By : Islam Tawfik
e& UAE, the flagship telecom arm of global technology group e&, has achieved a landmark milestone in 5G-Advanced technology. By successfully aggregating 6.35 GHz of total bandwidth across frequency ranges FR1 and FR2, with a particular focus on the upper 6 GHz band,
The breakthrough highlights the unique potential of this licensed mobile spectrum. Conducted on the live network, this innovation provides the vast capacity needed to accelerate the UAE’s 10 Giga Nation Vision, positioning the UAE as one of the most advanced and hyperconnected nations in the world.
At the heart of the trial was the deployment of 256T256R Massive MIMO antennas on the upper 6 GHz band, combined with advanced techniques such as Inter-gNodeB Carrier Aggregation (CA) and MU-MIMO. By blending the lower and higher bands with upper 6 GHz, the network achieved multi-gigabit throughputs approaching 100 Gbps, proving this band’s capability to deliver ultra-fast, reliable, and scalable connectivity for the future.
Abdulrahman Al Humaidan, Senior Vice President Access Network Development at e& UAE, said: “By bringing together different 5G bands, including the upper 6 GHz range, we reached close to 100 Gbps on our live network. In simple terms, this unlocks much more capacity for busy cities, better 5G home broadband, and headroom for new experiences like immersive video and AI-powered services. Because it runs on licensed spectrum, customers also get mobility, security, and consistent quality, moving us closer to the UAE’s 10 Giga Nation vision.”
The upper 6 GHz band offers unmatched advantages for mobile broadband. It provides higher cell capacity in dense urban areas, extends the reach of Fixed Wireless Access (FWA), and supports massive IoT applications such as smart surveillance and drones. It also powers immersive consumer services like XR and real-time smart city platforms, while enabling enterprises to benefit from network slicing for tailored connectivity. Crucially, when deployed under 5G, the upper 6 GHz band delivers seamless mobility, carrier-grade security, and guaranteed quality of service—capabilities that shared unlicensed systems such as Wi-Fi cannot consistently match.
According to the GSMA’s Mobile Evolution in 6 GHz report (September 2024), assigning the upper 6 GHz band for licensed mobile use could generate economic benefits equivalent to 0.39 per cent of the UAE’s expected GDP in 2035. These benefits underline why the upper 6 GHz is better aligned with the long-term requirements of mobile networks than with unlicensed alternatives.
With this achievement, e& UAE cements its role as a global leader in 5G-Advanced, placing the upper 6 GHz band at the centre of future mobile innovation and redefining the standard for next-generation connectivity. This vision cements the UAE’s ambition to become a global model for next-gen connectivity, fuelling competitiveness, technological sovereignty, and a knowledge-based economy by 2031.
