Mubasher: Etisalat has completed the first end-to-end 5G standalone call in the Middle East and North Africa region in the UAE, Emirates News Agency reported on Saturday.

The recent announcement followed the completion of a test conducted in the 3.5 GHz carrier with a spectrum of 100 MHz using a standalone smartphone. Throughput of over 1.5 Gbps in download speed and 200 Mbps on the upload speed was achieved.

"In 5G, we have paved the way in terms of launching the network and service, today’s announcement is yet another benchmark in UAE and MENA,” senior vice president of mobile network at Etisalat Saeed Al Zarouni said.

Unlike non-standalone 5G, standalone 5G does not use 4G LTE for any control functions.

"The launch of 5G standalone will enable the application of 5G use cases across industry verticals optimising the capabilities of the network. This will also enable provisioning of the 5G network for automated and AI-based technologies,” Al Zarouni stated.

In May 2019, Etisalat was the first telecom operator in MENA to offer the experience of the 5G network to its customers.