SHERIDAN, WYOMING - December 24, 2025 - UAE operator du has signed a three-year agreement with Huawei after deploying what the companies describe as the world's first 25Gbps E-band microwave link to support a 5G-Advanced (5G-A) site rollout, aiming to boost capacity and consistency where fiber backhaul is limited.
From "site upgrades" to backhaul strategy
5G-Advanced pushes more traffic through the radio layer, but the customer experience still hinges on the transport network behind it. du framed the partnership as a joint innovation framework-not just procurement-designed to keep pace with surging data transmission demand while accelerating scalable 5G-A coverage across the UAE, including areas where fiber deployment is slower or impractical.
In practical terms, this is a backhaul modernization move: increasing the throughput available between cell sites and the core network so peak-hour speeds and latency-sensitive services don't get constrained by legacy microwave links.
Why E-band is back in focus for 5G-A
Microwave backhaul has long been the "fastest to deploy" complement to fiber, but 5G-A raises the bar on bandwidth per site. du highlighted that legacy links can fall short of the capacity required-particularly in fiber-scarce regions-making high-capacity E-band a way to expand quickly without waiting for civil works.
For operators, the business case typically comes down to three levers:
- Time-to-coverage: faster site turn-up versus trenching fiber
- Cost and flexibility: lower deployment complexity across varied terrain and right-of-way conditions
- Performance headroom: enough capacity to avoid repeated "upgrade churn" as traffic grows
What du says was deployed
du's announcement points to Huawei microwave components designed to raise throughput while stabilizing links in real-world conditions such as pole-mounted sites. The solution cited includes an E-band device described as 2T2R, supporting up to 26 dBm and 25Gbps in a single module, paired with a 2-Dimension intelligent beam tracking (IBT) antenna intended to counter swaying and twisting effects and maintain received signal level (RSL) and reliability.
du also said the 25G platform supports multiple 25GE connections to help meet peak 5G-A site capacity needs and provide scaling "beyond," aligning the build-out with the UAE's 2030 6G vision referenced in the source.
Executive positioning: capacity, speed, and coverage gaps
du's CTO tied the deployment directly to network expansion priorities and coverage consistency: "Achieving the world's first 25Gbps E-band microwave deployment in 5G-A networks demonstrates du's commitment to pushing technological boundaries. Our partnership with Huawei delivers fiber-equivalent capacity with the flexibility and speed our 5G-A expansion demands, ensuring we can bridge connectivity gaps across the UAE-from dense urban centers to remote regions-while laying the groundwork for our 6G future."
Huawei's microwave leadership positioned the project as validation of the category's innovation path: "Large capacity E-band is an important direction for continuous innovation. Projects like this inspire us to continue providing simplified, high-bandwidth, and easy-to-deploy microwave solutions, helping our customers build leading networks and achieve business success."
What this signals for Gulf telecom network builds
For Gulf operators, the operational challenge is scaling capacity while keeping rollout schedules predictable-especially as 5G-A use cases expand and expectations rise for consistent performance across cities, industrial zones, and less densely connected areas. If the claimed fiber-comparable capacity translates into stable field performance, high-throughput E-band could become a more standard tool in 5G-A transport planning: not replacing fiber, but reducing dependency on it for every incremental site and shortening the path from spectrum to customer experience.
Learn more about du's 5G network for business customers at https://www.du.ae/business/5g/our-network.