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Ooredoo’s ultra-fast 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) mobile broadband service will be available in Greater Doha and Sealine district from today.
By September, Ooredoo’s 4G LTE service will be available across the country, chief operating officer (Qatar) Waleed Mohamed al-Sayed said yesterday. By that time Ooredoo hopes to have some 900 base stations across Qatar. Ooredoo 4G will be initially provided to customers on the “Shahry Unlimited Mobile Broadband Plan”.
Customers can unlock the service using the 4G Key, which costs QR60 per month. Other Shahry (value packs) and pre-paid (Hala) customers will be able to access the service in the coming months.
Customers will need to use mobile devices that are compatible with 800 MHz and 2,600 MHz frequencies to enjoy the benefits of 4G, which include less latency and faster speeds. The 4G roll out will cover popular spots in the country such as the Pearl-Qatar, Katara Cultural Village, West Bay, Corniche and Sealine Beach Resort.
Ooredoo said it was even making sure that highways and major road connections were on the network, so customers could experience 4G speeds even while on the move.
Ooredoo also launched a new 4G My-Fi device and a new 4G-enabled dongle, which provide customers’ access to 4G. Ooredoo is also working with vendors to ensure that there is a wide selection of 4G LTE-compatible devices available at affordable prices in Qatar.
With Ooredoo 4G, customers can experience connection speeds that are up to six times faster than the existing 3G network. This enables seamless connections when browsing multimedia-rich websites, updating social media, or streaming music and HD video with 4G USB modems and My-Fi devices. For example, customers can download a 600MB album or HD movie in just a few minutes and upload very big files in the blink of an eye. Since 2012, hundreds of customers have been testing the 4G LTE network, with Ooredoo using their feedback to optimise the user experience
He said such customers would be given two weeks to sign up for the service. If they don’t do it within the specified period, they will have to be disconnected from the 4G service.
Al-Sayed said: “This is an important day for Qatar and for Ooredoo, as we launch the fastest-ever mobile Internet. We are taking a bold step forward into the 4G era, with mobile devices seamlessly delivering online content at the fastest-ever speeds. We are focused upon offering mobile Internet ‘at the speed of life’ with Ooredoo 4G, and we will be adding to the total number of towers supporting 4G throughout the year to deliver this.
“As Qatar’s knowledge-based economy continues to grow, the 4G LTE network is another major step towards making it one of the best-connected countries in the world in line with QNV 2030.”
Customers who are outside of the 4G LTE network coverage areas will move seamlessly from 4G to the existing 3G network with no disruption of service. More information on the 4G LTE network can be had from the Ooredoo website at www.ooredoo.qa or from any Ooredoo shop.
