Ooredoo said it aims to upgrade 100 base stations to 5G within the next three months
Qatar-based telecommunications group Ooredoo has announced the launch of what it claims to be the world’s first live 5G home broadband devices.
The devices, which are currently being tested on Ooredoo’s 5G network before distribution, will work on Ooredoo’s 4G and 5G network and can achieve speeds of up to 2 Gbps.
The company has announced that it is working to acquire more stock of 5G home broadband devices in the very near future.
“Ooredoo is ecstatic to announce that last night, we became the first in the world to have a live commercial 5G home broadband device. This is another amazing world-first milestone for Ooredoo and Qatar and demonstrates that we are on track to offering 5G mega speeds for everyone in the very near future. I look forward to seeing how this technology will benefit all sectors in Qatar, from businesses, to education and beyond,” said Waleed Al Sayed, Ooredoo’s CEO, in a statement.
Last month, the telco said it had activated a live 5G network in Doha using the 3.5 GHz spectrum band. The telco said it aims to update 100 network stations to 5G within the next three months.
The current live 5G sites, which include West Bay and Katara, have demonstrated a speed of 2.51 Gbps. Ooredoo said it is working to find 5G-compatible devices from across the world to test them on the network, including next-generation internet of things (IoT) applications such as smart cars, virtual reality, augmented reality and drones.
In an initial phase, Ooredoo’s 5G “Supernet” deployment will cover an area from The Pearl Qatar to Hamad International Airport, with Lagoona, Katara Cultural Village, West Bay, the Corniche and Souq Waqif also included in the initial commercial launch coverage area.
Ooredoo also said that the company expects to expand its 5G offering to new areas in Qatar over the coming months. The company has previously said the 5G rollout will also support smart cities and smart stadium projects in Qatar.
In December 2017, Ooredoo Qatar has launched a 5G service experience for selected customers in capital Doha. The 5G service allowed customers to have access to a high-speed, low-latency network with initial speeds of up to 1Gbps.
In February this year, Ooredoo Group strengthened its framework agreement with Finnish vendor Nokia to pave the way for 5G adoption across the Middle East, North Africa and Southeast Asia. Under the terms of the deal, Ooredoo and Nokia will collaborate on 5G deployments starting in 2018 in Qatar.
The agreement includes Nokia’s commercially-available 5G-ready products, such as the AirScale radio platform and 5G Adaptive Antenna System based on 3GPP Rel. 15 New Radio, and transformation of the carrier’s existing networks.
Ooredoo operates telecom networks in 10 markets across the Middle East, North Africa and Southeast Asia.
