities,” Saleh Al Abdooli, CEO, Etisalat Group, said in a statement.
While launching the commercial network, Etisalat showcased downlink throughput of more than 5Gbps on the site level and more than 1.5Gbps on the commercial CPE (customer premises equipment) device.
5G technology is a major enabler for the fourth industrial revolution to provide faster data connectivity combined with higher speed. The larger bandwidth will provide the capability to handle larger number of connections in any geographical area.
With ultra-high speed and low latency services to the user 5G will enable users to enjoy uninterrupted 4K video streaming, best gaming experience, AR/VR services and autonomous transport. The 5G network will also empower government entities and enterprise digital transformation, smart city development and the fourth industrial revolution.
Due to the higher bandwidth, more users and devices can be connected at the same time without any degradation to the desired experience.
