Swedish technology vendor Ericsson and Ooredoo Qatar have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to drive digital transformation for enterprises and public sector organizations in Qatar. The collaboration aims to develop tailored 5G solutions, including private and dedicated 5G networks for key sectors such as manufacturing, airports, and oil and gas.
The agreement, announced in a press release, focuses on introducing mission-critical solutions for public safety, digital airspace, and railway networks. By leveraging a dual-mode core and advanced radio technologies, the partnership ensures resilient performance through network availability, multi-network integration, robust security, and optimized Quality of Service (QoS), priority, and preemption mechanisms.
Beyond enhancing operational efficiencies, the partnership also aims to explore sustainability initiatives, using 5G technology to minimize environmental impact, decarbonize industries, and contribute to a more sustainable digital ecosystem.
As part of the MoU, Ericsson will provide its Ericsson Private 5G and mission-critical network solutions, introduce key ecosystem partners, and offer Ooredoo access to global best practices, use cases, and insights. The two companies will also collaborate on expert knowledge-sharing sessions with enterprises and government organizations, focusing on 5G-driven sustainability applications.
Thani Al Malki, Chief Business Officer at Ooredoo Qatar, emphasized the increasing adoption of digitalization and automation across industries. He said, “Through this latest partnership with Ericsson on private 5G solutions, we aim to deliver advanced use cases across multiple industries in Qatar — ranging from autonomous operations to mission-critical public services.”
Todd Ashton, Vice President and Head of Enterprise and Mission Critical at Ericsson Middle East and Africa, added, “Ericsson’s mission-critical communication solutions provide next-generation, high-performance, resilient, and secure mobile broadband services. We are delighted to partner with Ooredoo Qatar to drive digitalization, revenue growth, and operational efficiencies across various industries and public sector organizations in the country.”
In addition to the partnership for private 5G solutions, Ericsson was recently selected by Ooredoo Qatar to supply and deploy its latest radio access network (RAN) and microwave backhaul solutions. This collaboration paves the way for future integration of 5G-Advanced (5G-A), offering key features such as interference reduction, outdoor positioning capabilities, and AI-driven RAN solutions for superior connectivity in challenging environments.
The contract covers the deployment of RAN products, including Massive MIMO radios and advanced microwave solutions like MINI-LINK with carrier aggregation. It also includes a multiband microwave solution, capable of backhauling up to 25 Gbps by combining E-band (70/80 GHz) with traditional frequency bands, which will extend 5G coverage to remote areas where fiber is unavailable.
Additionally, the deal includes nationwide deployment of a new 5G layer at 2.3 GHz, continuous expansion of indoor and outdoor coverage, capacity upgrades, and modernization of power systems. The partnership also enables advancements like 3G spectrum refarming to improve network efficiency and capacity. Future developments will include NR 700 for enhanced coverage and mmWave expansions for hotspot locations.
