5G in the UAE: How it affects you

The Jumeirah Lakes Towers (JLT) district, one of the largest residential areas in new Dubai, is set to become the first 5G powered district in the emirate, it was announced in October. Once the first phase is launched at JLT, over 16,000 companies and 100,000 people will be able to benefit from the 5G network.

Both Etisalat and du have rolled out the fifth generation network in the UAE. The two telcos have also announced plans to expand the service.

5G is the super-fast fifth-generation cellular network technology promising download speeds 10 to 20 times faster than we have now.

On October 19, 2019 Etisalat successfully completed the first end-to-end 5G Stand-alone call in the region, thus becoming the first operator in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region to achieve the milestone.

Etisalat and du have both rolled out the fifth generation (5G) network. Roll out of this next technological revolution in mobile broadband communications is expected to boost the UAE economy, with its impact most keenly felt on health care, manufacturing, banking, education and retail.

In theory, 5G can reach speeds 100 times faster than 4G, the current technology, enabling people to connect to homes, vehicles, robots, mobile devices, and the so-called "internet of things". Experts believe there will be 30 million 5G mobile subscriptions in the Middle East region by 2024.

A customer checks the ZTE Axon 5G handset’s features near the Etisalat outlet at the Dubai Mall.

Due to the wider usage of 5G technology, it is estimated that the virtual reality and / augmented reality industry in the UAE will reach a size of $1 billion in 2020.

Expo 2020 Dubai will be etisalat’s first commercial customer in the region to access 5G services, meaning visitors to the Expo will be able to use virtual and augmented reality at 4K resolutions, technologies that can fully utilise the super-fast internet network. Expo 2020 executive Mohammad Al Hashemi with etisalat executive Saeed Al Zarouni, after signing an agreement on 5G that will help enrich Expo visitor interactions.

5G-enabled smartphones will soon be available to UAE consumers. UAE consumers will see more 5G-capable devices, with du promising to bring in Huawei Mate x5G and ZTE Route. 5G subscribers can tap into highly-connected technologies from AR (augmented reality) and VR (virtual reality) to IoT (internet of things), AI, autonomous vehicles, 3D printing, wearable technology and more.

UAE carrier du launched its 5G service in UAE, giving away free phones to select customers. In June, du turned on its 5G connectivity. 5G services were made available by du through the Axon Pro10 handset. Du rolled out the service in collaboration with ZTE shortly after Etisalat made a similar launch.

Galaxy A90: The South Korean tech giant Samsung introduced in September yet another phone in the A-series — the Samsung Galaxy A90 — seen as the company's most affordable 5G handset, the media has reported.

Apple will not be getting on the 5G smartphone bandwagon… for now. Every major Android smartphone maker has launched - or announced - a 5G phone this year, while Apple doesn’t appear to be ready to launch its 5G phone version until 2020. Because of this, say industry observers, early adopters looking for 5G will certainly flock to competing Android devices.

Etisalat customers now have the opportunity to experience 5G and purchase ZTE Axon 10 Pro from Marina Mall in Abu Dhabi and Dubai Mall. Flexible plans are offered on a 12-, 18- or 24-month contract, starting from Dh241.