Ooredoo is the first mobile operator in the world to launch a live 5G network on the 3.5GHz spectrum band in Qatar.
Customers need a 5G compatible device from Ooredoo to access the Ooredoo 5G Internet. The company did not reveal the availability of 5G devices. Ooredoo also did not talk about the 5G pricing plan for retail and enterprise customers.
The company said this is just the beginning of the Ooredoo 5G network. Ooredoo will expand 5G coverage over the coming months.
Ooredoo 5G milestones
# 5G trials on Qatar National Day in 2016
# Completed 10 5G-ready base stations in May 2017
# 5G business trial with Qatar Airways in November 2017
Ooredoo became the first global telecom operator to launch 5G on 5G NR technology at a time when US-based telecom operators such as Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile are trying to launch 5G in 2018 and 2019.
Waleed Al Sayed, chief executive officer of Ooredoo Qatar, said: “We are the first company in the world to offer access to 5G technology and services, and the people of Qatar are the first to have access to the benefits this technological upgrade will bring.”
The first stage of Ooredoo’s 5G deployment will cover an area from The Pearl Qatar to Hamad International Airport, with Lagoona, Katara Cultural Village, West Bay, the Corniche and Souq Waqif also included in the initial commercial launch coverage area.
The Ooredoo 5G service offers the latest network technology (5G NR) meaning much higher speeds, capacity, and better latency, than existing cellular systems.
“We invested in the testing and installation of our 5G network. The 5G Supernet will be the infrastructural backbone of Qatar as our nation pushes to offer the latest smart applications in-line with Qatar National Vision 2030.
