UAE Telecom Operators Accelerate 6G Development with New Commercial Services

UAE telecom providers etisalat and du have recently disclosed additional advancements in their development of 6G technology, the next generation of wireless communication. The industry is stepping up preparations for a technology that is being positioned as essential for a more connected world, driven by increasingly intelligent devices and services.

Recent Milestones by du and etisalat

Du announced on Tuesday that it has delivered commercial U6GHz connectivity on its 5G+ network. This capability is intended to serve as a foundation for high-capacity services across homes, businesses and industries.

Meanwhile, Abu Dhabi-based etisalat – which recently reverted its branding from e& – said it has commercially launched a service that triples upload speeds to smartphones.

What 6G Is and When It Might Arrive

6G promises faster speeds and greater efficiency than the current 5G mobile phone technology, which already has more advanced forms marketed under names such as 5G+, 5G Advanced and 5.5G.

Historically, new generations of wireless technology have emerged roughly every decade, suggesting 6G could become available in the early 2030s. This timeline is widely shared across the industry.

The United States introduced the third generation in 2002, the fourth in 2010 and 5G in 2018. The second and first generations appeared in the 1980s and early 1990s respectively, with “zero G” before that.

While a 6G rollout is predicted in the early 2030s, not all of its features are expected to be available at launch, as the industry would continue testing its deployment.

Speed and Use Cases

5G’s maximum transmission speed is 20 gigabits per second, which is already 20 times faster than 4G’s 1Gbps rate under ideal circumstances. However, 6G’s theoretical maximum compared to 5G has varied from anywhere between 50 times faster – or 1 terabit per second – to 1,000 times, or 2.5 terabytes per second. This would mean that a multi-gigabyte file that used to take seconds or a few minutes to download could be transferred almost instantly.

The consumer proposition of 6G will always be front and centre, especially as digital consumption and reliance on connected devices continue to grow. But on an industrial scale, 6G is expected to power advanced iterations of immersive and mass communication, ubiquitous connectivity, integrated sensing and communication, low-latency and hyper-reliable communication, and artificial intelligence communication, according to the International Telecommunication Union, which leads the framework and standards-setting of wireless communications.

Beyond communications, business and economic gains, the power of 6G will also play a critical role in society by enabling affordable, resilient and energy‑efficient networks for health, education, agriculture and disaster response, the Geneva-based UN agency said. “Advanced networks also present a way to close the persistent digital divide that today leaves many people in low-income countries behind,” it added.

Transport, home appliances and security, payment networks, financial transactions and a host of other products and services expected to be highly connected in the future will also rely on the speed 6G would offer.

Challenges Ahead

A number of issues need to be addressed to ensure the reliability of 6G networks. Arguably the biggest challenge is to build 6G networks resilient to any AI-induced compromises. Networks of the future should be able to detect threats and adaptive enough to respond to them, according to the EC-Council University in New Mexico.

Encryption, especially that which can protect against quantum threats, and integration to blockchain would also be important to avoid unauthorised data access and manipulation, the university added.