Bahrain’s Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) expects to finalise by mid-April the licensing and spectrum allocation for the country’s 5G radio network.

5G in Bahrain

This will pave the way for Bahrain to become one of the first countries globally to provide commercial 5G services by June 2019, pending availability of consumer handsets and equipment.

The allocation of licensing and spectrum is seen as the final hurdle in a full 5G implementation.

MEED understands mobile operators in Bahrain have already begun rolling out the necessary network infrastructure to support commercial 5G services.

The island-state held successful commercial trials of 5G technology in June 2018.

“Bahrain’s state of readiness is a testament to the leadership of the government of the kingdom of Bahrain in enabling the implementation of cutting-edge technology and promoting innovation,” said Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications Kamal bin Ahmed Mohammed.

Bahrain’s 5G-readiness is expected to increase its attractiveness as a destination for companies trialling technologies such as autonomous vehicles and virtual or augmented reality.

Bahrain has consistently ranked high in global ICT indices. It has maintained its first rank in the Arab region in the ITU’s ICT Development Index (IDI) for the past five years.

It also ranked 4th globally in the UN’s Telecommunications Infrastructure Index (TII) of the E-Government Development Index (EGDI) in 2018.

MEED
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