Nokia has helped Middle-Eastern operator du to launch the first LTE-A service in the United Arab Emirates.
The network operates in combined spectrum from the 1800MHz and 800MHz FDD-LTE bands, offering data speeds of 225Mbps, according to Finland-Based Nokia.
The vendor claimed the combination of frequencies would offer the best overall performance, through using the wide coverage of a low band with the capacity of a high band.
du revealed that the launch of its LTE-A service has been timed to coincide with the introduction of category 6 smartphones in the region, which support FDD/TDD LTE carrier aggregation.
[Read more: LTE devices surge, driven by LTE-A compatibility, GSA finds]
Saleem AlBlooshi, EVP of Network Development and Operations at du, said: “This milestone underscores our global standing as a frontrunner in introducing latest mobile broadband technologies in the UAE.
“We timed it with the availability of CAT-6 smartphones in the UAE, so that our customers can immediately enjoy higher download speeds with increased throughput and coverage.”
Nokia supplied its Flexi Multiradio 10 base station platform and carrier aggregation software for the launch.
Tony Awad, Head of du Customer Team at Nokia Networks, said: “This feat is a great example of how we help ambitious telecom service providers such as du address the ever-increasing demand for faster data speeds by taking advantage of existing spectrum.”
The launch marks the second “UAE first” brought about by Nokia and du in recent times, after the companies held the region’s first VoLTE call last October.