This article was published on April 8, 2010

First LTE phone call in the Middle East goes to Zain in Bahrain


First LTE phone call in the Middle East goes to Zain in Bahrain

Zain Bahrain today showcased the region’s first LTE call, setting new standards by achieving a download data speed of 70 Mbps.

LTE stands for Long Term Evolution. It’s the 4G of mobile communications that the world is anxiously awaiting.

If you’re interested in the technical specs, this was achieved using ready-to-deploy LTE commercial equipment, the trial involved Nokia Siemens Networks’ Flexi base stations, installed in separate buildings, as well as its NetAct network management solution.

Achieving a minimum latency of 15 milliseconds – the smallest in any public LTE call ever– the live call was used to test applications such as multi-video streaming (streaming of multiple videos simultaneously), high-resolution video conferencing, voice over LTE, and LTE terminal mobility within an office environment. The call also set a new record by achieving the region’s highest ever data download speeds of 70 Mbps.

70 Mbps on a mobile device! Impressive. Let’s see how fast this would be once everyone is sharing the bandwidth!

If it ever gets implemented soon, Bahrain will be the envy of all the Middle East. Until then, Jordan is the place to be with its food delivery lookup service!

Via Nokia Siemens Networks

Get the TNW newsletter

Get the most important tech news in your inbox each week.