Beyond 5G: du UAE's 5G-A push enhances cloud gaming, livestreaming and more

The formidable capabilities of 5G-A can be applied to a multitude of applications, delivering faster speeds, greater reliability, and smarter features powered by artificial intelligence.

As one of the leading telecom operators in the United Arab Emirates, du has been doing its best to harness the technology to serve its customers. In November 2024, it opened the world’s first 5G-A Innovation Center to explore opportunities to launch new services powered by the newest version of 5G.

In the consumer market, du UAE has launched new services enabled by the integration of 5G-A and AI. These offerings include enhanced uplink livestreaming, low-latency cloud gaming, and high-bandwidth remote office. The use of AI provides automatic adjustments to service provisioning, to maintain quality of experience in various use scenarios.

Upgrading the user experience

5G-A boosts the premium performance of fixed wireless access (FWA), which delivers home broadband via wireless networks instead of fiber. du’s new data plans have upgraded user experience from inconsistent 100 Mbps to reliable and stable 300 Mbps, which translates to user experience improvements like smoother video streaming and lower-latency gaming.

Such stability also allows operators to offer SMEs faster and more reliable private network connections. So far, du UAE has achieved 95% 5G coverage in densely populated areas, and brought connectivity to users without access to fixed broadband.

“Naked-eye 3D” gets a second look

Away from home, consumers visiting shopping malls in Dubai have been struck by giant naked-eye 3D displays, to the point that interest in "naked-eye 3D" has surged in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Oman over the past six months, according to Google Trends search analytics.

du UAE now plans to foster a naked-eye 3D ecosystem around platforms like OSN (a local OTT outlet) and YouTube.

Serving both traders and the unbanked

5G-A will enhance the operator’s mobile finance app, duPay, launched in 2024 to deliver banking services to UAE residents who are unbanked or underserved by financial institutions. Provides services including international remittance, person-to-person transfer, salary deposit, mobile top-up, and bill payment.

5G-A could significantly enhance duPay’s capabilities and the carrier is looking into that. For example, in stock trading, especially high-frequency trading, even a millisecond of difference can alter outcomes. The ultra-low latency of 5G-A allows for real-time updates, data streams, and transactions, which offers an investment edge to both individuals and financial institutions.

Looking to the future, du envisions a strategic transition from 5G-A City (Dubai) to 5G-A Country (the whole UAE). Building on its 5G-A network infrastructure in Dubai's core business districts, the operator plans to deliver superior 5G-A user experience in other cities and then in the whole of the UAE.

Saleem AlBlooshi, du’s Chief Technology Officer

“We are committed to providing a high-quality user experience to our customers,” says Saleem AlBlooshi, du’s Chief Technology Officer. “Since the introduction of 5G in 2019, we have launched numerous innovative services. Among these, 5G home wireless services have been widely welcomed, and our market share in this area is far ahead. Introducing 5G three carrier aggregation in our In-Building Solution (IBS) network is a crucial step in ensuring a leading 5G user experience. It has enabled us to enhance our network’s capabilities and quality, greatly improving customer satisfaction."