Du, the UAE's second telecom operator, says it has activated the world's first commercial connection on the upper 6 GHz (U6GHz) band over its live 5G+ network, according to a SatellitePro ME report.

What did Du actually do?

The hook-up used the 3GPP n102 designation — the 6425–7125 MHz range — to deliver what Du describes as a live commercial data session on production infrastructure. The wording matters. Lab U6GHz demonstrations and field trials have run for two years across Europe and Asia. A commercial service, where subscribers can attach to the band via compatible devices, is a step beyond those demos.

Why U6GHz matters now

The upper 6 GHz band sits between capacity-rich but underused C-band spectrum and the limited bandwidth available in the congested mid-band. Operators and the three big kit vendors have spent two years pitching U6GHz as the natural home for 5G-Advanced downlink-heavy traffic, given its ability to support wide channels of 200 MHz and beyond.

At WRC-23 in Dubai, the ITU identified U6GHz for IMT use across EMEA but stopped short of global harmonisation. That left regulators, including the UAE's TDRA, with the flexibility to license the band domestically for mobile broadband. Gulf administrations have generally favoured licensed mobile over the Wi-Fi-first approach taken by CEPT and the FCC, partly because the region's dense urban cellsite grids can monetise wide-channel 5G-Advanced capacity in ways lower-ARPU markets cannot.

What "5G+" means in Du's marketing

Du brands its 5G-Advanced tier as "5G+", a label that bundles carrier aggregation, standalone 5G architecture and the operator's existing 3.5 GHz and mmWave spectrum. Adding U6GHz to that bundle extends the carrier aggregation canvas. The operator has not disclosed which device ecosystem partner joined the demonstration, which site carried the traffic, or what throughput was recorded.

The catch, as ever with Gulf spectrum firsts, is device readiness. Handset chipsets with native n102 support at consumer scale remain thin on the ground, and operators typically pair such launches with a small device fleet rather than mass-market rollout. Du will need at least one mass-market handset platform to land before a U6GHz connection moves from press release to revenue line.

How does this change the competitive picture?

Du's claim arrives as operators across the Gulf compete for early 5G-Advanced bragging rights. Etisalat, du's larger domestic rival, has marketed similar 5G+ capabilities under its own brand, and Saudi operators have run parallel mid-band trials. A confirmed commercial U6GHz hook-up, if matched by ecosystem support, would give Du a tangible differentiator in a market where average mobile speeds already rank among the world's highest.

The TDRA's existing IMT roadmap references U6GHz, and Du's network team has been preparing the band alongside vendor proof-of-concept work since at least 2023.

What to watch next

Two dates matter. The first is the chipset ecosystem moment, which will decide whether Du's subscribers can attach to n102 with off-the-shelf devices. The second is the TDRA's national spectrum allocation table — watch for an official U6GHz award and any accompanying auction or administrative assignment. Those dates, more than any single operator demo, will decide whether Du's first becomes the region's template.

Verdict: a credible first, gated by domestic conditions that Gulf regulators have quietly made favourable to licensed 5G-Advanced use.