Etisalat & Ericsson unite to deploy 5G high-band in the UAE

UAE-based multinational telecom services operator Etisalat has partnered with Swedish multinational networking and telecommunications company Ericsson to deploy a 5G millimeter wave (mmWave) across its commercial network.

The commercial deployment of the 5G high-band will help in achieving high-performance 5G downlink data speeds of 4.2Gbps and 8 millisecond (ms) latency, according to the company statement.

Etisalat has constructed a 5G network infrastructure that can provide improved performance, including ultra-high speeds and ultra-low latency, to support the country’s digital transformation and the widespread adoption of use cases related to industry 4.0, automation, and Internet of Things (IoT).

Mr. Saeed Alzarouni, Senior Vice President Mobile Network Etisalat said, “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.”

“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 customers with the experience of ultrahigh quality 5G connectivity. Moving ahead we look forward to expanding this technology further on demand for all customer segments.”

5G mmWave delivers a 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.

“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,” commented Mr. Ekow Nelson, Vice President and Head of Global Customer Unit Etisalat at Ericsson Middle East and Africa.

Related: Etisalat to expand its services with new data center ‘SmartHub Kalba’