du is initially deploying 5G-A infrastructure in Dubai and plans to extend the network at a national level in a second phase
ISTANBUL, TURKEY- Emirati-based telco du is currently in the process of deploying 5G-Advanced (5G-A) technology in Dubai as part of its national rollout program, Hasan Alshemeili, the telco's head of infra technology planning, said during a keynote session at Huawei's Global Mobile Broadband Forum 2024 (MBBF 2024), which took place this week in Istanbul, Turkey.
The executive noted that du has already deployed hundreds of 5G-A base stations while its plans for the whole country stipulate the deployment of thousands of base stations.
The executive did not provide a timeline for 5G-A deployment in the UAE. However, du previously stated that its 5G-Advanced strategy includes the deployment of this technology in the main cities across the United Arab Emirates (UAE) next year and achieving national coverage by 2026.
Du had carried out 5G-A trials in October 2023, which paved the way for the initial commercial launch of the technology in January 2024.
The Arab carrier is already working on the next generation of Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) technology using 5G-A. In this field, du aims to reach a market share of 40% within the next three years, which compares with a current market share of 34%, according to a previous report.
The carrier also plans to utilize the capability of 5G-A technology in both the B2C and B2B segments. In the B2B area, du plans to offer a slicing function and a 5G-to-B suite of services.
du had initially launched 5G services in 2019 and 5G SA technology in 2023.
The Arab telco had previously signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Huawei to boost 5G-A technology in the UAE. The project, dubbed "5G-A Country", seeks to accelerate the digital transformation of the Arab country, according to Huawei.
Under the strategic cooperation, announced during Mobile World Congress 2024 in Barcelona, Spain, the two parties will work together to build a 5G-A experience network with full city-level coverage in Dubai based on the 5G-A commercial network in Dubai's core CBD area and build the UAE's "5G-A Country".
The cooperation between Huawei and du will also establish a 5G-A joint innovation center to realize 5G-A technology innovation and expand the commercialization of new services for consumers, homes and enterprises, and accelerate the incubation of 24K XR, FWA, holographic conferences and enhanced 5G private networks, among others.
In March 2023, both entities signed a MoU centered on 5G-A technological innovation, application exploration and ecosystem development. The two companies partnered to cover the entire area with advanced FWA technology. In October 2023, du had launched a 5G-A, or "5.5G" villa in Dubai in partnership with Huawei, where the two companies showcased some of the benefits of this technology.
Also, du recently announced the extension of its strategic partnership with Finnish vendor Nokia to expand its 5G network in the United Arab Emirates.
The new agreement will support du as it expands its 5G-Advanced network, incorporating innovative technologies such as enhanced mobile broadband, advanced 5G carrier aggregation, network slicing, massive IoT connectivity through reduced capability (RedCap) and edge computing.