Al Khobar in Saudi Arabia has become the first city in the Mena region to pilot pioneering 5G connectivity - the ultra-high speed mobile broadband set to revolutionise the internet in the years ahead by enabling virtual reality, robotics and other advanced technology. The Eastern Province city intends to award 5G licences to operators by the end of 2019. Bloomberg
Al Khobar in Saudi Arabia has become the first city in the Mena region to pilot pioneering 5G connectivity - the ultra-high speed mobile broadband set to revolutionise the internet in the years ahead by enabling virtual reality, robotics and other advanced technology. The Eastern Province city intends to award 5G licences to operators by the end of 2019. Bloomberg
Al Khobar in Saudi Arabia has become the first city in the Mena region to pilot pioneering 5G connectivity - the ultra-high speed mobile broadband set to revolutionise the internet in the years ahead by enabling virtual reality, robotics and other advanced technology. The Eastern Province city intends to award 5G licences to operators by the end of 2019. Bloomberg
Al Khobar in Saudi Arabia has become the first city in the Mena region to pilot pioneering 5G connectivity - the ultra-high speed mobile broadband set to revolutionise the internet in the years ahead

Al Khobar in Saudi Arabia becomes the first Mena city to pilot 5G wireless


  • English
  • Arabic

Al Khobar, a city in Saudi Arabia's oil-rich Eastern Province, became the first city in the Middle East and North Africa to test 5G wireless connectivity after it launched a pilot project last week, the kingdom's Ministry of Culture and Information said. 
"Because the capabilities of this technology are very high, it will pave the way for the development of other technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality and robots," the ministry cited a United Nation's telecoms body report on the pilot as saying.

The 5G ultra-high speed mobile broadband is set to revolutionise the internet in the years ahead. Developing next-generation broadband and other communications technologies is one of the pillars of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 economic diversification plan to reduce the country's dependence on hydrocarbons. A sophisticated digital infrastructure is seen as crucial to supporting the development of the private sector and creating jobs for Saudi nationals.

The kingdom set up the National 5G Taskforce last year with the aim of overseeing the administrative, regulatory and other changes required to introduce next-generation mobile broadband. Led by a steering committee, it oversees the progress and engages with stakeholders including the government, telecoms operators, equipment vendors and potential end-users.

Al Khobar's pilot was subsequently launched after Saudi Arabia's national telecoms regulator, the Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC), issued licences for testing a 5G mobile network using 100 megahertz (MHz) channels with a bandwidth of 3.6-3.8 gigahertz (GHz) – the speeds required for 5G.

The pilot “surpassed the limits of previous wireless technologies with a data-transmission speed of more than 1Gbps,” the CITC said in a statement to media on Friday.

The commission plans to convert the test-and-trial licences to full and exclusive 5G operating licences in 3.4-3.8 GHz by the middle of next year. Awards for an even broader spectrum could follow by the beginning of 2020, it added. It has already awarded additional bandwidth scope to mobile operators Mobily, Saudi Telecommunications Company  and Zain.

________________

Read more:

________________

All necessary 5G policies are intended to be in place by the end of 2019, the CITC said this week. Full roll-out of the technology is likely to require substantial investment from the private sector.

“The government is taking an active role to help create the best conditions for the private sector to invest in developing and deploying 5G in Saudi Arabia in a timely and efficient manner,” said Majed Almazyed, the commission’s deputy governor for technology and infrastructure and chairman of the 5G Taskforce.

“Saudi Arabia is determined to be a world leader in 5G to take early advantage of its benefits,” added Abdullah Alsawaha, the kingdom's minister for communications and information technology.

Other GCC countries have joined the race to implement 5G, including the UAE, with Dubai-based telecom operator Du saying earlier this month it intends to roll out a limited 5G service later this year, ahead of a wider launch in 2019.

How to help

Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo

Power: 247hp at 6,500rpm

Torque: 370Nm from 1,500-3,500rpm

Transmission: 10-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 7.8L/100km

Price: from Dh94,900

On sale: now

UAE v Zimbabwe A, 50 over series

Fixtures
Thursday, Nov 9 - 9.30am, ICC Academy, Dubai
Saturday, Nov 11 – 9.30am, ICC Academy, Dubai
Monday, Nov 13 – 2pm, Dubai International Stadium
Thursday, Nov 16 – 2pm, ICC Academy, Dubai
Saturday, Nov 18 – 9.30am, ICC Academy, Dubai

Living in...

