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Etisalat, Ericsson to commercially deploy 5G high-band in UAE

Dubai - 5G mmWave delivers high spectrum and capacity, making it ideal for Fixed Wireless Access

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Etisalat has joined forces with Ericsson to deploy 5G millimeter wave (mmWave) across its commercial network. The 5G high-band commercial deployment will help achieve high performance 5G downlink data speeds of 4.2Gbps and latency of 8 milliseconds (ms).

Etisalat has built a 5G network infrastructure that can be enabled with superior performance, including ultra-high speeds and ultra-low latency to enable the digital transformation in the country and the wide implementation of use cases related to industry 4.0, automation and Internet of Things (IoT).

The UAE leadership is a driving force in accelerating the digital vision along with the telecom regulatory authority TDRA (Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority) becoming one of the first to allocate mmWave spectrum to be used for 5G technology deployment across the country.

5G mmWave delivers high spectrum and capacity, making it ideal for Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) to deliver fast, fiber-like internet speeds wirelessly over the last mile, and for crowded hotspots such as stadiums, malls and large indoor events that require high peak rates. It also includes wide spectrum segments available for 5G along with lower latencies.

Haitham AbdulRazzak, chief technology officer, Etisalat, said: “Etisalat has always been at the forefront of the telecom industry, and we continuously work to provide our customers with the best possible digital experience. This deployment is in line with our overall vision to ‘Drive the digital future to empower societies’ empowering our customer with the experience of ultrahigh quality 5G connectivity. Moving ahead we look forward to expanding this technology further on demand for all customer segments.”

Saeed Alzarouni, senior vice-president mobile network, Etisalat, added: “We are proud to have introduced 5G mmWave as part of the UAE’s digital infrastructure. Etisalat is always working towards providing the best and ensuring the latest technology is available to all our customers. The partnership with Ericsson is a key milestone in our 5G journey that will support the automation and massive bandwidth demands of futuristic technologies and advanced use cases.”

The 5G standardisation focuses on certain requirements to provide connectivity for superior services, such as enhanced mobile broadband to smartphones and other mobile devices for video streaming and real-time online gaming, as these have extreme requirements on availability, latency, and reliability.

Ekow Nelson, vice-president and head of global customer unit Etisalat at Ericsson Middle East and Africa, said: “We look forward to supporting Etisalat in harnessing the opportunities that new technologies like 5G can present for the people of the UAE. In combination with established solutions, such as Fixed Wireless Access, largely untapped mmWave frequencies can help meet the increased demands for high-quality connectivity while facilitating exciting use cases from advanced video streaming and online gaming with augmented and virtual reality experiences to industrial IoT and smart factories.”

In response, 5G radio frequency ranges were widened to meet the need for enhanced mobile broadband and performance. The 5G radio frequencies now include all those previously held by 4G, as well as more frequencies up to 6GHz (Sub-6) and the high-band (mmWave) spectrum beyond 24GHz. The next wave of 5G expansion will allow businesses of all types to reap the benefits of enhanced mobility, flexibility, reliability and security, making emerging technologies outlined for the future development of the UAE such as autonomous driving, automated factories, robotic process automation, virtual and augmented reality possible. — business@khaleejtimes.com