du Launches U6GHz Service as Etisalat Upgrades Its 5.5G Network

Dubai, United Arab Emirates — Du and Etisalat UAE have announced separate commercial network upgrades aimed at increasing wireless capacity and improving smartphone uploads, adding capabilities to their existing networks while international work on sixth-generation mobile standards continues.

The announcements address different connectivity needs. du’s launch uses upper 6 GHz spectrum, known as U6GHz, to connect its network to customer equipment, while Etisalat’s upgrade allows compatible smartphones to upload more data at once. Both enhance existing networks as work on international 6G standards continues.

du’s service uses commercially available customer premises equipment on its live 5G+ network, while Etisalat’s uplink upgrade enables faster uploads on compatible smartphones connected to its 5.5G network.

Du’s deployment operates across 350 megahertz of contiguous spectrum in the 6,775–7,125 MHz band. The operator described the service as the world’s first commercial end-to-end U6GHz connection using commercially available customer equipment on a live 5G+ network.

Customer equipment includes devices such as routers used in homes and businesses. Du identified home broadband, business connectivity and industrial applications among the intended uses.

The additional capacity is intended to support fixed wireless access, mobile broadband, cloud-based artificial intelligence and other data-intensive applications. Fixed wireless access delivers the network connection to a property over a wireless link, offering a different access method from a physical broadband line into the premises.

Saleem Alblooshi, Du’s chief technology officer, said: “Today, we are bringing U6GHz into the hands of customers through a fully integrated commercial service, and unlocking new opportunities for consumers, businesses and emerging digital applications. We recognize the important role of the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA) in enabling this progress through its forward-looking spectrum strategy and continued support for next-generation technologies.”

Etisalat’s upgrade combines 2×2 uplink multiple-input multiple-output technology, or MIMO, with carrier aggregation. The first technique sends two data streams simultaneously; the second combines capacity across frequency bands. Together, they allow a compatible smartphone to transmit more data at once.

The operator said the capability enables up to three times the upload speed on its 5.5G network.

Etisalat linked the investment to smartphone activities that send substantial amounts of information, including sharing high-resolution photographs, transferring videos and using cloud-based AI applications.

Marwan bin Shakar, chief technology officer at Etisalat UAE, stated: “Mobile experiences are changing. Smartphones are no longer primarily consuming content; they are creating, sharing and increasingly sending richer data to AI and cloud applications in real time. That changes what we need from the network. By bringing this capability to smartphones for the first time globally, we are increasing upload capacity where it matters and ensuring our 5.5G network is ready for how customers will use their devices next.”

International standards work puts the announcements’ connection to 6G in context. The International Telecommunication Union is developing the next generation of mobile standards under its IMT-2030 framework. Its expert group completed draft minimum technical performance requirements in February 2026, followed by draft evaluation guidelines in June.

The upgrades expand the capabilities of existing networks rather than introduce commercial 6G services. du’s launch adds wireless capacity, while Etisalat’s enhancement focuses on smartphone uploads, improvements customers can use ahead of the next generation of mobile technology.