Kuwait to roll out advanced 5G services in nine months

• 5G technology will enhance the performance of both the government and private sectors, as well as industrial establishments, through the use of advanced applications and industrial robots that will serve as alternatives to the workforce in Kuwait.

Tariq Al-Saif, the Director of the Spectrum Department at the Central Information Technology Regulatory Authority (CITRA), stated that Advanced 5G (5GA) technology represents a modernization and enhancement of existing 5G services.

This technology increases speeds and network capacity, improves response times, and supports a greater number of connected devices without compromising performance.

Al-Saif emphasized that 5GA is not a new generation of technology but rather an upgrade to the current generation, achieving speeds of up to 10 GBPS. He also noted that the global transition from 3G networks is expected to be completed by 2035, according to Al Anbanewspaper.

Al-Saif added in an interview on Kuwait TV’s program ‘New Kuwait’ that a decision was issued last September to evacuate the current 4G networks and replace them with a new 5G network within six months. The evacuation and installation of the networks will occur, with the new network expected to be equipped within three months.

There will be a unified launch date for all telecommunications companies immediately upon the completion of the evacuation and installation operations, with the advanced 5G (5GA) service set to launch within a maximum period of nine months. He pointed out that Kuwait had the second-largest 5G telecommunications network in the world at the time of its operation in 2019.

In turn, economic researcher Fawaz Al-Burgas at CITRAstated that 5G technology will enhance the performance of both the government and private sectors, as well as industrial establishments, through the use of advanced applications and industrial robots that will serve as alternatives to the workforce in Kuwait. This technology is expected to improve labor market performance by speeding up operations and reducing errors associated with manual labor, with applications in factories, warehouses, surgical operations, and hospitals. He added that smart cities will be built on 5GA technology, utilizing the Internet of Things (IoT) to provide sufficient speed by connecting multiple devices simultaneously.

For his part, M. Ammar Al-Rashidi from the Telecommunications Authority (TRA) stated that the launch of this technology will enhance Kuwait’s position in the international community by creating an attractive environment for investments and supporting innovation, research, and development in future industries and smart services, which will increase competitiveness within Kuwait. Regarding the speed of the current fifth generation, tests conducted by the Authority last month showed speeds ranging from 2 GBPS to 3.5 GBPS.

According to the strategic vision of the Communications and Information Technology Commission, the adoption of advanced 5G technology will significantly contribute to the development of the country’s digital infrastructure.

This technology can support various vital sectors, including healthcare, by enabling robotic surgical operations to be performed remotely and enhancing process automation in the industrial and service sectors, thereby improving productivity and reducing reliance on human labor.

The advanced technical environment serves as an attractive factor for both foreign and domestic investments, as the development of advanced 5G networks will position the country as an open market for investments in areas such as the Internet of Things and smart industries. These investments are expected to play a pivotal role in supporting Kuwait’s economic vision by empowering non-oil sectors and creating job opportunities in modern technology fields.