This trial is part of Vodafone Qatar’s phase two trial on 5G-Advanced technologies
Arab telco Vodafone Qatar said it has successfully verified 6 GHz spectrum using 128 T/R massive MIMO, achieving user speeds of over 10 Gbps using four carriers of 100 megahertz each.
The telco noted that this trial, which is part of Vodafone Qatar’s phase-two trial on 5G-Advanced (5G-A) technologies, showcased the 5G-A capabilities on the 6 GHz upper mid-band spectrum.
Through these trials, Vodafone Qatar’s sites can potentially have a system capacity of up to 30 Gbps, the telco said.
Ramy Boctor, CTO at Vodafone Qatar, said: “At Vodafone we are dedicated to pushing the limits of technological innovation, empowering both individuals and businesses to flourish in an ever-expanding digital landscape, where connectivity knows no bounds. Vodafone Qatar is a pioneering force in the region’s telecommunications industry, committed to revolutionizing connectivity through innovative solutions and unwavering excellence.”
The telco also achieved over 1 Gbps uplink user speeds during the trial which is essential in supporting use cases of live 8k streaming.
Rival telco Ooredoo recently confirmed it is working with Chinese vendor Huawei to move toward the 5/Advanced era by upgrading its core networks across key markets.
The partnership, which was signed during Mobile World Congress Barcelona 2024, will see the modernization of Ooredoo’s core networks in Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Iraq, Tunisia, Algeria and the Maldives.
Under the terms of the agreement, Ooredoo and Huawei will collaborate to upgrade all core networks to a 5G core with a service-based architecture.
Huawei launched what it claimed to be the world’s first “5.5G”, or 5G-A intelligent core network during an event at MWC 2024.
The announcement was made by George Gao, president of Huawei cloud core network product line. Gao says that 2024 will be the first year for commercialization of 5G-Advanced.
Huawei believes that previous investments made by operators to deploy 5G network infrastructure will be protected with the future launch of 5G-Advanced, Huawei’s president of wireless solution, Cao Ming, previously said during a media roundtable at Huawei’s 14th Global Mobile Broadband Forum (MBBF), held in October 2023 in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates.
The executive said that 5G-Advanced networks will not require large investments by operators in new network architecture and will be launched using 5G Standalone (SA) networks.
