UAE telco giant Etisalat has successfully completed the test for the highest 4G LTE speed in the world which reached 300 Mbps, said a top official. This lightning-fast speed is a breakthrough for the international telecommunications industry and establishes Etisalat as a global leader in mobile broadband, remarked Saleh Al Abdooli, the CEO of Etisalat. This world-first achievement by Etisalat adds to its high success record achieved over the past decades, he stated. “I am delighted to announce that Etisalat has successfully completed the test for the highest 4G LTE speed in the world which reached 300 Mbps thanks to the latest MIMO 4x4 technology," said Al Abdooli. “Etisalat's existing 4G network offers speeds up to 150 Mbps, but devices available in the market still don't support this speed. However, the development of networks always motivates manufacturers to produce higher speeds to keep pace with evolution of these networks," he noted. "The commercial launch of this latest 300Mbps speed depends on the availability of devices can handle such a speed. Initial reports from international hardware providers indicate that these devices will be available over the next year. This speed will be a turning point for the customers in the mobile internet experience," said Al Abdooli. In late 2011, Etisalat was one of the first telecom providers in the world to launch a 4G LTE network, using 1800 MHZ and 2.6 GHZ bands. To help customers enjoy the high speeds offered on Etisalat's 4G LTE network, the corporation launched modems and some smart devices that could run on this network such as the Samsung Galaxy SIII, said the official. Etisalat recently launched a 4G LTE WiFi device enabling up to 10 users to access the Internet on a special WiFi network, and has confirmed the timely launch of iPhone5. More devices and tablets will soon be available in the marketplace. Al Abdooli pointed out that in the first phase of its 4G LTE rollout, Etisalat has deployed around 1,000 base stations. The current LTE footprint spans major cities in the UAE covering 80 per cent of the country's population. Etisalat is working to add new stations to cover more than 85% of the country, targeting major buildings, commercial centres, airports and other significant locations. While Etisalat carries on its second phase of LTE deployment, it also continues with the expansion of its 3G mobile network. Etisalat's 3G network covers about 99.8 per cent of the UAE's populated area through more than 5,500 base stations. The 3G network has been upgraded several times in line with global speeds and developments. The regular upgrades also ensure that subscribers will be able to move easily between HSPA+ and 4G networks. TradeArabia
