Expo 2020 Dubai is region’s first 5G commercial user
dubai — Expo 2020 Dubai on Tuesday announced that it has become the first major commercial customer in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (Measa) region to access 5G services, through its partnership with etisalat.
Etisalat connected Expo 2020 Dubai to its 5G network, making the site of the next World Expo the first commercial location in the Measa region to experience 5G. Etisalat’s network will provide the most advanced digital and telecom services to Expo 2020 Dubai and its millions of visitors, supporting an expected 300,000 users on peak days.
“One of the main themes of the Expo 2020 is connectivity and technology is an enabler. We have been working with etisalat since 2016 when we first announced our partnership. We always knew that we would have 5G for the Expo,” Mohammed Alhashimi, senior vicepresident, Innovation and Future Technology at Expo 2020 Dubai, told reporters at a media roundtable
Highlighting the various technologies that will be able to function seamlessly on the 5G network, he pointed to virtual reality, augmented reality, the Internet of Things, autonomous vehicles and blockchain. Many of these will be available to visitors through an app on their smartphones. “How you will arrive in Dubai, which hotel you will book, how you will get into the Expo
5G technology will enable users to stream live 4K resolution video anywhere at any time, with virtually no lag Saeed Al Zarouni, senior vice-president, mobile network at etisalat
site, finding your way around, looking for information on F&B and entertainment; all of this will be easily available to you thanks to the connected digital network. In addition, Wi-Fi will be free for visitors.”
“We will be the most connected site,” Alhashmi added. “We have more than 200km of fiber underground; we have 8,500 Wi-Fi access points on this site; more than 2,000 5G antennae indoors and more than 2,500 4G indoor antennae. We know that not everyone will have 5G connectivity devices, so it is important for us to make sure that everyone has access.”
Saeed Al Zarouni, senior vicepresident, mobile network at etisalat, said experts at etisalat would work very closely with different teams at Expo 2020 Dubai to ensure that everything was ready for visitors and participants in time for the event. He revealed that at around 20 times faster than 4G and with ultra-low latency, 5G technology will enable users to stream live 4K resolution video anywhere at any time, with virtually no lag.
“Right now the latency for 4G is between 10-15 milliseconds; the latency for 5G will be one millisecond,” he said, adding that 5G services will be available for consumers in the UAE by the end of this year.
“Currently, we are deploying the network in phases and adding more sites,” he said.
— rohma@khaleejtimes.com