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Stronger indoor coverage for 4G from January [Gulf News (United Arab Emirates)]
[October 24, 2014]

Stronger indoor coverage for 4G from January [Gulf News (United Arab Emirates)]


(Gulf News (United Arab Emirates) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Dubai: Telecom operators in the UAE to roll out 800MHz frequency for 4G LTE (long term evolution) in January next year, a top official told Gulf News.

"TRA announced the availability of 800Mhz for 4G LTE last week. It is a good thing for us and will help us boost coverage and especially the indoor coverage for 4G LTE," Saleem Al Beloushi, executive vice-president of network development and operations at du, told Gulf News.



The commercial launch of LTE took place in the UAE in September 2011. Operators in the US mostly use the 700MHz spectrum, while those in Europe and the Middle East prefer 1800MHz and in China it is 2.5GHz.

4G is a split technology, like VHS and Betamax, or HD-DVD and Blu-ray. While 2G and 3G are set standards that use a specific bandwidth, 4G can use multiple frequencies. In the UAE, etisalat uses 2600Mhz for indoors and 1800MHz frequencies for outdoors, while du uses the 1800MHz band.


As the frequency goes higher the penetration (coverage) will be lower. For instance, 2G is on 900MHz, so the coverage is everywhere, while 3G is at 2100MHz. The coverage is therefore less and operators have to add more base stations to ensure coverage. The same issue exists for LTE.

"We are working with TRA to deploy it and are expected to roll out in January 2015. We will share the capacity with etisalat," Al Blooshi said.

When asked about the fixed network infrastructure sharing between the two telco operators which are expected to happen this month, he said that du is "working actively" with etisalat on fixed network sharing.

"Coverage is one of the most important aspect. If it is harmonised with the US, it means that the economies of scale will be there from day one," said Bhanu Chaddha, research manager at International Data Corporation (IDC).

He said most of the devices on the markets are standardised on 800MHz. It is a "win-win situation" and the cost of delivery of services will reduce and better experience. It is a step in the right direction for the telco operators in the UAE and the region.

"Definitely, there will be a cost saving factor as well. Capital expenditure will be lower and the 2G technology will slowly start to fade away in the next five to seven years," he said.

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