Huawei, in partnership with United Arab Emirates telecom provider du, has deployed what it claims to be the first indoor 5G-Advanced (5G-A) network in the Middle East. Using three carrier aggregation (3CC) technology, this network provides a substantial improvement in indoor connectivity, delivering a peak data rate of 5.1Gbps.
The new deployment relies on LampSite X, their ‘Digital Indoor Solution’, aimed at enhancing connectivity in places like shopping malls, hotels, airports, and residential buildings. This indoor network builds on previous collaborations between Huawei and du, including the first ubiquitous indoor Gbps network in the Middle East, launched in 2021.
Saleem AlBlooshi, CTO at du, commented, “We are committed to providing a high-quality user experience to our customers. Since the introduction of 5G in 2019, we have launched numerous innovative services. Among these, 5G home wireless services have been widely welcomed, and our market share in this area is far ahead. Introducing 5G 3CC in our In-Building Solution (IBS) Network is a crucial step in ensuring a leading 5G user experience. It has enabled us to enhance our network’s capabilities and quality, greatly improving customer satisfaction.”
Eric Bao, president of Huawei’s Wireless Digital Indoor System Product Line, added, “With the rapid development of 5G networks, user experience is greatly improved, and applications based on functions such as low latency and indoor precise positioning are rapidly developing. The era of innovation represented by smart electric vehicles, humanoid robots, cloud mobile phones, and glass-free 3D has arrived. LampSite X assists operators in building indoor networks that offer both intelligence and extraordinary performance to meet the explosive growth in service demand.”
Meanwhile, Omantel has conducted a successful laboratory trial of 5G RedCap technology with Huawei. Ali bin Said Al Hashmi, general manager of infrastructure planning and design at Omantel, noted, “The successful trials of RedCap’s 5G technology mark a significant milestone in our journey toward a thriving digital future for Oman. We believe this technology will revolutionize the telecommunications sector and unlock new opportunities for innovation and business growth.”
RedCap is a reduced set of 5G capabilities designed for devices like wearables and low-cost hotspots, emphasizing low battery consumption, reduced costs, and lower bandwidth. Introduced with 3GPP Release 17, it offers equivalent or better performance than LTE CAT-4, with a theoretical maximum downlink throughput of up to 150 Mbps. This technology helps minimize the complexity, cost, and size of 5G devices.
Huawei is exploring various scenarios for implementing 5G RedCap, beyond just wireless sensors and smart wearables. A spokesperson revealed that RedCap technology can reduce 5G NR module costs by 80%, lower power consumption by over 30%, and support numerous 5G-native capabilities, such as large network capacity, ultra-reliable low-latency communication (uRLLC), network slicing, edge computing, and 5G LAN.
