The SAMENA Council Leaders’ Summit 2026 marked a landmark moment in global telecommunications with the launch of a commercial Upper 6GHz (U6GHz) ecosystem. Bringing together regulators, operators, device makers, and technology leaders under one commercial commitment, this multi-stakeholder milestone reinforces the UAE's position at the forefront of global digital development and reflects a shift in how networks and regulatory approaches are evolving to handle rising data intensity and AI-driven traffic.
At the 5G-Advanced & AI Applications for Resilient Economy Forum, a dedicated session held during the Leaders' Summit 2026, industry stakeholders, including chipmakers and device manufacturers, participated in the U6GHz commercialization first step. This industry collaboration advances 5G-Advanced evolution and lays early groundwork for 6G technology.
In the U6GHz joint commercialization initiation ceremony at the Leaders' Summit 2026, representatives from the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA), the SAMENA Telecommunications Council, Huawei, du, e&, GSMA, Nokia, HONOR, and Tozed affirmed their commitment to the new ecosystem. In parallel, a session on 6GHz policy, technology, and deployment alignment was also held, with policy-dialogue partnership of GSMA and chairmanship of TDRA. The session introduced the strategic context around the upper 6GHz band as a key resource requiring balanced allocation to support future mobile technologies while ensuring coexistence with existing services, underscoring that dialogue on deployment alignment among various stakeholders is both timely and necessary.
U6GHz refers to the 6425–7125MHz range identified by the 3GPP standard as Band n104. With 700MHz continuous bandwidth, it offers a balance between wide-area coverage and high-capacity performance. Often hailed as the "golden spectrum," U6GHz is critical as networks evolve beyond traditional downlink-heavy architecture.
AI usage is multiplying by the day and as millions of AI systems operate across industries, the amount of data being processed is rising tremendously, placing new pressure on networks to provide balanced high-speed downlink and uplink capacity securely, reliably, and with low latency.
Estimations done by the SAMENA Council's technology provider members indicate that U6GHz is expected to enable peak speeds of up to 10Gbps downlink and 1Gbps uplink under 5G-Advanced (5G-A). Moreover, this "golden band" can create a solid foundation for the smooth evolution of mobile communication technologies from 5G-A to 6G, on which a roadmap has already been issued by TDRA-UAE. For the UAE, the Upper 6GHz spectrum strengthens national digital infrastructure ambitions across sectors, including finance, healthcare, and manufacturing, among others.
Recently, the global U6GHz industry entered a critical phase of accelerated development, transitioning from technical verification to large-scale commercial deployment. Vendors showcased compatible infrastructure, while ecosystem players continue to accelerate development.
At MWC26, one of the Council's leading members, Huawei, launched a full range of U6GHz products, achieving coverage comparable to C-band and 10Gbps peak rates. During the event, GSMA along with Huawei, Qualcomm, Tozed, Meig, and other stakeholders signaled ecosystem readiness for U6GHz deployment, while global operators including Vodafone, China Mobile, and Brazil TIM completed U6GHz field tests, laying a solid foundation for commercialization.
Bocar BA, CEO of the SAMENA Council, has stated: "With this U6GHz ecosystem launch, the UAE has moved ahead of many markets in transitioning from trials to commercial rollouts, and it is a privilege that this development has taken place during the Leaders' Summit 2026, an industry leadership meeting held during these challenging times in the regional context, to foster dialogue, build support for the ecosystem, and to signal continuity in efforts toward collaboration and development."
The GSMA has highlighted that the U6GHz ecosystem is now sufficiently ready to support commercial deployment, noting that the band will play a central role in achieving 10Gbps connectivity and serve as an initial spectrum for future 6G networks, with the Middle East well positioned to leverage U6GHz during the 5G-A phase to gain a first-mover advantage.
In 2025, e& UAE, in collaboration with strategic partners including Huawei, successfully completed U6GHz field tests, achieving an ultimate 10Gbps user experience and laying the groundwork for the construction of Dubai's "5G-A 10Gbps connection" city. The Leaders' Summit 2026 U6GHz ceremony is the culmination of these efforts, officially kicking off the commercial operation of U6GHz services and marking the UAE's entry into the U6GHz era.
Deployment of U6GHz networks will expand coverage across major cities and key economic zones, ensuring that enterprises and residents can enjoy stable, ultra-high-speed network services. It will also deepen industry integration, promoting the application of U6GHz technology in smart cities, industrial Internet, digital healthcare, and smart tourism. Use cases include real-time remote medical diagnosis, intelligent traffic management, and immersive digital experiences. The rollout will strengthen international cooperation, collaborating with global technology partners to promote U6GHz technology innovation and standardization, while sharing experience in U6GHz deployment to enhance the UAE's influence in the global digital ecosystem.
By 2028, U6GHz is expected to cover more than 80% of the UAE's population, supporting long-term digital economy growth and future 6G readiness. This U6GHz ecosystem launch positions the UAE as a reference market for how spectrum, regulation, and industrial collaboration can accelerate next-generation connectivity.
-ENDS-
Source: SAMENA Council Press Release
