Riyadh – Mubasher: Etihad Etisalat Co. (Mobily) announced launching fifth-generation (5G) wireless technology in Riyadh Gallery mall for the first time in the kingdom.

The 5G technology trial is part of Mobily’s plans to upgrade its technical capabilities and carry out the cutting-edge telecommunication technologies in a bid to make the Saudi market top its peers in adapting such technologies in line with Saudi Vision 2030, company CEO Ahmed Aboudoma said.

Saudi Arabia's second-largest telecommunications operator is the first firm in the Middle East which allowed its clients to use smartphones to experience 5G speeds.

In March, the Saudi telecommunication provider had inked a deal with Ericsson to launch the first world programme for the internet of things (IoT) in the kingdom to boost interactions between university students and teaching staff.

Mobily last reported an increase of 158.83% in net losses to SAR 181.7 million during the fourth quarter of 2017, compared to SAR 70.2 million in Q4-16.

The fourth-quarter loss was attributed to unblocking most of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) applications and the reduction of the interconnection rates in 2016 and 2017.