This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.

Moonfall

Director: Rolan Emmerich

Stars: Patrick Wilson, Halle Berry

Rating: 3/5

Business Insights
  • Canada and Mexico are significant energy suppliers to the US, providing the majority of oil and natural gas imports
  • The introduction of tariffs could hinder the US's clean energy initiatives by raising input costs for materials like nickel
  • US domestic suppliers might benefit from higher prices, but overall oil consumption is expected to decrease due to elevated costs
Play-off fixtures

Two-legged ties to be played November 9-11 and November 12-14

 

  • Northern Ireland v Switzerland
  • Croatia v Greece
  • Denmark v Ireland
  • Sweden v Italy
Race card for Super Saturday

4pm: Al Bastakiya Listed US$250,000 (Dh918,125) (Dirt) 1,900m.

4.35pm: Mahab Al Shimaal Group 3 $200,000 (D) 1,200m.

5.10pm: Nad Al Sheba Conditions $200,000 (Turf) 1,200m.

5.45pm: Burj Nahaar Group 3 $200,000 (D) 1,600m.

6.20pm: Jebel Hatta Group 1 $300,000 (T) 1,800m.

6.55pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3 Group 1 $400,000 (D) 2,000m.

7.30pm: Dubai City of Gold Group 2 $250,000 (T) 2,410m.

Coal Black Mornings

Brett Anderson

Little Brown Book Group 

Health Valley

Founded in 2002 and set up as a foundation in 2006, Health Valley has been an innovation in healthcare for more than 10 years in Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
It serves as a place where companies, businesses, universities, healthcare providers and government agencies can collaborate, offering a platform where they can connect and work together on healthcare innovation.
Its partners work on technological innovation, new forms of diagnostics and other methods to make a difference in healthcare.
Its agency consists of eight people, four innovation managers and office managers, two communication advisers and one director. It gives innovation support to businesses and other parties in its network like a broker, connecting people with the right organisation to help them further

Barcelona 3
Messi (27’, 32’, 87’)

Leganes 1
El Zhar (68’)

Rajasthan Royals 153-5 (17.5 ov)
Delhi Daredevils 60-4 (6 ov)

Rajasthan won by 10 runs (D/L method)

'Avengers: Infinity War'
Dir: The Russo Brothers
Starring: Chris Evans, Chris Pratt, Tom Holland, Robert Downey Junior, Scarlett Johansson, Elizabeth Olsen
Four stars

The Greatest Royal Rumble card

50-man Royal Rumble - names entered so far include Braun Strowman, Daniel Bryan, Kurt Angle, Big Show, Kane, Chris Jericho, The New Day and Elias

Universal Championship Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns in a steel cage match

WWE World Heavyweight ChampionshipAJ Styles (champion) v Shinsuke Nakamura

Intercontinental Championship Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe

United States Championship Jeff Hardy (champion) v Jinder Mahal

SmackDown Tag Team Championship The Bludgeon Brothers (champions) v The Usos

Raw Tag Team Championship (currently vacant) Cesaro and Sheamus v Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt

Casket match The Undertaker v Rusev

Singles match John Cena v Triple H

Cruiserweight Championship Cedric Alexander v Kalisto

MATCH INFO

Europa League semi-final, second leg
Atletico Madrid (1) v Arsenal (1)

Where: Wanda Metropolitano
When: Thursday, kick-off 10.45pm
Live: On BeIN Sports HD

Our legal consultants

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

From Conquest to Deportation

Jeronim Perovic, Hurst

The stats

Ship name: MSC Bellissima

Ship class: Meraviglia Class

Delivery date: February 27, 2019

Gross tonnage: 171,598 GT

Passenger capacity: 5,686

Crew members: 1,536

Number of cabins: 2,217

Length: 315.3 metres

Maximum speed: 22.7 knots (42kph)