Omantel, the Sultanate leading and First Telecom services provider, have announced the completion of a 5G mmWave proof of concept (POC) trial for extended range under the supervision by TRA. This trial which concluded recently with Ericsson will enable the Company to extend the coverage of 5G mmWave to longer distances.
Commenting on this, Sheikh Talal Al Mamari, Omantel’s CEO said: says: “We have always worked in Omantel to bringing the best and latest technologies to Oman which help in facilitating the way local and resident international companies and organizations to excel in the way they do business. In every step we take, we are trying to help in making the life of the people in Oman easier, simpler and more entertaining. We have enjoyed a long and successful partnership with Ericsson, and we add these latest trials to our many milestones of achievement. This trial is the 1st of its kind in the Middle East, yet it is the next step for us to provide an even richer 5G experience to our customers. This is a major milestone that Omantel will add to its achievement and its journey towards excellence.”
Abdullah Al-Balushi, Country Manager of Ericsson Oman says: “This trial demonstrates how 5G mmWave technology can be leveraged to offer fiber like experience at larger distance, even in rural areas of Oman. 5G Macro deployment complemented with mmWave extended range will help Omantel meet the opportunity to develop and deploy 5G networks that can handle the increase in traffic and deliver the user experience they expect for consumers and business across the Sultanate.”
Yousuf Al Azizi, Omantel Senior Manager Technology Strategy said “This major milestone showcased coverage from mmWave at distance of 6.5 Km from the cell site. This step redefines the perception of 5G mmWave spectrum as a low range high-density-only deployment 5G technology and offers new opportunities for broader 5G coverage facilitating home broadband and many other use cases including rural as well as suburban environments. The mmWave 5G trial using 4 component carriers showcased Gigabit speeds of 1.2 Gbps at up to 4 kms distance and holding up to 516 Mbps at 6.5 kms”
Through this trial, Omantel and Ericsson have showcased how increased bandwidth can help to deliver faster, higher-quality video, and multimedia content and services at larger distances using mmWave 5G, and the successful test paves the way for enhanced 5G capabilities for consumers and businesses across the Sultanate.
It will also open the door for new use cases, which will bring 5G benefits to homes and business everywhere, from urban to rural communities in Oman. For example, Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) installations using mmWave 5G can provide a cost-effective way to deliver fiber-like internet speeds wirelessly to institutions such as schools, hospitals and town halls, addressing some of the “last mile” challenges in rural areas, like remote education and healthcare.