19 operators in seven countries (of the 13 studied) have already launched a 5G service in the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA).

In the remaining studied countries progress has been made in the licensing and preparation for 5G.

In the region, most operators use the 3.5 GHz band for 5G, although some also use the 700 MHz and 2.6 GHz bands. Only Qatar and the United Arab Emirates awarded spectrum for mobile operators in the 26 GHz band.

Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia have published information on the coverage requirements for 5G, although different approaches have been used to establish the requirements for each country. Ten operators in the MENA region have 5G network coverage that exceeds 90% of the population.

Regulators in Oman and Saudi Arabia have set out quality of service targets for 5G. In Saudi Arabia, the target includes an average download speed for 5G of 200 Mbps to be achieved gradually between 2020 and 2025. In Oman, the target for 5G network coverage is based on signal strength.

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