The throughput was achieved by aggregating commercial spectrum in the 3.5GHz and 2.6GHz bands, in addition to millimeter wave n258(26 GHz). Etisalat said the speed was accomplished through "a prototype 5G device that aggregates all three bands".
Saeed Al Zarouni (pictured), SVP mobile network at Etisalat, said: “We are pleased to announce that Etisalat UAE has achieved unprecedented 9.1 Gbps 5G network speed. This 5G ultra-wideband game-changing download speed is the fastest in the world. We at Etisalat always strive to meet the ever-increasing bandwidth demand from diverse needs of customers, businesses, automation, and gaming.
“Today’s landmark announcement is a result of Etisalat’s efforts in building a robust 5G network, and 9.1 Gbps is truly a huge leap forward in the 5G era to offer a speed 30 times faster than a 4G average throughput. This will have a significant and profound change on individuals, industries, society and the economy, transforming how we live and work,” Zarouni added.
Etisalat, which started its 5G roll out in Dubai in 2017, isn't the first to set a 5G speed record this month. Earlier this week, TIM, Ericsson and Qualcomm announced a new record using 5G mmWave.
With 5G technology applied to Fixed Wireless Access (FWA), the three recorded a speed of 1Gbps on 26GHz millimetre-wave (mmWave) frequencies, at a distance of 6.5km from the site on TIM’s network.
Their record formed a use case of 5G millimetre-wave spectrum, for both high-density urban areas and also for wider 5G FWA coverage and followed previous records set by the three in September and January.
In Finland last month, Qaulcomm worked with Nokia and Elisa to deliver speeds of 8Gbps for the first time, serving two 5G mmWave devices connected simultaneously. The three said the high-speed service is expected to be implemented in 2021. And as far back as August 2019, Turkcell claimed a world record speed of 2.283Gbps as it sent Turkey’s first 5G signal over its 5G test network using a 5G-compatible smartphone.
