Touch, the mobile telecomms operator managed by Zain Group, has performed the first commercial 5G trial in Lebanon.

The trial used Huawei equipment and was conducted at the Grand Serail over C-band frequencies, the same that will be used to deliver commercial 5G services in the coming years.

Data transfer speeds of up to 1.5 Gbps were achieved, with demonstrations of VR applications and streaming 4K video.

Caretaker Minister of Telecommunications Jamal Jarrah, who attended the demonstration, said: “At the Ministry of Telecommunications, we are determined to modernize the existing infrastructure to accommodate the latest technology advancements. So we began to deploy fiber optics across Lebanon, to benefit the Lebanese citizens with modern technology, in addition to expanding mobile networks to keep up with developments.”

“We are now in the 4G phase and very soon, with the rapid technological advancement, we will enter the 5G world that will lead to significant progress in the economy, ranging from industries within trade, tourism, agriculture, medicine, and education sectors.”

Touch says 5G sites will start to be deployed in 2019 with commercial deployment planned, ‘in the near future’. 5G technology will dramatically increase the amount of bandwidth available on mobile networks, enabling new applications in the areas of smart cities and virtual and augmented reality.