5G to Transform the Digital Lives of People across Bahrain

Batelco Chairman Shaikh Abdulla bin Khalifa Al Khalifa and Ericsson President & CEO Börje Ekholm have signed a milestone partnership to launch 5G in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The landmark deal between Bahrain’s leading digital solutions provider and the world-renowned technology solutions provider was signed at a prestigious ceremony held at Bahrain’s Four Seasons Hotel on Saturday 30 March, in the presence of The Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications H.E. Eng. Kamal Bin Ahmed Mohammed, invited guests and senior executives from Batelco and Ericsson.

Batelco selected Ericsson to commercially deploy 5G to enhance the digital lives of people, enterprises and industries across Bahrain. The nationwide 5G deployment will commence in phases in key locations across the Kingdom, based on the 5G technology and eco-system, aligned with global 5G trends, over the next three years.

The deal, the latest in a long and successful partnership between the companies, will see Ericsson commercial 5G equipment – including 5G New Radio (NR), mobile transport, and core – being deployed in Batelco’s network. Ericsson’s high-speed and low-latency 5G technology will help Batelco meet growing data traffic demands and deliver high-quality enhanced mobile broadband and fixed wireless access experiences.

The shift to 5G will bring enhanced mobile broadband to data-hungry subscribers across Bahrain with huge speed and low-latency changes in mobile user experiences such as streaming, downloading, gaming, infotainment, and interactivity. 5G will also enable Batelco to help open-up opportunities in the Internet of Things (IoT) and Industry 4.0 on a global scale to enterprises and industries in Bahrain.

Batelco is focused on driving network leadership in Bahrain and providing customers with next-generation mobile technologies. It recently achieved Bahrain’s first 3GPP-compliant 5G data call on a mobile network using a 5G pocket router. The call, which took place at Batelco’s Headquarters in Bahrain, used Ericsson Radio System solutions and 5G Cloud Packet Core.

Speaking on the occasion, Batelco’s Chairman Shaikh Abdulla bin Khalifa Al Khalifa said that he was delighted to sign the new agreement with Batelco’s long-time partner, Ericsson, to take forward the Company’s 5G plans, designed to meet Bahrain’s growing data traffic demands and delivery of superior services for all sectors across the Kingdom of Bahrain.

“Batelco is committed to providing consumers and businesses in Bahrain with the best possible mobile connectivity and enriched customer experience. Our 5G journey aspirations are in line with our mission toward the development of next generation communications networks that address future needs.”

Rafiah Ibrahim, Head of Market Area Middle East & Africa at Ericsson said: “Today, we are partnering with Batelco for a 5G commercial deployment in Bahrain. 5G promises to accelerate the digitization of industries, offering service providers with new opportunities and enabling them to launch the most advanced technologies while improving the end-user experience with higher data speeds and lower latency.”

Ericsson recently enhanced its 5G Platform with portfolio additions across core, radio access and transport areas, as well as service orchestration. The add-ons make the platform more dynamic and flexible, enabling service providers to smoothly evolve their networks and deploy 5G at scale.

Providing the latest telecommunications technology in the Kingdom of Bahrain is Batelco’s top priority and one of the key pillars in enhancing the telecom sector in line with the Kingdom’s plans in improving the National telecom infrastructure and supporting the growth of the digital economy and the required ecosystem.