e& UAE switches on world's first commercial Upper 6GHz network

Summary

• e& UAE commercially activated the world's first Upper 6GHz 256TRX Giga-MIMO mobile network, according to WAM.
• The network delivers peak speeds of 10 Gbps downlink and 1 Gbps uplink for a single user.
• The deployment lays architectural groundwork ahead of international 6G standardization, the operator said.

The latest

The world's first commercial Upper 6GHz mobile network went live in the UAE, with e& UAE activating a 256TRX Giga-MIMO system that had until now existed only in field trials. The operator, in a statement carried by Emirates News Agency, said single-user peak speeds reach 10 Gbps on the downlink. Chief Technology Officer Marwan bin Shakar described it as a milestone in the company's network development.

Details

• The spectrum: The network runs on the 6425-6775 MHz range, giving it 350 MHz of continuous bandwidth. The band sits within what the sector calls the golden spectrum, prized because it pairs large capacity with coverage characteristics closer to mid-band than to millimetre wave frequencies.
• The speeds: According to e& UAE, single-user peak throughput reaches 10 Gbps downlink and 1 Gbps uplink. Single-cell capacity exceeds 50 Gbps when the Upper 6GHz layer is combined with commercial TDD bands already in service, a figure the operator presented as the network's aggregate ceiling rather than a per-user rate.
• The timeline: The UAE's Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority allocated the band for mobile services in 2024. Field tests hit target speeds during 2025, an initial rollout phase began in April 2026, and the September 29 announcement marks full commercial go-live.
• The technology: The system supports 5G-Advanced with low-latency connectivity, e& UAE said. The 256TRX configuration refers to the antenna array's transmit and receive chains, the element that allows Giga-MIMO to concentrate capacity across large numbers of simultaneous users.
• Who is behind it: The operator said the deployment aligns with the national 6G roadmap led by TDRA, and is supported by Huawei, Nokia and the GSMA, alongside UAE operators du and e&. The statement did not break down the division of roles among the vendors and industry bodies involved.
• The target uses: e& UAE said the network is designed for AI-native operations, extended reality, autonomous industrial systems and smart-city infrastructure. It framed the build as a response to surging data demand generated by artificial intelligence workloads and digital services.
• The 6G angle: Beyond immediate commercial service, the operator positioned the Upper 6GHz deployment as architectural groundwork ahead of international 6G standardization, a process that has not yet fixed the frequency bands or technical specifications the next generation will use.
• Unstated details: The announcement did not identify which cities or districts are covered at launch, disclose pricing or the range of devices able to connect to the band, or set out a timetable for extending the network beyond its current footprint.

Background

Upper 6GHz has been contested internationally between mobile operators, which want it licensed for cellular use, and Wi-Fi users. The UAE regulator settled the question domestically in 2024 by allocating the band for mobile services.

Between the lines

The commercial value of a network built for extended reality and autonomous industrial systems depends on devices that can use 6425-6775 MHz, and the launch statement named no handsets. The stronger near-term payoff is positional: with 6G specifications still unwritten, an operator running live traffic on the band arrives at standardization talks with field data rather than lab results, which is the argument the 6G framing carries.

What's next

Watch for e& UAE to disclose coverage areas and compatible devices, for any parallel Upper 6GHz move by du under the TDRA roadmap, and for how regulators elsewhere treat the band as 6G standardization advances.

Source: e& UAE via WAM (Emirates News Agency), Khaleej Times, Economy Middle East