Asif Iqbal
Doha
Vodafone Qatar on Monday switched on its first, live 5G network at an event attended by the the Minister of Transport and Communications, HE Jassim bin Saif al Sulaiti.
Speaking at the event, Vodafone Qatar CEO Sheikh Hamad Abdulla Jassim al Thani laid out the business' vision for how 5G will accelerate Qatar's journey towards becoming one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world. He also highlighted the transformative potential of 5G in changing"how we all connect to people and things around us forever".
"As a globally recognised pioneer in the field, we are proud to announce today the launch of our first, live 5G network. With our roll-out well underway, we hope to have our first customers connected to our 5G network by the year-end, following the delivery of the required equipment, and the whole country by 2020," said Sheikh Hamad .
Describing this major landmark in bringing 5G to Qatar, Sheikh Hamad added,"Today we have laid down a very clear marker in shaping our country's future. This transformative technology has the potential to touch all walks of life, improving it for each and every one of us. Qatar is focused on the future, and we are fast becoming one of the most digitally connected countries on the planet. There's no business better placed to move further or faster in delivering this."
According to Sheikh Hamad 5G will bring incredible speeds as it will completely change how we experience both the real and digital worlds."It will change our lives for the better, and how we live and work," he added.
Vodafone Qatar COO Diego Camberos, while showcasing a number of potential applications of 5G technology, explained how they will improve the lives of the country's residents and support Qatar's progress.
With the Middle East's first World Cup coming to Qatar in 2022, Camberos outlined the vision for how Vodafone's 5G network will deliver the ultimate experience for millions of sports fans watching and sharing the action live in person, or accessing it via uninterrupted, super-fast connectivity.
Camberos explained the positive potential of 5G for the transportation sector with 5G enabling sophisticated communication between vehicles, traffic management and coordination, advanced driver assistance, and ultimately fully autonomous self-driving.
Camberos said with the huge strides that Qatar has made in the drive to be self-sufficient, 5G will only accelerate this. He said In the agricultural sector, 5G will monitor, track and automate systems at lightning fast speed, support the development of smart-farming and allow farmers to better measure things on a day-to-day basis remotely.