Home Industry Telecoms Etisalat will have UAE ‘ready for 5G’ this year The telco is building 600 5G sites, and 300 5G towers, which will be ready before 5G handsets are rolled-out by Neil King February 17, 2019 The UAE’s largest telecommunications company Etisalat is building 600 5G sites across the country as it prepares to launch 5G services for consumers later this year. As part of the new infrastructure there will be 300 5G towers built in the first half of the year, as the telco readies itself for the roll-out of the next generation of mobile technology. Manufacturers are expected to launch the first 5G devices in 2020. Saeed Al Zarouni, senior vice president, mobile networks, at Etisalat said: “Etisalat’s technical teams are building 600 5G sites to enable 5G coverage across the country. Our network and infrastructure will be ready to provide the service as soon as the 5G mobile handsets are available in UAE. “Our management’s strategy to focus on digital innovation and to ‘drive the digital future to empower societies’ have led to investments in superior and state-of-the-art technology solutions on the network.” The latest generation of mobile network technology will be substantially faster than the current 4G network, with a maximum speed of 4.5Gbps, compared to 600Mbps on 4G. Etisalat tested the first live 5G network in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia last year, achieving speed of 1.5Gbps at the Expo 2020 site in Dubai. Al Zarouni added that the new network would provide fasted data connectivity, as well as faster speeds: “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 the enterprise digital transformation, smart city development and the fourth industrial revolution.” 0 Comments