Saudi's Mobily tests 5G network in Makkah; speed reaches 1GB

The site tests were undertaken by Mobily in cooperation with Ericsson, and are considered the first of kind in the Haram area, which has one of the highest concentration spots of mobile users in the world; upon deployment, 5G will boost their customer experience, according to a press release on Sunday.

“Mobily continues its efforts in enabling digital technologies that empower customers and the ecosystem to lead the way to a digital future. Our partnership with Ericsson is part of our ambition to evolve towards the next-generation mobile technology 5G and contribute to Saudi Vision 2030,” CTO of Mobily Alaa Al Malki commented.

With the 5G network, consumers will notice much faster download and upload speeds, more stable connections, lower latency, the ability to connect a higher number of devices to the network, and see considerable reduction in device energy consumption and related costs.

Users will also enjoy a much better experience using certain applications such as VR (virtual reality). The quality of videos and streaming will also be markedly improved as higher definition will become the norm.

On 19 March, Mobily has acquired 100 megahertz (MHZ) of the additional spectrum in the 3.5 gigahertz (GHz) spectrum in a bid to prop up the efficiency of spreading the 5G network over the coming period.

“On a grander scale, IoT (Internet of things) will become widely used as related applications become easier to deploy given faster speeds and lower latency. 5G will also enable Mobily to present many opportunities for enterprises and industries in KSA,” the press release noted.

5G is considered a revolution in ICT and its applications are expected to facilitate scores of services.

On Sunday, the Saudi Telecom Co (STC) announced that it plans to permanently shut down 3G network by 2020.