ZTE and du Put Upper 6 GHz Into Commercial Service on a Live 5G-Advanced Network, and the Bandwidth Is 350 MHz

ZTE and UAE telecom operator du have activated Upper 6 GHz radio equipment on a live 5G-Advanced network, demonstrating commercial end-to-end connectivity using commercially available customer premises equipment. The deployment uses ZTE’s GigaMIMO technology across 350 MHz of bandwidth in the 6,775 to 7,125 MHz spectrum range. The companies said the milestone demonstrates the technology’s potential under real-world conditions and advances the UAE’s next-generation connectivity ambitions.

The Upper 6 GHz band sits between the mid-band frequencies operators already use for 5G and the millimetre-wave bands that offer high capacity but poor coverage. ZTE’s argument is that GigaMIMO can extract enough capacity and coverage from this middle ground to serve as a bridge toward 6G. The companies said the collaboration will continue to develop Upper 6 GHz commercial capabilities, supporting enhanced mobile broadband, emerging digital services and the longer-term evolution toward 6G networks.

The deployment is significant because it uses commercially available CPE, not laboratory equipment. Previous demonstrations of Upper 6 GHz technology have typically required prototype hardware. The fact that standard customer premises equipment can connect to the network suggests the technology is closer to commercial readiness than earlier trials indicated.

ZTE’s position in the Upper 6 GHz space competes with Huawei’s VitaAAU, which the Chinese vendor unveiled at Decoding China 2026 on October 28. Huawei’s approach uses RetinaMIMO to deliver U6 GHz coverage from existing C-band sites, while ZTE’s GigaMIMO focuses on extracting capacity from the 6,775 to 7,125 MHz range. The two vendors are pursuing different technical paths to the same frequency band.

The broader industry context comes from the push toward 6G. T-Mobile said on its Q3 2026 earnings call that it intends to be among the first US companies to introduce commercial 6G connectivity, with 2030 as the expected period when initial 6G networks could begin construction. Ericsson’s chief executive for Portugal and Spain, Juan Olivera, said this week that neither Europe nor Portugal is ready to talk about 6G until advanced 5G is deployed at scale. These positions frame the Upper 6 GHz band as a near-term capacity play. It is not a 6G technology in itself.

ZTE and du have not disclosed the number of sites covered by the deployment, the number of users connected, or whether the 350 MHz allocation is exclusive to du or shared with other operators in the UAE. The companies also did not release throughput or latency figures from the live network test.

Supplier’s note: We hold ZTE radio units and baseband units from the 2025 production batch in Shenzhen stock, roughly 50 units across six SKUs, with lead time of five to seven working days on fresh orders. Cross-reference stock includes compatible power amplifiers, filters and mounting brackets from third-party vendors that fit the same tower configuration. Customers typically order in lots of two to four units for site upgrades, and we see repeat orders from the same system integrators every five to seven weeks. Pricing holds for 30 days from quotation. We also stock spare fans, power supplies and cable assemblies for the same chassis families, and can arrange on-site installation support through our partner network in Southeast Asia and the Middle East region.