In UAE soon: 'Super speed' broadband from Etisalat

Opening up possibilities of up to 450Mbps mobile broadband speeds for customers in the UAE, Etisalat said yesterday that it has successfully completed the live testing of CAT-9 on its LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) network.

In 2014, Etisalat tested and deployed CAT-6 on its LTE-A network and enabled the country’s first 4G+ speeds of up to 300Mbps.

The operator said its new CAT-9 LTE testing will give customers super speeds of up to 450Mbps, improving the overall user experience while streaming video and audio content, accessing high-speed interactive apps or browsing the Internet on the go.

“It will provide [customers] with much faster download speeds, swift application response times, reliable connectivity and connections to the fastest networks,” said Saeed AlZarouni, Senior Vice President, Mobile Network at Etisalat.

Upon wider CAT-9 LTE rollout, customers can enjoy the speeds when smartphones supporting CAT-9 capabilities become available in the market.

“Following the deployment and expansion of CAT-6 speeds in many regions of the country since last year, we are thrilled to announce our new milestone today,” AlZarouni noted.

“As the nation’s ‘smart’ vision gains pace, deployment of Etisalat’s tri-band Category 9 LTE will add further momentum to the introduction and adoption of smart services,” he said.

Etisalat said its 4G LTE network covers nearly 90 per cent of the country’s populated areas.

Ookla, the global leader in broadband speed testing, network diagnostic applications and data, has consistently ranked the UAE’s average throughput between 1st and 5th globally.

In a recent Annual Mobile Benchmarking Survey, the UAE’s Telecommunications Regulatory Authority ranked Etisalat’s mobile broadband speeds, particularly 4G LTE, to be nearly three times faster in the UAE’s telecom market.

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.