Bahrain’s Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications has informed that the kingdom has full nation-wide 5G coverage and the super-fast service can now be used by all of its 1.5 million population.
The ministry said in a statement that the business sector will be the early adopters of the new 5G services introduced in the region. Two of Bahrain’s three mobile operators have touched full coverage, which could spark a “new wave of opportunities for streaming, gaming and supply chain technologies”, according to the ministry.
A 5G network offers an internet speed of up to 1.2 gigabits per second, which will gradually evolve to reach 10Gbps, more than 100 times faster than 4G.
The telecom sector of Bahrain attracted more than $2 billion between 2009 and 2019. The Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) sector accounts for about 3 percent of GDP.
The kingdom intends to attract more investments within the ICT sector following the rollout of 5G. Last year, Amazon Web Services launched the first hyper-scale data center in the kingdom.
Kamal bin Ahmed Mohamed Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications Bahrain
“This achievement is an important milestone towards enhancing readiness for next-generation ICT services. We are continually striving to ensure that the Kingdom maintains its position among global leaders in this crucial sector. This includes ensuring availability and deployment of commercial 5G services and enhancing readiness for next-generation ICT services such as the Internet of Things and machine-to-machine communications.”
Earlier, the minister said in a statement that the achievement of nationwide 5G coverage is a reflection of the government’s efforts and vision to put at the forefront of its priorities the availability of a robust and widely accessible digital infrastructure in the kingdom. It will support the growth of the digital economy and enhance Bahrain’s readiness to harness the power of ICT and innovation for a more promising future.
