Vodafone Qatar P.Q.S.C. ("Vodafone Qatar") provides a range of services including voice, messaging, data and fixed communications in the State of Qatar. Vodafone Qatar commenced commercial operations in Qatar on 1 March 2009 with 2.2 million customers as of December 2023. With over 25,000 institutional and retail shareholders, Vodafone Qatar is 90% Qatari-owned. This figure includes the 45% of shares owned by Vodafone and the Qatar Foundation LLC. As a member of the Qatar Stock Exchange, Vodafone Qatar also has a paid-up capital of QR 4.227 billion.
3G Network
The company has provided traditional 2G GSM services over 900 and 1800 MHz, and launched 3G UMTS in August 2009. B8 (900 MHz) was introduced in March 2011, and the network upgraded to HSPA+ later in 2011.
3G Frequency Bands
| Network Frequency Band | Status |
|---|---|
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Active
|
|
|
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
4G LTE began in June 2014 originally over B20 (800 MHz), with the network quickly upgraded to LTE-A in June 2015 with the addition of B3 (1800 MHz). The addition of B7 (2600 MHz) in August 2015 saw peak data rates climb to 375 Mbps. 2017 saw a full implementation of LTE-A Pro, with data rates of 780 Mbps achieved over live sites.
4G Frequency Bands
| Network Frequency Band | Max. Channel Bandwidth | Status | Known EARFCNs |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Active
|
400
|
||
|
20
|
Active
|
1850
|
|
|
20
|
Active
|
3050
|
|
|
10
|
Active
|
6300
|
4G Network Events
| Date | Event | Subtype |
|---|---|---|
|
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Launch of 4G Network
|
Launch
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5G Network
Vodafone Qatar began testing its 5G NR n78 (3500 MHz) network in July 2018, becoming commercially active on 27th August 2018. The network provides peak data rates in excess of 1 Gbps. Vodafone Qatar's spectrum licences were officially updated in January 2019 to permit the operation of a 100 MHz channel within the 3500 to 3800 MHz frequency band.
Having provided 5G Fixed Wireless services over its "GigaNet 5G" network since July 2018, the company reached mobility in April 2019 when it made its first 5G smartphone call.
5G Frequency Bands
| Network Frequency Band | Max. Channel Bandwidth | Status |
|---|---|---|
|
100
|
Active
|
5G Network Events
| Date | Event | Subtype |
|---|---|---|
|
|
Launch of 5G Network
|
Launch
|