The mobile operator du has completed a trial of high-speed mobile wireless technology, meaning that new 4G products could be on their way.
The company said that it had completed a trial of Long Term Evolution Advanced (LTE-A) technology, which allows service providers to aggregate signals sent by multiple carriers to boost speeds.
The technology combines signals sent over 800Mhz and 1.8Ghz – radio frequencies that have been allocated to mobile internet transmission signals by the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority.
LTE-A is a 4G benchmark standard that allows for very high speeds of data transmission. It is being widely adopted in developed markets.
Both du and Etisalat have tested the technology, indicating that a new range of LTE-A mobile internet products is likely to be released soon.
“Utilising the 800MHz band to provide 4G-LTE Mobile Broadband Services to the public is a pivotal technology vehicle we are planning to use to further enhance the user experience and significantly extend our state of the art 4G-LTE network coverage,” said Saleem Al Balooshi, a vice president at du.
Mobile users in the UAE have been slow to adapt to the possibilities of 4G internet, according to Informa Telecoms and Media, citing a lack of understanding, high costs and a limited number of devices that are compatible with the technology.
While iPhone 5 uses the UAE’s 1.8Ghz frequency for mobile internet transmission, LTE speeds on the iPad require a frequency that is not currently available in the country.
Around the world, telecommunications providers are hoping to launch a new range of 4G mobile products off the back of the higher internet speeds now achievable.
In February, the US service provider Sprint trialled an LTE-A wireless set-up that transmitted 2.6 gigabits per second – fast enough to download a 90-minute film in a few seconds.
abouyamourn@thenational.ae