Etisalat UAE, officially known as Emirates Telecommunications Group Company PJSC, is a leading telecommunications services provider based in the United Arab Emirates. The company was established in 1976 as a joint venture between International Aeradio Limited, a British company, and local partners. In 1983, the ownership structure underwent a change with the UAE government taking a 60% share in the company, while the remaining 40% became publicly traded. In 1991, the UAE central government issued Federal Law No. 1, granting Etisalat the right to provide both wired and wireless telecommunications services within the country and between the UAE and other nations. The law also empowered Etisalat with regulatory and control powers, cementing its position as a telecom giant in the UAE. The company has since continued to expand its operations and services, contributing significantly to the UAE's economic development outside the oil sector.
Alias
Emirates Telecom Corp
Country
United Arab Emirates
Type
Mobile Network Operator
Ownership
Etisalat by e&
Etisalat e& logo

3G Network

The company has provided 3G UMTS over B1 (2100 MHz) since April 2006. The 3G network was upgraded to HSPA+ in January 2010 and again to DC-HSPA+ in September 2011. 3C-HSPA+ was tested but not implemented. The company shut down its 3G network in December 2022.

Network Frequency Band Status
B1 (2100 MHz)
Shut Down
Date Event Subtype
Launch of 3G Network
Launch

4G Network

In September 2011 Etisalat launched its first 4G LTE services over the B3 (1800 MHz) and B7 (2600 MHz) bands. 300 Mbps Cat 6 LTE-A was activated in September 2014 by carrier aggregation of its standard B3 (1800 MHz) with a new B20 (800 MHz) carrier. The company went on to launch 3C LTE-A in October 2015, aggregating all three carriers together to provide a network capable of peak data rates in excess of 700 Mbps. 

Etisalat has also deployed LTE TDD using B42 (3500 MHz) supporting fixed wireless services around the UAE.

The 1 Gbps threshold was broken in July 2016 through aggregation of five carriers (5CC) and use of 4X4 MIMO, and 256QAM. The company has also demonstrated successful LTE-LAA, achieving 430 Mbps via 3CC, with 2CC aggregation in the 5 GHz unlicensed band.

Etisalat began testing NB-IoT (LTE Cat-NB1) and LTE-M (LTE Cat-M1) in 2016, and commercially launched the services in July 2017.

4G Frequency Bands
Network Frequency Band Max. Channel Bandwidth Status
B3 (1800 MHz)
20
Active
B7 (2600 MHz)
20
Active
B20 (800 MHz)
20
Active
Date Event Subtype
Launch of 4G Network
Launch

5G Network

During 5G live testing conducted in October 2016 the company achieved 36 Gbps, only to be exceeded in its October 2017 tests when Etisalat achieved a record 71 Gbps through utilisation of a 2 GHz channel in the E-band (60 to 90 GHz). In partnership with Ericsson, the company demonstrated 5G mobility in May 2017, achieving 24 Gbps through utilisation of an 800 MHz channel in the 15 GHz band.

Etisalat launched its 5G network in May 2018 which provided fixed wireless broadband services at speeds of 1.5 Gbps. In November 2018 UAE's Telecommunications Regulatory Authority officially confirmed that it had allocated 100 MHz of spectrum in the 3.3 to 3.8 GHz range to Etisalat for 5G services. Mobile services were enabled in May 2020. The company later added n41 (2600 MHz).

Standalone 5G was achieved in February 2023.

Network Frequency Band Max. Channel Bandwidth Status
n41 (2600 MHz)
90
Active
n78 (3500 MHz)
100
Active
Date Event Subtype
Launch of 5G Network
Launch