On 15 October 2026, Ooredoo Qatar announced the commercial launch of the country’s first 5G+ mobile network. The upgraded network uses 5G Standalone (SA) infrastructure and 5G-Advanced capabilities to improve data speeds, network capacity and latency.
The service is available in selected areas of Qatar, including most urban areas of Doha and the Sealine area. It is currently offered through compatible mobile broadband devices and eligible data plans. So, now let us look into how Qatar Launched Its First 5G+ Network with 5G Standalone and 5G-Advanced Capabilities along with Smart LTE RF drive test tools in telecom & Cellular RF drive test equipment and Smart Wireless Survey Software Tools & Wifi site survey software tools in detail.
What Is Different in Qatar’s 5G+ Network?
The main technical change is the use of 5G Standalone architecture together with advanced 5G network features.
In a 5G Non-Standalone (NSA) network, the 5G radio network continues to depend on the existing 4G core network for certain control functions. With 5G Standalone, the network uses a dedicated 5G Core, allowing operators to support services that require better control of network resources, lower latency and improved traffic management.
Qatar’s new 5G+ service builds on this SA infrastructure. The operator has also introduced capabilities associated with 5G-Advanced, although the exact 3GPP features enabled in the commercial network have not been publicly detailed.
The upgrade is intended to support more connected devices and maintain better performance when network traffic increases.
Download Speeds of Up to 1.6 Gbps
According to the published service information, the 5G+ network supports download speeds of up to 1.6 Gbps.
These are advertised peak speeds rather than guaranteed speeds for every customer. Actual throughput will depend on signal conditions, device capability, network loading and location.
The network is designed to provide improved capacity for applications such as high-resolution video streaming, large file downloads, video calls and online gaming.
In areas with high user density, additional network capacity can help reduce congestion and improve the consistency of mobile broadband services.
Network Slicing and Enterprise Applications
One of the technical capabilities supported by 5G Standalone is network slicing.
Network slicing allows an operator to configure logical network resources for different service requirements. For example, an industrial monitoring application may need predictable latency, while a video application may require higher data throughput.
The 5G+ architecture also provides a basis for edge computing, where application processing can be placed closer to the mobile network.
These capabilities could support industrial sensors, equipment monitoring, asset tracking and automated operations. However, the launch announcement does not confirm that all these enterprise applications are already operating commercially on the new network.
Current Coverage and Device Support
The initial deployment covers selected locations, including most urban areas of Doha and the Sealine area.
Customers currently need a supported NETGEAR Nighthawk M7 Pro MR7400 or MR7500 device and an eligible Data SIM+ plan.
The service activates automatically when the customer uses compatible equipment within a supported coverage area. No separate activation fee is required.
Why RF Testing Matters for 5G+
With 5G+ services becoming commercially available, operators need to verify how the network performs under actual field conditions.
RF drive testing and indoor walk testing can help engineers examine coverage, signal quality, throughput and mobility performance.
Measurements such as SS-RSRP, SS-RSRQ, SINR, download throughput, upload throughput and latency help identify differences between advertised performance and the experience at a particular location.
Engineers also need to examine cell changes, connection stability and performance during busy network periods.
Where supported by the test equipment, additional checks can include 5G SA registration, band combinations, carrier aggregation and protocol-level behaviour.
These measurements help operators identify weak coverage areas, capacity limitations and configuration issues before expanding services to more locations.
What Comes Next?
Qatar’s 5G+ launch marks a further commercial deployment of 5G Standalone-based mobile broadband.
The next areas to watch are wider coverage, additional device support and the introduction of enterprise services using advanced 5G capabilities.
For network engineering teams, the main requirement will be to verify whether the improved network capacity and latency are consistently available across different locations, devices and traffic conditions.
The success of the deployment will depend on measured network performance as coverage and customer usage increase.
About RantCell
RantCell provides Android-based RF drive testing and network performance monitoring solutions for 4G LTE and 5G networks. Engineers can measure signal strength, signal quality, download and upload speeds, latency and other network KPIs using supported Android devices. Test results are uploaded to a cloud dashboard for analysis, troubleshooting and reporting. Also read similar articles from here.