The 5G robotic surgery display at the Etisalat stand at Gitex Technology Week in October. Pawan Singh / The National
The 5G robotic surgery display at the Etisalat stand at Gitex Technology Week in October. Pawan Singh / The National
The 5G robotic surgery display at the Etisalat stand at Gitex Technology Week in October. Pawan Singh / The National
The 5G robotic surgery display at the Etisalat stand at Gitex Technology Week in October. Pawan Singh / The National

Telecommunications Regulatory Authority announces 5G initiation in the UAE


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The launch of ultra-fast mobile services has come a step closer in the UAE, after the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) formally initiated IMT2020, or 5G technology in the country.

But 5G – which promises theoretical download speeds of up to 20Gbps – is unlikely to become available to users until at least 2019, as industry specifications for the technology have only been agreed on last week.

The telecommunications regulator said yesterday it had given operators the go-ahead to provide 5G services, enabling them to begin building network infrastructure in the country from early-2018.

“We are proud to be among the first countries that apply the 5G technology of telecommunications, which is in line with our leadership directives and the UAE
vision 2021,” said TRA director general Hamad Al Mansoori.

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UAE operators have been talking up the prospects of 5G technology for more than three years, even though a lack of standardisation has prevented the development of commercially available network equipment and mobile handsets. Du and Etisalat have over the years conducted several 5G trials in conjunction with Nokia Networks and Huawei.

In addition to faster consumer internet, the faster downlink and uploads offered by the technology are viewed as key to the development of smart cities and the Internet of Things, enabling the rapid sharing of data between networked devices and sensors for remote monitoring purposes.

Industry standardisation body 3GPP last week finalised the first implementable specification for 5G New Radio, supported by major telecoms carriers and network vendors including Vodafone, Huawei, AT&T and Verizon, paving the way for the development of network equipment and 5G-enabled consumer
devices.

While the technology theoretically offers download speeds of up to 20Gbps, according to guidelines specified by the International Telecommunications Union in Geneva, such speeds are widely seen as unobtainable in real-world conditions.

Etisalat said yesterday it had launched the first 5G “broadband experience” in the Middle East region, achieving downlink speeds of 5Gbps and 2Gbps in uplink in various locations in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The operator said it would deploy 5G services in major cities in the UAE next year, ahead of a deployment of the technology by the year 2020.

Du, meanwhile, plans to begin its deployment of 5G by 2019, completing the roll-out across the country by 2023.

US operators Verizon and AT&T plan to commercially launch 5G services in 2018, primarily using the technology for home broadband rather than mobile services.

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The specs

Engine: 0.8-litre four cylinder

Power: 70bhp

Torque: 66Nm

Transmission: four-speed manual

Price: $1,075 new in 1967, now valued at $40,000

On sale: Models from 1966 to 1970

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Our legal columnist

Name: Yousef Al Bahar

Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994

Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers

Netherlands v UAE, Twenty20 International series

Saturday, August 3 - First T20i, Amstelveen
Monday, August 5 – Second T20i, Amstelveen​​​​​​​
Tuesday, August 6 – Third T20i, Voorburg​​​​​​​
Thursday, August 8 – Fourth T20i, Vooryburg

MATCH INFO

Inter Milan 2 (Vecino 65', Barella 83')

Verona 1 (Verre 19' pen)

At a glance

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Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month

 

Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30 

 

Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse

 

Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth

 

Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances

The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

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1921

1888