Abu Dhabi:e& UAE has announced the launch of the world's first commercial mobile network operating on Upper 6GHz (U6GHz) 256TRX Giga-MIMO technology. This advancement marks the transition of the advanced spectrum into live commercial service, positioning the UAE at the forefront of 5G-Advanced and paving the way for the 6G era.
According to Emirates News Agency, this commercial activation supports the UAE's national 6G roadmap, led by the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA). It reinforces the nation's position as a global benchmark in early-stage adoption of next-generation connectivity, even before the international standardization of 6G.
The U6GHz deployment enhances the existing 5.5G network and unlocks the commercial capabilities of the 'Golden 6GHz Band.' This strengthens e& UAE's long-term network evolution towards IMT-2030 and 6G. Marwan bin Shakar, Chief Technology Officer of e& UAE, highlighted the significance of this milestone, noting its role in elevating the 5G-Advanced experience and operationalizing the architecture needed for 6G.
The new network utilizes the U6GHz spectrum range of 6425-6775 MHz, which offers up to 350 MHz of ultra-wide continuous bandwidth. The integration of 256TRX Giga-MIMO technology significantly expands antenna capacity per site compared to conventional 64TRX 5G deployments, enhancing capacity and service quality in dense urban areas.
The network is engineered to deliver peak throughput of up to 10 Gbps downlink and 1 Gbps uplink, providing fiber-like broadband performance over the air. Advanced beamforming capabilities address the propagation limitations of higher frequency bands, achieving coverage comparable to existing 3.5 GHz C-band infrastructure.
Additionally, the network's capabilities include expanding single-cell throughput capacity to over 50Gbps with commercial TDD bands, setting the stage for future service requirements. This deployment supports high-throughput, low-latency network layers essential for digital ecosystems such as AI-native operations, extended reality, autonomous systems, and smart-city infrastructure.
Through this initiative, e& UAE continues to enhance the telecommunications landscape in the UAE, expanding high-capacity mobile connectivity and supporting the nation's digital economy goals.