Vodafone Qatar continues investing in its wireless network through partnership with Huawei

Doha:  Vodafone Qatar and Huawei have entered into a strategic agreement to significantly expand and enhance Vodafone Qatar’s entire wireless network infrastructure including a largescale 5G technology rollout.

This agreement will see two industry leaders at the forefront of digital innovation come together to accelerate the digital transformation of Qatar to meet the country’s economic growth targets and national agenda.

The landmark agreement was signed today at Vodafone Qatar’s Headquarters by Vodafone Qatar’s Chairman H.E Mr Abdulla Nasser Al Misnad and Mr. Charles Yang, the President of Huawei Middle East. Also present were both companies senior management. 

Commenting on the agreement, Vodafone Qatar’s Chairman H.E Mr Abdulla Nasser Al Misnad, said: “Vodafone Qatar is proud to be laying the ground for future technologies that will support Qatar and its vision to be a leader in the development of smart cities and digital economies of the world. We are delighted to further develop our partnership with Huawei, who has been the front-runner in terms of innovation related to their early role in the standardisation of 5G technologies globally. The planned expansion and enhancement of our wireless network will place it in the ranks of the best in the world.”

Vodafone Qatar’s CEO H.E Sheikh Hamad Abdulla Al Thani, added: “Vodafone Qatar’s wireless network to date has offered Vodafone Qatar’s customers a world class service that’s leading on speed, quality and availability on both data and voice. This new agreement with Huawei will further accelerate the transformation in adoption of the new generation of technology such as 5G technology and Internet of Things that will support the applications for smart cities, artificial intelligence and others.”

President of Huawei Middle East, Charles Yang, said: “We are glad to see Vodafone in the first wave of 5G rollout globally. Huawei is committed to working with Vodafone to drive digital innovation, take advantage of 5G large-scale commercial rollout best results, and together build a mature 5G ecosystem that thrives on shared success and promotes social progress along the way. Early proliferation of 5G is vital to building the digital economy in Qatar. Huawei will ensure providing its end-to-end 5G solutions in Qatar, utilizing the best experiences and practices out of working in over 170 countries worldwide.”

Since switching on its 5G network in August last year and receiving the spectrum license to operate 5G commercially from the Communications Regulatory Authority in January this year, Vodafone Qatar has already deployed 5G in dozens of locations across the country and marked several milestones. Last week, the company announced that it made 5G technology commercially available to its customers with the launch of - Vodafone GigaHome- the latest innovation in home internet solutions.  Recently, the Company also made the first live 5G call using a 5G handset and the first live 5G holographic call in the region.

5G offers the ‘real time’ connectivity to power ‘smart devices’ of all kinds. This opens up a whole host of new capabilities in gaming, virtual reality and augmented reality applications. 5G technology will also help unlock the enormous potential of Internet of Things (IoT) that will drive economic benefit and improve livelihoods. This includes smart cities in which self-driving cars interact with traffic systems and connected homes seamlessly control temperature and energy – the benefits of 5G technology are endless.

-Ends-

About Vodafone Qatar P.Q.S.C

Vodafone Qatar P.Q.S.C. ("Vodafone Qatar") provides a comprehensive range of services including voice, messaging, data, fixed communications, IoT and ICT managed services in the State of Qatar, for both consumers and businesses alike.

The Company commenced commercial operations in 2009 and has over 1.4 million customers as of December 31, 2018. Its state-of-the-art network infrastructure is expanding to cover key locations in the country with fibre connectivity and 5G, along with an extensive digital ecosystem, which will contribute to Qatar's continued growth and prosperity. 

Vodafone Qatar’s vision is deeply rooted in its mission to connect today’s ideas with the technologies of tomorrow by pioneering digital innovation and becoming people’s first choice in telecom and digital services. For more information, please visit www.vodafone.qa  

For press enquiries, please contact:
Lana Khachan
Head of Communications, Vodafone Qatar
E-mail: lana.khachan@vodafone.com      

About Huawei

Huawei is a leading global provider of information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure and smart devices. With integrated solutions across four key domains – telecom networks, IT, smart devices, and cloud services – we are committed to bringing digital to every person, home and organization for a fully connected, intelligent world.

Huawei's end-to-end portfolio of products, solutions and services are both competitive and secure. Through open collaboration with ecosystem partners, we create lasting value for our customers, working to empower people, enrich home life, and inspire innovation in organizations of all shapes and sizes.

At Huawei, innovation focuses on customer needs. We invest heavily in basic research, concentrating on technological breakthroughs that drive the world forward. We have more than 180,000 employees, and we operate in more than 170 countries and regions. Founded in 1987, Huawei is a private company fully owned by its employees.

For more information, please visit Huawei online at www.huawei.com 

© Press Release 2019