Etisalat by e& announced the launch of the MENA region's first enhanced 5G Standalone Network for consumers and businesses. The telco calls it the first commercial deployment of a 'comprehensive 5G Standalone (SA) network' in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, making a significant network improvement over the previous generation 5G NSA launched in 2018, currently available in the market.
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5G Standalone Network
Etisalat says this technology deployment has transitioned it from using a 5G radio access network on an existing 4G LTE network to a more advanced 5G network. With this launch, customers can experience a fully dependable nationwide Standalone 5G Network supporting various applications.
Etisalat highlighted supporting applications, including massive M2M communication solutions, real-time device-to-device networking, ultra-reliable, low-latency functionality for autonomous devices and next-generation Internet of Things (IoT) devices. In addition, 5G SA offers additional capacity, and lower latency, bringing Industry 4.0, IoT, Commercial Augmented and Virtual Reality and large-scale sensing use cases.
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Etisalat by E& 5G Standalone (SA) Network
Etisalat says this commercial deployment of a comprehensive 5G SA network is based on Service Based Architecture (SBA), including the capabilities of edge computing, network exposure, network slicing, 3GPP SA (defining standard for 5G) guided network orchestration and service-based architecture.
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5G Standalone Fixed Wireless Access (5G SA FWA)
Etisalat's release adds that in addition to providing individuals with a more efficient broadband experience, the service can also serve as an alternative broadband option for businesses. This launch of 5G Standalone Fixed Wireless Access (5G SA FWA) will open up new commercial use cases with a multi-vendor 5G Dual Mode Network to enhance broadband offerings to customers.
Etisalat said 5G SA will co-exist efficiently with existing networks using dual-mode 5G core technology.
