du And Nokia Networks Sign MoU On 5G Development

Left to Right: Farid Faraidooni, chief operations officer, du and Danny Atme, head, Lower Gulf, Iran and Pakistan (LGIP), Nokia Networks

du, the Middle East’s fastest-growing telecom service provider and Nokia Networks has signed an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) to share a strategic vision for 5G and IoT development and evolution.

The agreement was signed by Farid Faraidooni, chief operations officer, du and Danny Atme, head, Lower Gulf, Iran and Pakistan (LGIP), Nokia Networks, in the presence of other senior officials.

Nokia Networks and du are showing the possibilities of 5G systems for future ultra-broadband and critical machine-type communication for the Internet of Things (IoT) and smart city applications. The 5G radio demonstration at GITEX Technology Week features for the first time in the Middle East live, ultra high-speed communications of up to 10 Gbps over the air in the promising mmWave band.

5G will be the platform to enable growth with many smart city use cases, from IT to automotive, manufacturing, healthcare, agriculture and entertainment. The extremely fast broadband speed can offer users enough capacity wherever they go without a drop in speed or connection. They can, for example, download a full-length HD video in a matter of seconds. Augmented and virtual reality services will be available at your fingertips.

The 5G system being demonstrated by du and Nokia Networks uses very high bandwidth, smart antennas, and next generation multi-carrier modulation to achieve ultra low latency and impressive peak data rates of 10 Gbps. This 5G radio proof-of-concept was developed in cooperation with National Instruments (NI).

In the scope of the MoU, the parties agree to leverage their combined expertise and enhance cooperation and testing of future-ready 5G technology. The MoU will also include collaboration and consulting in terms of the introduction and trial of Nokia Networks small cells, centralized RAN, multi-vendor Self-Organizing Networks (SON) and IoT as well as the evolution to telco cloud and Heterogeneous Networks (HetNets).

Saleem Blooshi, executive vice president, Network Development and Operations, du said, “Bringing a 5G prototype to the region is an initial step that will ensure the rapid realization of our smart city ambitions and reaffirm our commitments to addressing its extensive requirements.”

Tony Awad, head of du Customer Team at Nokia Networks said, “This agreement reinforces the leadership of du and Nokia Networks in promoting and delivering innovative technologies. We’re collaborating to share our experience, skills and expertise to accelerate developments in 5G and IoT technologies, and the network evolution. This is yet another step forward towards Nokia’s vision of expanding the human possibilities of the connected world.”