Gulf regulators reassign prime airwaves to strengthen 5G, LTE

• C-band spectrum (3.5 GHz) remains at the heart of Gulf’s 5G rollout.
• 4G still carries the lion’s share of traffic in most markets in Middle East and North Africa.
• While GCC markets like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates boast mature 5G ecosystems, significant disparities persist elsewhere in the region as legacy mobile technologies linger.
• More than 10% of mobile user time is still spent on 2G/3G networks in North African nations.

Gulf regulators and telecom operators are moving aggressively to sunset 2G and 3G networks—outpacing the rest of Middle East and North Africa (MENA) —and are reallocating prime spectrum bands such as 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, and 2100 MHz to fuel the expansion of LTE and 5G services.

The transition is swiftly freeing up resources for next-generation mobile technologies, helping to deliver faster speeds and more advanced connectivity, including critical support for enterprise IoT and smart city applications.

While GCC markets like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates boast mature 5G ecosystems, significant disparities persist elsewhere in the region as legacy mobile technologies linger.

The race to deploy 5G across the MENA is gathering pace, with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries maintaining a commanding lead, according to the latest industry data from Opensignal.

By contrast, non-GCC MENA markets are taking a more gradual approach. In North African nations, over 10 per cent of mobile user time is still spent on 2G/3G networks, largely because of slower device upgrades, a heavy reliance on prepaid users, and cautious regulatory frameworks.

These dynamics, especially prevalent in Egypt and Morocco, are delaying the full benefits of modern mobile connectivity for both consumers and businesses.

C-band remains 5G backbone

C-band spectrum (3.5 GHz) remains at the heart of the Gulf’s 5G rollout, supporting world-class download speeds—Qatar users recently clocked average rates above 380 Mbps, seven times faster than 4G. Two dominant approaches to spectrum allocation have taken shape:

• Group 1 (C-band focused): Countries like Qatar, Tunisia, and Kuwait prioritise 3.5 GHz for most 5G deployments, delivering wide coverage without extensive reliance on other bands.
• Group 2 (Layered mid-band): Markets such as Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, and Jordan are supplementing C-band with 2.1 GHz or 2.6 GHz bands, boosting network capacity and performance in dense urban environments.

Oman has emerged as a regional pioneer, actively deploying low-band 700 MHz spectrum for broader coverage, particularly in challenging rural and indoor environments—a shift also observed in several European markets.

Egypt, meanwhile, stands as an outlier: lacking a 3.5 GHz auction, its initial 5G efforts are driven mainly by redeploying the 2.6 GHz band, reflecting local regulatory decisions and market realities.

Policy alignment fuels next-gen ecosystem

GCC governments are synchronising spectrum policy with ambitious national visions, reallocating sub-GHz frequencies and eyeing new bands in advance of the World Radiocommunication Conference 2027.

Growing demand from smart city initiatives, satellite connectivity, and AI-driven applications is pushing regulators and operators to adopt more flexible, investment-friendly frameworks.

Emergence of 5G-Advanced

The next wave of innovation—5G-Advanced networks—is already appearing, with Kuwait’s Zain and Ooredoo, along with UAE’s du and e&, launching advanced 5G services. In Saudi Arabia, trials by Zain KSA and Huawei are focused on fixed wireless access and smart city solutions, while Bahrain’s STC tests high-capacity enterprise solutions on the upper 6 GHz band.

These upgrades coincide with the global transition to 3GPP Release 18 standards, targeting ultra-low latency and AI-enhanced networks.

Despite rapid 5G gains, experts caution that robust 4G coverage remains critical, as most MENA networks rely on NSA (non-standalone) 5G architectures that build upon LTE foundations. As a result, 4G still carries the lion’s share of traffic in most markets.