Etisalat has announced that Abu Dhabi’s new international airport will become the first airport terminal in the region to have access to 5G connectivity.
The Midfield Terminal Building (MTB), which is Abu Dhabi’s brand new airport, officially announced that passengers will benefit from ultra-high speed connectivity delivered by Etisalat’s 5G network.
Etisalat and Abu Dhabi Airport have been engaged in a lengthy partnership to ensure that the 5G services were available at MTB ahead of its official opening.
It has also been disclosed that the 5G deployment is based on C-band, a first-of-its-kind in 5G digital indoor technology, which delivers gigabit per-second download speeds.
Saaed Al Zarouni, Senior Vice President, Mobile Network at Etisalat, expressed his delight that the 5G deployment at the new airport has been a success, and commended the effort of both teams who worked tirelessly to deliver it.
He said, “We are very glad to activate 5G in Abu Dhabi’s new international airport. I want to extend my gratitude to all the teams involved from Etisalat and Abu Dhabi Airports in making this 5G deployment a success, which will set a benchmark by providing a platform to enable new futuristic use cases and digital transformation for all customers. Etisalat is working closely with smartphone brands to launch their devices on our 5G network as well as in the MENA region. Our aim is to ‘Drive the Digital Future to empower societies’ that will bring digital capabilities and benefits across the region.”
Bryan Thompson, Chief Executive Officer of Abu Dhabi Airports, echoed the sentiments expressed by Al Zarouni, and said the availability of 5G connectivity would significantly enhance the travel experience for passengers using the airport. “We are delighted to have had the opportunity to work with Etisalat to incorporate state-of-the-art 5G connectivity at our Midfield Terminal Building. We value our customers first and foremost, and access to fast cellular service is a crucial factor that makes a big difference for travelers from around the world. Technology is at the heart of our digital transformation strategy and providing our customers with enhanced connectively services at the Midfield Terminal Building is in line with our vision of becoming the world’s leading airports group.”
Etisalat is targeting to provide 5G coverage at all prestigious, iconic and high data usage locations in 2019. By collaborating with major smartphone brands Etisalat’s 5G service will be launched by second quarter this year.