Like many regions encumbered with limited fixed broadband infrastructure, the Middle East is increasingly using mobile connectivity to drive adoption of advanced internet-based services. Among the many wealthy Gulf states looking to take the next step with 5G, the UAE and Dubai in particular stand out. Local provider du recently announced its first 5G network will land as early as this year.
A diverse region
The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is of course a large and diverse region, comprising over 70 countries which vary considerably in terms of their IT maturity. However, throughout MENA, mobile connectivity is increasingly seen as the key to unlocking digital transformation, economic growth and social inclusion. By mid-2017, 63% of the MENA population was a mobile subscriber and in two years’ time, mobile broadband will account for just under 70% of total connections, according to the GSMA.
In December last year, global standards body 3GPP fired the starting pistol for the mobile industry when it released the first 5G New Radio (NR) specifications. The oil-rich states around the Gulf are already gearing up to lead the first wave of innovation, followed by other regional nations. In fact, following the UAE and Qatar, the GSMA expects operators in 12 other countries across MENA to deploy 5G, covering nearly a third of the region’s population by 2025.
Dubai leads on 5G
It’s all starting with Dubai, where operator du announced last week that it would be 5G “network ready” this year, with preparations fully underway in locations such as Expo 2020, Burj Khalifa Downtown and Yas Island. This is in anticipation of the commercial availability of 5G handsets in 2019.
Although mass adoption of 5G may not come until 2020, the ambition of operator du in making it commercially available in certain clusters puts Dubai alongside that small group of countries around the world leading the way with the new network standard. Others include South Korea, Australia and Switzerland. Its certainly not alone in the region. Operator Ooredoo announced in mid-May what it claimed to be the world’s first live 5G network on the 3.5 GHz spectrum band in Qatar. Also this month, Saudi Arabia’s Al Khobar claimed to be the first city in the MENA region to test a 5G network.
What can we expect from such announcements? While mass adoption will take some time, this is an exciting period for businesses and consumers in the region. The growth of 5G networks will pave the way for online streaming of 4K videos and support for VR and AR applications — both of which are restricted by current bandwidth availability.
Once consumers and employees are able to use their smartphones for ultra-fast connections it will give new meaning to the term “mobility”. For the first time, users will no longer be restricted by what they can and can’t do on their devices. They’ll be able to take the full range of online experiences with them anywhere.
by TD
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