Du said it expected to offer 5G-A tech across the UAE in 2026

Emirati-based telco du aims to launch 5G-Advanced (5G-A) technology in Dubai during 2024, Abdulla Baghoum, head of technology operations at du, said during a 5G-A summit organized by Huawei.

The executive noted that the telco’s 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.

Baghoum noted that the telco 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 executive also highlighted that the 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%.

Baghoum also stated that the telco 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.

The offering, supported by Huawei’s latest 5G-Advanced FWA technology, enabled residents in the villa, located in Jumeirah Islands, to immerse themselvesnaked-eye 3D videos, 8K UHD streaming and XR games, the partners said. These services were enabled by du’s “5.5G” Experience Carrier, providing subscribers with real-time peak speeds of 10 Gbps.

During a keynote session at the Huawei’s 14th Global Mobile Broadband Forum (MBBF) held last October in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, Karim Benkirane, chief commercial officer at du, noted that 5G-A networks will help carriers overcome challenges that exist in deployment of fixed wireless access.