Etisalat by e& announces first 5G SatComs in UAE

Etisalat by e& today announced the implementation of the EUTELSAT QUANTUM satellite solution, becoming the first telco in the country to expand 5G network capabilities over a software-defined satellite.

As a result of the implementation, customers can get access to high speeds, enhanced coverage and scalability to meet future demands for high-bandwidth applications.

This deployment came after rigorous testing with customers for over a year to rapidly scale up the 5G mobile network deployment. Etisalat by e& implemented Eutelsat's latest technology Quantum satellite with the recently installed state-of-the-art Newtech Dialog Hub, enhancing the mobile network capability.

Khalid Murshed, Chief Technology and Information Officer, Etisalat by e& UAE, said, "With the demand for 'always-on' connectivity as technologies like IoT, AI and blockchain make a bigger impact on consumer lives, satellite connectivity can empower communities and business in this rapidly evolving digital landscape. With the deployment of this satellite solution and technology, our customers will be able to access their data at 5G speeds even when terrestrial connectivity is unavailable, marking another important step towards the regions' 5G adoption and bridging the digital divide".

Oscar Garcia, Business Marketing and Product Innovation, Etisalat by e&, said, "The need for connectivity has grown beyond traditional communications with customers wanting to access the highest speeds in the network to meet their requirements and demands for bandwidth-intensive applications such as GSM services, Remote IT, Unified communications, OTT, and media streaming among others. The testing and implementation of this satellite solution greatly enhance the mobile network capacity to address the futuristic development of new age applications while being able to build and deploy 5G use cases for various industry verticals and business."

"Eutelsat are proud to partner with Etisalat by e& to deploy this 5G use case on the world's first Software Defined satellite network. Our fully steerable beams are capable of meeting the most rigorous demands of Next Generation mobile and satellite networks," said Ghassan Murat, Head of the Connectivity Business Unit for Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific, Eutelsat.

EUTELSAT QUANTUM is the first commercial Ku-band satellite to have a fully flexible payload that can be remotely configured by software from a user's premises.

Furthermore, as a software-defined steerable beam, it can be controlled in real-time to deliver maximum throughput on down/uplink and optimised for various operational scenarios.