L-Band is 1.54GHz – the operator states this improves spectral efficiency, network capacity and customers’ experience for enhanced digital services
du says it has deployed the world’s first commercial 5G-Advanced (5G-A) services over L-Band (1.4 GHz) spectrum. This will improve spectrum efficiency, network capacity and customer experience in terms of consistentency and reliability.
The L-Band balances wide-area coverage and network capacity due to its better radio propagation which allow coverage to penetrate further indoors, while the stronger radio signal travels further outdoors, closing coverage gaps.
Its favorable propagation characteristics enable deeper indoor penetration and stronger signal consistency across a broader geographic footprint, helping reduce coverage gaps across dense urban, suburban, and indoor environments.
The deployment will enable emerging use cases for du, such as enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), fixed wireless access (FWA), massive IoT and digital services powered by AI. It complements the operator’s 5G-Advanced platform for services like ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC) and massive machine-type communications (mMTC).
Saleem AlBlooshi, Chief Technology Officer at du, comments, “We are committed to setting new benchmarks in network quality and service excellence.
“The successful deployment of 5G-Advanced services is a proud global first for du and a testament to the ingenuity of our network teams. The L-Band spectrum initiative reflects our commitment to innovation and our continuous efforts to maximize spectrum resources to deliver superior connectivity experiences for our customers.”
du stresses its achievement was made possible by the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA).
