INTELLIGENT TECHNOLOGY: 5G
du achieves major 5G-Advanced milestone with region’ s first 64T64R dual band AAU deployment, strengthening UAE’ s network leadership
Successful deployment positions the UAE as the first in the region to launch cutting-edge 5G-Advanced capabilities, delivering faster speeds, improved coverage and greener operations.
du, a leading telecom and digital services provider, has achieved a major breakthrough with the successful deployment of 5G-Advanced( 5G-A) technology on its live network – marking du as the region’ s first operator and the UAE as the first country to roll out this next-generation capability, in collaboration with Huawei.
The launch reflects du’ s continued commitment to pioneering innovations that enhance customer experience and support national digital ambitions.
The concept of the 64T64R Dual Band AAU in 3.7 GHz( N78) and 2.6 GHz( N41) spectrum was first envisioned and initiated by du as part of its strategic roadmap to deliver enhanced capacity, improved coverage and spectrum efficiency for customers.
Driven by du’ s vision, the world’ s first Dual Band Active Antenna Unit was conceived and successfully deployed in du’ s live network – delivering breakthrough performance and setting a new global benchmark in mobile innovation. This advanced solution consolidates hardware, enhances spectrum efficiency and improves network performance, while significantly reducing power consumption and carbon footprint. performance and customer experience and is in line with UAE’ s sustainability goals.”
The new 5G-Advanced network delivers tangible benefits, including ultra-fast data speeds for highbandwidth services such as 8K streaming, stronger coverage even in remote areas, and ultra-low latency ideal for autonomous vehicles and Smart City infrastructure. Enterprise customers can leverage massive IoT deployments and large-scale digital services. Energy-efficient dual-band radio design supports du’ s net-zero goals.
This deployment delivers peak data rates of ~ 5.4Gbps and average rate improvements of ~ 33 %, alongside better cell-edge connectivity and uplink speeds. Enabled by Massive MIMO and enhanced spectrum aggregation, the technology sets new mobile performance benchmarks in the UAE and provides a robust foundation for future innovations in URLLC, mMTC and intelligent automation. p
Saleem AlBlooshi, Chief Technology Officer at du
Saleem AlBlooshi, Chief Technology Officer at du, said:“ 5G-Advanced is a monumental leap forward for du and the UAE’ s telecom sector. This milestone reflects our ongoing efforts to deliver world-class connectivity and support the nation’ s vision to be a global technology leader. It also reaffirms our focus on building a green, sustainable network for the future.”
Felix Liu, Chief of UAE Carrier Business at Huawei, said:“ Huawei is privileged to be part of 5G-Advanced network construction together with du. We have been continuously engaged with our customers to understand network needs and provide tailored solutions which can bring business success. Huawei’ s 5G Dual Band AAU is another flagship solution which offers outclass network
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