Fixed wireless, 5.5G will support future lifestyle applications, says du executive

(March 2024) MWC is the place to be – even if you’re not in the telecom business. 

“I’m really proud that more than 50% of attendees this year are from beyond the telco industry,” says Karim Benkirane, Chief Commercial Officer at du, an operator in the UAE. 

Speaking in an interview for Transform Talks, he said home wireless was one of du’s biggest success stories.  Perhaps that’s because almost all homes and businesses need internet access but many lack a fiber connection. 

Fixed Wireless Access solves the problem by offering broadband over a mobile signal.  Benkirane said another success story is 5.5G. Often called 5G Advanced, it delivers 10 times the speed of regular 5G with extremely low latency.  

“In the future, there will be a lot of applications that enable a new digital lifestyle,” he said. “We’ll see 8K video streaming, naked-eye 3D gaming, plus VR and A R. Advanced 5.5G technology will be needed to support these applications.”