Nokia and Saudi operator Zain claimed to achieve record 5G speeds of 1.9Gbps in a trial using the Finnish vendor’s gear in the city of Jeddah.
In a statement, Nokia said the speed test was conducted with its AirScale Indoor Radio System solution in the 3.5GHZ spectrum band, showcasing its ability to penetrate walls to provide indoor coverage.
Abdul Rahman AlMufadda, Zain KSA CTO, said: “In line with Zain KSA achieving a pioneering position in the regional and global telecoms map by rolling out the largest 5G network in the Middle East, Europe, and Africa and fourth-largest in the world, it is imperative for us to provide first-class coverage for both indoor and outdoor environments. Nokia deployed its 5G indoor solution quickly, with minimal disruption, and achieved incredibly high-speeds during this trial.”
Tommi Uitto, Nokia Mobile Networks president added: “We are delighted to support Zain by providing 5G indoor coverage at its premises in Jeddah. Indoor coverage is an important piece in the 5G puzzle due to high penetration losses, especially in high profile venues and locations.”
Zain launched its commercial 5G network in October 2019 in Saudi Arabia, its coverage reaches 50 cities across the country, supported by over 4,600 towers.
The two companies recently penned an agreement to expand the operator’s IoT services using end to end solutions from the vendor. Nokia said it signed 184 commercial 5G contracts globally.
