Abu Dhabi, 27 May 2015

Opening up possibilities of up to 450Mbps mobile broadband speeds for customers in the UAE, Etisalat has become the first to successfully complete the live testing of CAT-9 on its LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) network.

In 2014, Etisalat successfully tested and deployed CAT-6 on its LTE-A network and enabled the country's first 4G+ speeds of up to 300Mbps. The telco's new CAT-9 LTE testing will give customers super speeds of up to 450Mbps, improving the overall user experience while streaming video and audio content, accessing high-speed interactive apps or browsing the Internet on the go. Upon wider CAT-9 LTE rollout, customers can enjoy the speeds when smartphones supporting CAT-9 capabilities become available in the market.

Saeed AlZarouni, Senior Vice President, Mobile Network at Etisalat, said, "The testing of CAT-9 with stellar results of up to 450Mbps reaffirms our commitment to our customers in introducing advanced broadband technologies and strengthening the telecom infrastructure of the UAE. Following the deployment and expansion of CAT-6 speeds in many regions of the country since last year, we are thrilled to announce our new milestone today.

As the nation's "smart" vision gains pace, deployment of Etisalat's tri-band Category 9 LTE will add further momentum to the introduction and adoption of smart services, completely transforming the customers' mobile experience. It will provide them with much faster download speeds, swift application response times, reliable connectivity and connections to the fastest networks", AlZarouni added.

Etisalat has established the country's first, most future-ready 3G, 4G and 4G+ LTE networks to meet the growing needs of the UAE's highly connected environment. The telco's 4G LTE network covers nearly 90 percent of the country's populated areas.

In a recent Annual Mobile Benchmarking Survey, the UAE's Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) ranked Etisalat's mobile broadband speeds, particularly 4G LTE, to be nearly three times faster in the UAE's telecom market.

Ookla, the global leader in broadband speed testing, network diagnostic applications and data, has consistently ranked UAE's average throughput between 1st and 5th globally, enabled by Etisalat's mobile broadband and network advancements.

-Ends-

Press release issued by Corporate Communication Department - Etisalat

For further media information:
Iyad Al Zou'bi,
Corporate Communications - Etisalat 
Tel +971 2 6182622
Mobile +971 50 6123568
Email mediaoffice@etisalat.ae or ialzoubi@etisalat.ae

© Press Release 2015