Ooredoo has selected telecom equipment supplier Ericsson to deliver IoT solutions in Kuwait.

“Ericsson as our digital transformation partner has great experience in delivering advanced solutions in the areas of IoT and ICT, and we believe that they are the most capable organization to implement this project within our network,” said Abdulaziz Al-Babtain, senior director of B2B Sales at Ooredoo Kuwait.

“With this partnership, we will successfully be able to enable cities across Kuwait to better serve the needs of smart citizens and enterprises,” said Mohamad Dergham, head of Ericsson Levant and global customer Unit Ooredoo.

Ooredoo recently announced that it is sponsoring the Internet of Things (IoT) Conference and Expo 2017 from 19 to 21 December at Jumeriah Hotel Kuwait.

Ooredoo 5G

Ooredoo has achieved 1Gbps, the fastest 5G speed in the world, using commercial smartphones and a live network, is now available for its customers in Qatar.

“This is a first-in-the-world landmark for Qatar, and demonstrates that Ooredoo has built one of the world’s leading networks. Ooredoo will continue to invest heavily in our networks to make sure that everyone across our global footprint can enjoy the internet and its life enhancing benefits,” said Waleed Al Sayed, CEO, Ooredoo Qatar.

Ooredoo also announced that Qatar Airways will be its first 5G connected corporate customer. This network for business phase of Ooredoo’s 5G launch efforts is a first in the region, with a recent trial demonstrating Ooredoo’s ability to operate in the 5G spectrum using advanced 5G technology such as Massive MIMO antennas.

Ooredoo’s 5G Connected Corporate Commercial Services will utilise the latest network technology to offer much higher speeds, capacity and better latency than existing cellular systems. Ooredoo’s 5G Commercial Services will provide a connectivity solution via radio technology for corporate customers located in hard-to-reach remote areas as an alternative to high speed wired networks.

On National Day in 2016, Ooredoo completed trials for 5G speed and latency, achieving incredible speeds of up to 36 Gbps in their cutting-edge engineering hub – which made it at that time the fastest mobile data service in the world.

In May 2017, Ooredoo announced that 10 of its base stations had been equipped with 5G-ready technology, and the company plans to start offering the next-generation speeds to all consumers in 2018, when 5G-ready devices are released.

In November, Ooredoo completed testing of Massive MIMO 5G technology in partnership with Qatar Airways.