touch CEO Emre Gurkan: “A crucial step that will soon allow us to offer the most innovative products and services to our customers”
5G technology to contribute significantly to the country’s economy, creating thousands of new jobs
Beirut, 16 September, 2019: touch, the leading mobile telecommunications and data operator in Lebanon, managed by Zain Group, announces it has successfully launched Lebanon’s first 5G mobile site at touch’s headquarters in Downtown, Beirut, the first mobile operator to offer the state-of-the-art technology in the country. The company tested unprecedented speeds on its 5G site, successfully exceeding 1,400 Mbps and a latency of less than 6 ms. 5G enabled devices will be available at the company’s headquarters for further testing and demos.
Zain Group has a rich pioneering history to offer the latest generations of telecommunications technologies across its regional footprint, and touch Lebanon, in coordination with the Ministry of Telecommunications, has become the third operator in the Zain Group family to introduce 5G technology, following successful launches in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
As touch Lebanon is currently moving towards digital transformation with significant pace, it is evident that the 5G technology will be vital in benefiting consumers and operators alike, as well as being crucial to the further development of the telecom sector in the country.
Commenting on this achievement, touch CEO Emre Gurkan said, “Last year, we officially conducted Lebanon’s first commercial 5G trial and today we are proud to be the first mobile operator to launch the first 5G site in Lebanon, a crucial step that will soon allow us to offer the most innovative products and services to our customers in consumer, business, IoT, and smart cities sectors.”
Gurkan added “touch benefits greatly from the expertise of its parent company Zain Group, one of the most innovative telecom companies in the region, which provides us with the opportunity to lead in this sector and drive technology innovation in Lebanon forward. Together with Zain Group and the Ministry of Telecommunications, we will soon make 5G a commercial reality and launch touch’s full potential in its digital transformation journey.”
5G is expected to bring a sea change development for the telecom industry, bringing new business models and opportunities to industry sectors such as financial, ICT, agricultural, tourism, automotive, health, education and public sectors, to name a few. The technology is also expected to contribute significantly to the country’s economy, creating thousands of new jobs in the near future.