Du and Etisalat roll out new services to boost UAE’s 6G push

Du’s U6GHz rollout

Du announced on Tuesday that it has delivered commercial U6GHz connectivity on its 5G+ network, saying the service will provide a foundation for high‑capacity offerings across homes, businesses and industries.

U6GHz is the new spectrum earmarked for the next generation of mobile connections; it is expected to strengthen cloud computing, artificial intelligence, digital experiences and connected environments. According to the global technology advisory Omdia, the band has been identified for international mobile telecoms in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, several Asian countries, China, Brazil and Mexico. A UK‑based research firm described U6GHz as a “sweet spot” that balances capacity and coverage because its wide contiguous bandwidth resembles existing bands more closely than other higher‑frequency candidates.

Saleem Alblooshi, chief technology officer of du, said placing U6GHz “into the hands of customers … [will be] unlocking new opportunities for consumers, businesses and emerging digital applications”.

Etisalat’s upload‑speed boost

Etisalat, based in Abu Dhabi, said it has commercially launched a service that triples smartphone upload speeds. The upgrade relies on 2×2 MIMO, a wireless technology that enables two data streams to travel simultaneously between mobile devices and cellular base stations.

The capability is available only on compatible handsets using etisalat UAE’s 5.5G network and will accelerate the transfer of high‑resolution photos, video and large files while also supporting AI‑powered applications.

Marwan bin Shakar, chief technology officer of etisalat UAE, remarked that mobile experiences are changing: smartphones are no longer mainly consuming content but are creating, sharing and sending richer data to AI and cloud platforms in real time, which alters network requirements and makes the increased upload capacity essential.

Industry view on 6G progress

Last month etisalat claimed to have operated the world’s first mobile network running on U6GHz, a step that bin Shakar said is key to “accelerating the nation’s transition to the 6G era”.

Sixth‑generation technology, or 6G, promises faster speeds and greater data transfers for smartphones, tablets, laptops and other devices. Although the announcements do not indicate that 6G has officially arrived, the U6GHz deployments incorporate several innovations that “elevate the 5G‑advanced experience” and lay the groundwork for 6G to become a standard.

Regulatory, academic and vendor outlook

The du and etisalat moves are part of a wider UAE drive toward 6G. Last month du and Khalifa University reported they had carried out field trials for the new technology.

In 2024 the UAE’s Telecommunications and Digital Regulatory Authority announced plans to allocate 600 MHz and 6 GHz bands, a decision that helped speed up 6G services in the Arab world’s second‑largest economy.

South Korea’s Samsung, one of the world’s largest smartphone manufacturers, has forecast widespread adoption of 6G networks by 2030, with standards completion and early commercialisation expected by 2028.

What changes for you

What

Access to du’s U6GHz connectivity on its 5G+ network and etisalat’s threefold increase in smartphone upload speeds via 2×2 MIMO on its 5.5G network

From when

du and etisalat

Who

Consumers, businesses and industries across the UAE, including Abu Dhabi residents

Where

Nationwide in the UAE