The world’s first commercial 5G network is activated

Ooredoo has announced in recent days that it has launched the 5G Supernet, a network infrastructure that defines it as the ” first 5G network commercially available worldwide “, which will benefit the inhabitants of Doha, the capital of Qatar. The provider has focused heavily on the new mobile Internet technology, and since 2016 launched the first local tests, developed the first radio base stations, and in November launched some business services based on 5G in the form of tests together with Qatar Airways.

It is not the first time that Ooredoo takes possession of a record on 5G. The company had previously stated that it had started offering ” a speed experience in 5G ” to selected and particularly important users, before collaborating with ZTE in March for the commercialization of hardware compatible with 5G technologies. The announcement of the last days includes the roll-out of the first stage of the new 5G network on the 3.5 GHz frequency within the Doha borders, covering the Pearl-Qatar island to the Hamad International Airport.

Coverage is guaranteed in several areas of the capital, such as Lagoona, Katara Cultural Village, West Bay, with the promise of reaching new areas of Qatar in the coming months. The official announcement, launched by the CEO of Ooredoo Waleed Al Sayed, is obviously very pompous: ” We are the first company in the world to offer access to 5G technology and services, and the inhabitants of Qatar are the first to have access to incredible benefits that will bring this technological upgrade “, also anticipating the advantages of the new 5G networks.

With the ability to connect a higher number of devices within the same cell, at lower speeds and latencies, the 5G will be able to drive different innovations such as help systems for self-driving cars, or the implementation of roads smart and service drones.

The announcement of Ooredoo is certainly important, but there is a problem: to date, there is not a single device compatible with the new networks, at least not for the common public. In recent months, the company has released ad-hoc modified devices for some VIP users, in order to ” take advantage of the experience of speed in 5G “, but in the current price list are not yet available.

Furthermore, the details regarding the connection speed on the new Supernet have not been announced. Ooredoo said that his 5G experience would have offered download speeds of up to 1 Gbps, and that in the laboratory, it was also able to go beyond that threshold, but for the new public network no number was mentioned, if not a number a rather vague note that indicates ” much higher speeds and capacities and better latency than current systems for the cellular network “. It seems, that to exploit them; we will have to wait for equipment that will not arrive before June, while for smartphones we will have to wait until at least 2019.