UAE telecoms operators du and etisalat have unveiled new services to boost mobile phone communications as the nation accelerates its push towards 6G technology.
Du said on Tuesday it has delivered commercial U6GHz connectivity on its 5G+ network, which will serve as a foundation for high-capacity services across homes, businesses and industries.
U6GHz – the new spectrum for the next generation of mobile connectivity – is expected to enhance the cloud, artificial intelligence, digital experiences and connected environments.
The U6GHz band was identified for international mobile telecoms in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region, several Asian countries, as well as China, Brazil and Mexico, according to global technology advisory Omdia.
U6GHz combines a wide contiguous spectrum bandwidth with characteristics closer to that of existing bands than that of other higher candidate bands, making it the “sweet spot” that balances capacity and coverage, the UK-based research firm said.
Placing U6GHz “into the hands of customers … [will be] unlocking new opportunities for consumers, businesses and emerging digital applications”, Saleem Alblooshi, chief technology officer of Dubai-based du, said in a statement.
Separately, Abu Dhabi's etisalat said it has commercially launched a service that increase upload speeds to smartphones threefold.
The company – which recently rebranded back from e& – is using 2x2 Mimo, a wireless technology that allows the transmission of two data streams between mobile devices and cellular base stations.
That new capability is exclusive on compatible smartphones on etisalat UAE’s 5.5G network and will be useful in sending high-resolution photos, videos and large files faster, in addition to harnessing the abilities of AI-powered applications, the company said.
“Mobile experiences are changing,” said Marwan bin Shakar, chief technology officer of etisalat UAE. “Smartphones are no longer primarily consuming content – they are creating, sharing and increasingly sending richer data to AI and cloud applications in real time. That changes what we need from the network. By bringing this capability … we are increasing upload capacity where it matters.”
Last month, etisalat claimed it had launched the world’s first mobile network operating on U6GHz. Mr bin Shakar said this was key to “accelerating the nation's transition to the 6G era”.
Sixth-generation technology, or 6G, will offer faster speeds and data transfers for users of smartphones, tablets, laptops and other devices.
Though the announcement does not mean 6G cellular technology has officially arrived, the UAE telecoms company's U6GHz mobile network makes use of several innovations that “elevate the 5G-advanced experience” and pave the way for it to become standard.
The announcements from du and etisalat are the latest in a series of developments in the UAE related to the eventual adoption of 6G. Last month, du and Khalifa University said they had carried out field trials for the new technology.
In 2024, the UAE's Telecommunications and Digital Regulatory Authority announced plans to allocate 600MHz and 6GHz bands, a move that helped accelerate the development of 6G services in the Arab world's second-largest economy.
South Korea's Samsung, one of the world's largest manufacturers of smartphones, has predicted widespread adoption of 6G networks by 2030, with “completion of standards and early commercialisation by 2028".