Etisalat first to market with 5G smartphones

Abu Dhabi: Etisalat has become the first telco in the region to offer the super-fast 5G network on 5G-enabled smartphones. From today, customers can enjoy service access on ZTE Axon 10 Pro, the first available 5G device from Etisalat.

That means network speeds of up to 1Gbps. At around 20 times faster than 4G, 5G service will allow users to stream live 4K resolution video anywhere at any time, with virtually no lag.

Etisalat customers now have the opportunity to experience 5G and purchase ZTE Axon 10 Pro from Marina Mall in Abu Dhabi and Dubai Mall. Additionally, customers may also opt to buy with flexible Smart Pay plans on a 12-, 18- or 24-month contract starting from Dh241.

This launch is the first in line of 5G devices from global smartphone brands expected to be unveiled this year from Etisalat.

Subscribers can tap into highly connected technologies from AR (augmented reality) and VR (virtual reality) to IoT (internet of things), AI, autonomous vehicles, 3D printing, wearable technology and more.

5G network will be available for all Etisalat postpaid, prepaid, consumer and business customers using a 5G devices. All customers will be able to use existing data packs on the 5G network.

All about speed

■ Think of all the times you have been able to access the speed and power of 4G services. Now pause for a moment to fully imagine what the next-generation networks — or 5G — will have to offer.

■ Let’s take speed for instance — 5G networks can deliver on browsing and download speeds nearly 10-20 times faster than what is routinely done on 4G. And it’s not all speed either.

■ Etisalat plans to have full 5G deployment in the UAE by 2020. In live trials, the telecom provider attained download speeds of “over 70 Gbps over a ‘pre-commercial’ 5G site operating over e-band using 2Ghz of bandwidth”.

■ 5G is about delivering on future services that may not even be fully imagined now. Etisalat with its announcement has just thrown down a marker on that journey.