Ooredoo in Kuwait, formerly known as Wataniya Telecom, is the second largest mobile carrier in the country, and a member of the Qatari-owned Ooredoo Group. Commercially launched in December 1999, the company provides mobile, broadband internet and corporate managed services tailored to the needs of customers and businesses. Wataniya Telecom rebranded to Ooredoo in 2014 after becoming a wholly-owned subsidiary of Qatar Telecom (Qtel) in 2012.
The parent company, Ooredoo QSC, was founded in 1987 in Doha, initially as a telephone exchange company. It has since grown into a large telecommunications operator with a presence in several countries across the Middle East, North Africa, and Southeast Asia, including Kuwait. The company's shares are listed on the Qatar Stock Exchange and the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange, indicating a broad ownership structure.
3G Network
Ooredoo Kuwait provided 2G GSM services over the 900 and 1800 MHz bands, and launched 3G UMTS services in February 2006 over the B1 (2100 MHz) band. 3G was further expanded in 2013 with the implementation of HSPA+, along with a B8 (900 MHz) service.
3G Frequency Bands
| Network Frequency Band | Status |
|---|---|
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Active
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|
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Active
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3G Network Events
| Date | Event | Subtype |
|---|---|---|
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Launch of 3G Network
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Launch
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4G Network
The company commercially launched 4G LTE services over B3 (1800 MHz) in July 2013. The company later activated LTE-A in March 2015 aggregating B3 with B20 (800 MHz) to provide peak data rates up to 185 Mbps.
4G Frequency Bands
| Network Frequency Band | Max. Channel Bandwidth | Status |
|---|---|---|
|
15
|
Active
|
|
|
10
|
Active
|
4G Network Events
| Date | Event | Subtype |
|---|---|---|
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|
Launch of 4G Network
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Launch
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5G Network
On June 5th 2018 the company announced the activation of its first pre-commercial 5G base stations in Kuwait City, demonstrating peak data rates up to 10 Gbps. The network was commercially launched in June 2019 using n78 (3500 MHz).
5G Frequency Bands
| Network Frequency Band | Max. Channel Bandwidth | Status |
|---|---|---|
|
100
|
Active
|
5G Network Events
| Date | Event | Subtype |
|---|---|---|
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|
Launch of 5G Network
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Launch
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