Etisalat and du say their 4G network should not suffer the same problems other networks across the globe have seen.
Etisalat and du say their 4G network should not suffer the same problems other networks across the globe have seen.
Etisalat and du say their 4G network should not suffer the same problems other networks across the globe have seen.
Etisalat and du say their 4G network should not suffer the same problems other networks across the globe have seen.

No problems with UAE 4G network, say Du and Etisalat


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DUBAI// Du and Etisalat have reassured customers that their new superfast 4G networks will not interfere with GPS and television signals.

It comes after reports in the United States and UK that the new technology can potentially affect other electrical devices.

However, both telecoms companies say users in the UAE will be unaffected because their networks use a different part of the frequency Long Term Evolution (LTE) spectrum.

"The issue of interference created by TV and GPS is not existing in UAE, since the LTE band used by Etisalat is 2600MHz or 1800MHz which are neither used by TV nor GPS systems," said a statement from Etisalat.

"In other countries there are interference due to use of lower frequency band for LTE like 700MHz or 800MHz."

Etisalat began rolling out its 4G network towards the end of last year promising broadband speeds of 100 megabits per second.

In the UK up to 2 million people watching television on the Freeview free-to-air service are likely to have interference problems.

As a contingency some of the households affected will have filters fitted, although viewers in the worst affected areas will be forced to switch to cable or satellite.

Du began deploying its network in June and is utilising the 18000MHz frequency.

The company said television broadcast services used the 470MHz to 800MHz range of the spectrum.

"The UK interference situation being referred to is a result of 4G (LTE) deployment in the so called Digital Dividend 800MHz band (namely 790MHz-862MHz) which is being auctioned in the UK now," said a statement from Du.

"Currently, Ultra-High Frequency (UHF) television broadcasting utilizes the band range from 470MHz - 800MHz.

"To deploy 4G LTE mobile services in the 800MHz band range, the 790MHz-862MHz frequency needs to be vacated for mobile usage.

"This requires all analog television broadcasters to move to lower bands by switching to digital terrestrial television."

The company says the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) had issued the Terrestrial Digital TV Switch Over Plan in 2009 ordering broadcasters to vacate the 790MHz to 862MHz frequency to free it up for mobile services.

Terrestrial TV transmitters will be switched off by December of this year, said Du.

Matthew Reed, an analyst for Informa Telecoms and Media in Dubai agreed saying TV viewers and GPS users in the country had no reason to fear interference.

"In the US, there was a clash last year between Lightsquared, which was rolling LTE, and the GPS industry, which said the Lightsquared network was interfering with GPS services," he said.

"Lightsquared was using spectrum in the 1500MHz band that was adjacent to the band used for GPS.

"The FCC [Federal Communications Commission] ruled against Lightsquared, which subsequently went bankrupt."

nhanif@thenational.ae

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The smuggler

Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple. 
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.

Khouli conviction

Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.

For sale

A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.

- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico

- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000

- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950

Six large-scale objects on show
  • Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
  • The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
  • A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
  • Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
  • A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
  • Torrijos Palace dome
Five films to watch

Castle in the Sky (1986)

Grave of the Fireflies (1988)

Only Yesterday (1991)

Pom Poki (1994)

The Tale of Princess Kaguya (2013)

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Date started: 2012

Founder: Amir Barsoum

Based: Dubai, UAE

Sector: HealthTech / MedTech

Size: 300 employees

Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)

Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC

The National Archives, Abu Dhabi

Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.

Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en

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What: 2006 World Cup quarter-final
When: July 1
Where: Gelsenkirchen Stadium, Gelsenkirchen, Germany

Result:
England 0 Portugal 0
(Portugal win 3-1 on penalties)

The specs: 2017 Maserati Quattroporte

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Engine 3.0L twin-turbo V8

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The five pillars of Islam

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The specs

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The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

A little about CVRL

Founded in 1985 by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory (CVRL) is a government diagnostic centre that provides testing and research facilities to the UAE and neighbouring countries.

One of its main goals is to provide permanent treatment solutions for veterinary related diseases. 

The taxidermy centre was established 12 years ago and is headed by Dr Ulrich Wernery. 

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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Torque: 700Nm

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