du wants to stop your 5G from falling apart indoors
du teams up with Huawei to deploy the UAE’s first multi-band indoor 5G base station, combining 3G/4G/5G in one unit for better coverage in malls and tourist hotspots.
If you’ve ever watched your “full bars 5G” turn into a loading wheel the moment you step into a mall, you already know the problem: indoor coverage is hard.
du has announced a partnership with Huawei to deploy the UAE’s first customised multi-band Indoor Base Station (IBS) solution. The aim is simple: better indoor signal and faster data in places like VIP locations, shopping malls, and tier-1 tourist destinations across the UAE.
This also ties into du’s broader push around 5G-Advanced, which is basically the “next step” version of 5G standards. (If you want the boring-but-official definition, 3GPP classifies Release 18 as 5G-Advanced.)
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- du is partnering with Huawei to deploy the UAE’s first customised multi-band indoor base station solution.
- The new setup targets the places where mobile networks usually struggle most: indoors, like malls and big tourist venues.
- It combines 3G, 4G, and 5G into a single radio unit, which should cut space, power use, and maintenance.
- du says this is part of its 5G-Advanced (5G+) network build-out, not just a small coverage tweak.
Why indoor 5G is still a mess
Indoor signal has to deal with walls, glass, metal, lifts, and the fact that buildings love blocking radio waves. So even if outdoor coverage is great, indoor performance can still be… not.
du’s release calls out that indoor spaces are where users see the biggest connectivity challenges, and that this rollout is designed to tackle that directly.
- Big indoor venues are high-demand: thousands of phones, all streaming, posting, paying, and navigating.
- Traditional indoor setups can mean more gear, more install time, and more things to maintain.
- If the network has to juggle multiple generations (3G/4G/5G) indoors, it can get bulky fast.
For context, du has already been pushing its indoor performance story this year — see our earlier coverage: du tops UAE indoor mobile speeds with zero dropped calls.
What “multi-band indoor base station” actually means
The headline feature here is the all-in-one radio unit: du says the new IBS solution integrates 3G, 4G, and 5G into a single unit.
It also uses a customised pico Remote Radio Unit (pRRU) built for du’s network requirements, and du calls this the first deployment of its kind in the UAE market.
- One unit, multiple technologies: fewer separate boxes doing separate jobs.
- Multi-band support: one compact solution instead of stacking multiple band-specific units.
- Designed for indoor: targeted at challenging indoor environments, not general outdoor macro towers.
Huawei has long positioned modular base station setups around smaller size and lower power use, which matches the general direction du is describing here.
What changes for you in malls, hotels, and tourist hotspots
du’s promise is straightforward: better indoor speeds and more reliable coverage in places where the signal often struggles.
- Faster downloads and smoother streaming indoors (du’s claim is “dramatically improved”).
- More consistent coverage in high-traffic venues like malls and tourist areas.
- A “digital architecture” approach that du says helps optimise performance indoors.
This sits neatly alongside du’s wider 5G+ story we covered earlier: du 5G+ promises 2x speeds. Here’s what that means.
The less exciting part that still matters: power, space, and maintenance
Yes, “smaller equipment” sounds like telecom nerd talk. But it matters because it affects how quickly operators can roll things out (and how painful it is to keep running).
du says the new one-box approach reduces:
- Physical footprint and power consumption versus traditional multi-unit installs.
- Operational complexity and maintenance needs, which can speed up deployment.
- Weight and dimensions, aligning with du’s sustainability objectives.
And on the standards side, 5G-Advanced is also being framed by industry bodies around better efficiency and more “smart” network operation over time.
If you want a wider view of du’s 5G-Advanced push with Huawei this year, here’s another relevant read: du rolls out first 64T64R dual-band 5G-Advanced in UAE.
FAQ
What is du launching with Huawei?
A customised multi-band Indoor Base Station (IBS) solution that supports 3G, 4G, and 5G in one radio unit, aimed at improving indoor coverage across the UAE.
Where will this indoor 5G be deployed?
du says it will roll out across VIP locations, shopping malls, and tier-1 tourist destinations in the UAE.
What’s the main benefit for normal users?
More reliable indoor signal and better performance in places where networks often struggle (like malls and large indoor venues).
What is 5G-Advanced (5G+)?
It’s the next evolution of 5G standards. In 3GPP terms, Release 18 is positioned as 5G-Advanced.
Is this just about speed?
Not only. du is also pushing reduced footprint, lower power use, and simpler operations (less gear to install and maintain).
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