UAE telecom operators du and etisalat have introduced new network offerings and technologies intended to speed up the nationwide rollout of next-generation mobile networks, according to Arabian Business. The developments mark significant technical advancement towards future 6G networks, although the report notes that 6G cellular service has not yet officially arrived in the country.
du announced it has delivered commercial Upper 6GHz (U6GHz) connectivity on its 5G+ network. du's Chief Technology Officer, Saleem Alblooshi, stated that deploying U6GHz into customer hands will unlock new opportunities for consumers, commercial enterprises, and emerging digital applications. The commercial rollout is designed to serve as a foundation for high-capacity broadband across residential, corporate, and industrial sectors.
Simultaneously, etisalat launched what it described as the world's first commercial 2×2 uplink MIMO technology with carrier aggregation for smartphones on its 5.5G network, tripling upload speeds for compatible devices. Marwan bin Shakar, Chief Technology Officer at etisalat UAE, said the upgrade addresses shifting consumer habits, as devices increasingly generate and transmit rich data to artificial intelligence and cloud applications in real time.
According to the report, the U6GHz frequency band combines wide contiguous bandwidth with propagation characteristics close to existing cellular bands, helping operators balance capacity and coverage. While adopted for international mobile telecommunications across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, U6GHz spectrum has also been selected by countries globally, including China, Brazil, and Mexico.
Sources
- Arabian Business · 2026-10-14
