Ooredoo, at Mobile World Congress, today announced that it has strengthened its framework agreement with global technology innovator Nokia, paving the path towards 5G adoption across the Middle East, North Africa, and Southeast Asia.

In line with Ooredoo Group’s network modernisation programme, “Evolution to 5G”, Ooredoo Group and Nokia will continue to collaborate on 5G deployments starting 2018 in Qatar. Ooredoo is the world’s first communications company to launch 5G, launching services in Qatar, and aims to roll-out the service nationwide on its award-winning network, Supernet, at an accelerated pace, having acquired 5G spectrum and 5G New Radio (NR) with commercial equipment suitable for business customers.

Waleed Al-Sayed, Deputy Group Chief Executive Officer, Ooredoo Group, and Chief Executive Officer, Ooredoo Qatar, said: “This year, we are pushing forward with our network modernisation projects at a blistering pace, delivering on our promise to enrich people’s digital lives wherever we are. In strengthening our partnership with Nokia, Ooredoo Group will pioneer 5G innovations to deliver superior mobile data experiences for our customers. 5G will catalyse mobility, industrial networking, remote healthcare, virtual reality, and ultra-high-definition video, and enhance our customers’ digital experience and help them enjoy the Internet in new and exciting ways.”

Ooredoo is leveraging Nokia’s commercially-available 5G-ready products, such as the AirScale radio platform and 5G Adaptive Antenna System based on 3GPP Rel. 15 New Radio.

Nokia’s advanced telecommunications technologies and professional services will also transform Ooredoo existing 2G, 3G, 4G LTE-A, 4.5G Pro, and 4.9G networks to ensure best-in-class service delivery.

Amr K. El Leithy, Head of Middle East and Africa Market, Nokia, said: “We have worked with Ooredoo Group on many path-breaking projects, and the current framework agreement facilitates us to continue to collaborate for transforming the group’s networks across its operations in various countries. With this, we are further committed to leveraging our latest technology advancements and professional services to help Ooredoo Group in preparing its networks for providing the best-in-class services, including 5G for its customers.”

This partnership with Nokia is aligned with Ooredoo Group’s Mobile World Congress themes of the Ooredoo Network 2022, Digital Partners, and Digital Customer Experience. The 5G commercial service experience will also bring to life Smart Cities and Smart Stadiums.

At Mobile World Congress, visit the Ooredoo stand in Hall 2 – Stand 2H60 at the Fira Gran Via in Barcelona, Spain, from 26 February through 1 March 2018.