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du said in a statement distributed by the Emirates News Agency that it had successfully deployed advanced 5G-Advanced indoor connectivity at Majid Al Futtaim’s Mall of the Emirates in collaboration with Huawei. The system achieved consistent speeds exceeding 3.5 Gbps across the mall which strengthens digital experiences for visitors and retailers at the popular Dubai destination. The deployment includes more than 150 strategically positioned antennas to ensure strong signal quality and seamless coverage in both primary and secondary areas of the complex.
Three-band carrier aggregation forms a central element of the installation combining 300 MHz of bandwidth on each antenna with 200 MHz allocated to the N78 band and 100 MHz to the N41 band according to du. This setup produced more than 50 percent higher data throughput than conventional 5G Non-Standalone performance the operator reported. Advanced pico Remote Radio Unit technology was integrated to meet connectivity requirements in high-traffic indoor spaces while improving overall spectrum efficiency.
Saleem Alblooshi Chief Technology Officer at du said “Indoor connectivity is non-negotiable to the experience people expect from major retail and entertainment destinations. Our deployment at Mall of the Emirates demonstrates how 5G+ can deliver the speed capacity and consistency needed to meet those expectations.” The statement noted that the network supports high-bandwidth applications such as high-definition streaming cloud services and real-time interactive experiences for both shoppers and retailers.
Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority figures for 2025 placed average indoor mobile download speeds in the UAE at 1.45 Gbps on du’s network compared with 1.67 Gbps on the competing operator. The new Mall of the Emirates system substantially exceeds those earlier benchmarks as du continues to expand its 5G-Advanced footprint. An Opensignal assessment covering the final quarter of 2025 found du retaining strong results in time spent on network with availability reaching 99.3 percent across its sites.
The project extends du’s history of indoor 5G innovation that includes a 2024 deployment with Huawei establishing the first indoor 5G-Advanced network in the Middle East which delivered peak rates of 5.1 Gbps using three-carrier aggregation. A July 2025 independent benchmark cited by du positioned the operator as the UAE leader in indoor mobile performance with 79 percent higher download throughput and 49 percent higher upload throughput than prior measurements. These gains accompanied perfect scores in voice call reliability including zero drop rates and 100 percent call setup success.
du achieved a world-first six-carrier aggregation deployment on its commercial 5G-Advanced network in September 2026 in partnership with Nokia combining 420 MHz of spectrum across multiple bands. The operator has stated that such milestones increase available capacity for devices displaying the 5G+ indicator while laying groundwork for 6G readiness. TDRA data indicates 5G coverage now exceeds 99 percent of populated areas in the UAE supported by more than 23,000 sites nationwide.
The Mall of the Emirates installation forms part of du’s broader investments in next-generation infrastructure as demand for reliable indoor connectivity rises in commercial venues. Majid Al Futtaim operates the destination as one of the region’s largest retail and entertainment hubs where enhanced network performance directly supports daily operations and visitor services. The deployment aligns with ongoing efforts to address connectivity in complex indoor environments across the country.
