Dubai
Expo 2020 Dubai has become the first major commercial customer in the MEASA (Middle East, Africa and South Asia) region to access 5G services in partnership with Etisalat.
The Abu Dhabi-based telecom operator has installed a base station at the site and Expo 2020 Dubai will be testing and demonstrating its services on the fifth generation of mobile networks.
Etisalat demonstrated 16 live channels with a 4K resolution (3,840 x 2,160 pixels) on the 5G network at the site as one of the use cases.
At around 20 times faster than 4G and with ultra-low latency, 5G technology will enable users to stream live 4K resolution video anywhere at any time, with virtually no lag
“Our ability to provide 5G services to Expo 2020 is only possible due to our commitment to invest in line with our strategy to ‘Drive the Digital future to empower the society’ with solutions and services that are at the forefront of the digital journey,” Mohammed Al Hashmi, senior vice-president for Innovation and Future Technology at Expo 2020 Dubai, said at the press conference.
Saeed Al Zarouni, senior vice-president for mobile network at Etisalat, said that 5G will offer a speed of 1.3Gbps in the initial stage and phase two is coming with a maximum speed of more than 5Gbps.
He said that it will offer a latency of one millisecond compared to 15-20 millisecond on 4G network and will benefit verticals such as the autonomous car, health care, virtual reality and augmented reality due to high speed and low latency and it is not possible on 4G network.
Expo 2020 will run from October 20, 2020, to April 10, 2021, and expects to attract 25 million visits.
