DUBAI: Mobile internet usage for UAE consumers will soon be improved, as local telecom provider Etisalat gears for summer roll-out of 5G enabled smartphones.
“We are expecting new 5G-enabled devices by June. That’s when consumers will get to experience the real 5G. We have already fully deployed the network,” Khalifa Al Shamsi, Group Chief Corporate Strategy and Governance Officer at Etisalat, announced at the Arab Media Forum held at the World Trade Center on March 27-28.
Earlier reports said that although both Etisalat and its rival Du are ready to introduce 5G services to its customers, smartphone vendors have yet to release 5G-enabled devices.
The 5G network, which offers faster speeds and more reliable connections on smartphones and other devices, will especially be beneficial to media organizations, according to Al Shamsi, as they pursue more innovative ways of reporting.
“Let’s just look at new technology like augmented or virtual reality. It is just a matter of time before news content is customized with these technologies. In the past, the hologram was just science fiction. Now it is for real and is being tested,” he said.
