The 5G networks in Qatar, when fully established, should enable peak speeds of up to 1,000 Mbps, more than 10 times the current average, PwC said in its ‘Qatar economy watch’.

As a small, densely populated and wealthy country, Qatar has had a strong communications infrastructure for the last decade. It was the first country to begin rolling out 5G mobile broadband and ranks second globally (after South Korea) for the fastest mobile broadband speeds.

In fact, mobile broadband in Qatar is faster than most fixed broadband globally, PwC said. Aside from speed, 5G technology is capable of enabling fourth industrial revolution technologies such as the ‘Internet of Things’ and the “mass deployment of internet-connected sensors that can transform our everyday lives.”

The Ministry of Transport and Communications (MoTC) has been catalysing applications through Qatar Smart Nation (TASMU), a QR6bn initiative launched in 2017 to turn Doha into one of the world’s most connected cities through financing clusters of digital technologies. “To enable a knowledge-based economy, it is crucial to have adequate tools for sharing and utilising information. Historically, innovations such as the library, printing press and telephone have had transformative roles in expanding the knowledge economies of their days.

“Today, the fundamental requirement is a fast, reliable and affordable internet, which is needed both for the creation of knowledge and its utilisation in many technological applications,” PwC said.