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Huawei and du forge deal for 5G advancement in UAE

The two parties will work together to promote the construction and commercial use of the 5G Advanced network and jointly build the 5G Advanced Country in the UAE.

During the Mobile World Congress 2024 in Barcelona, Huawei and telecom operator du in the UAE have inked a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to drive strategic cooperation, aimed at spearheading the digital transformation of the UAE through the 5G Advanced country project. The MOU sets the stage for establishing a demonstration benchmark for 5G Advanced commercial networks not only in the Middle East but also globally.

The signing ceremony, attended by Fahad AI Hassawi, CEO of du, Chen Hao, President of Huawei’s Carrier Sales Dept, Liu Jiawei, Chairman of Huawei UAE, Tao Geng, CEO of Huawei UAE, and members of both parties’ management teams, marks a significant milestone in advancing digital infrastructure in the region.

Under the terms of the MOU, Huawei and du will collaborate to propel the construction and commercialization of the 5G Advanced network, jointly working towards the vision of establishing the UAE as a 5G Advanced Country. The partnership will see the establishment of a 5G Advanced joint innovation centre aimed at innovating 5G Advanced technologies and expanding the commercial use of new services across various scenarios, including consumers, homes, and enterprises. This initiative seeks to accelerate the incubation of commercial applications such as 24K XR, FWA2, holographic conferencing, and enhanced 5G private networks. Additionally, the parties will jointly explore 5G Advanced commercial models, expand the industry ecosystem, and expedite the positive cycle of business success.

Commenting on the deal, Fahad AI Hassawi, CEO of du, said: “As a leading digital telco, du is committed to cooperating with global industry leaders, such as Huawei, to remain at the forefront of digital innovation and provide customers with the ultimate network experience. Huawei’s leading technologies will support the realisation of Du’s strategic vision, play an important role in 5G Advanced service innovation and industry digitalisation, and jointly accelerate the UAE’s digital transformation.”

Liu Jiawei, Chairman of Huawei UAE, added: “As a global ICT infrastructure and smart device provider, Huawei is committed to supporting du’s strategic vision of digital innovation and providing customers with the ultimate network experience. In the past year, du has developed rapidly in FWA services and has successfully deployed a commercial 5G Advanced network and we believe that the signing of this MOU will deepen the implementation of 5G Advanced technologies, accelerate the incubation of commercial applications, and strengthen our strategic partnership with du.”

The cooperation between du and Huawei, which commenced in 2008, has seen close strategic mutual trust across the 3G, 4G, and 5G eras. With a focus on the new phase of 5G Advanced, the partners will continue to collaborate on the end-to-end evolution of 5G Advanced networks, incubate new 5G Advanced services, and build ubiquitous high-quality networks, positioning the UAE as a global leader in 5G Advanced technology.