7. Advancing Kuwait’s Digital Frontier: Ooredoo’s Innovation in Technology Development

Founded in December 1999 as Wataniya Telecom and rebranded to Ooredoo Kuwait in 2014, the company has evolved from a pioneering wireless operator into Kuwait's foremost digital enabler. Over the past 25 years, Ooredoo has led the national and regional telecom landscape through bold innovation, customer-centric solutions, and transformative infrastructure development.

Since July 2023, Ooredoo Kuwait's Technology team has delivered a series of impactful innovations that significantly elevated network performance, customer experience, and readiness for next-generation digital services. These advancements showcase leadership in evolving 5G, 5G-Advanced, AI-driven networking, and immersive digital experiences.

A major milestone was the commercial launch of 5G Advanced in June 2025, powered by advanced 5G carrier aggregation. With this launch, Ooredoo became one of the region's first operators to introduce 5G-A capabilities to a nationwide network. The upgrade unlocked higher peak speeds, lower latency, and greater spectral efficiency-enabling superior performance for consumers, enterprises, and future applications.

Earlier, the team validated 10Gbps throughput through 5.5G performance trials, leveraging mmWave technology and advanced aggregation techniques. These trials positioned Ooredoo at the forefront of 5G-A evolution and laid the groundwork for its commercial rollout.

To further strengthen coverage, the network was enhanced through extended low-band 5G deployments and upgraded indoor systems across critical venues. These improvements boosted deep-indoor experience, mobility performance, and VoNR readiness.

The team also advanced its long-term roadmap by deploying a 5G SA-ready core, enabling 5G RedCap capabilities for next-generation IoT. RedCap evaluations for MiFi and low-complexity modules accelerated IoT transition from LTE to efficient 5G technologies-empowering smart utilities, logistics, and industrial automation.

A key innovation in customer experience was the introduction of Gaming Turbo, a solution designed to deliver ultra-low-latency, high-stability gaming sessions. Gaming Turbo CPEs intelligently detect active gameplay and immediately notify the network. Once identified, these gaming sessions are handled with elevated priority. The network-using the latest 5G-A capabilities and intelligent traffic optimization-treats these "Turbo Users" with utmost precision, ensuring the lowest possible latency, smoother gameplay, and consistent performance even during peak hours. This innovation directly enhances cloud gaming, eSports, and online multiplayer experiences.

Data-driven operations were further strengthened by an AI-powered capacity analysis framework, automating site prioritization and spectrum planning. This minimized manual effort and enabled faster decision-making.

Complementing these efforts, AI-enabled anomaly detection and predictive maintenance improved overall network reliability by identifying and resolving issues proactively across RAN and fixed access networks.

Together, these achievements-including the landmark launch of 5G Advanced in June 2025, the evolution of RedCap, AI-based engineering automation, and the introduction of Gaming Turbo low-latency optimization-demonstrate Ooredoo Kuwait's commitment to pioneering innovations in technology development. The Technology team continues to push boundaries in delivering world-class network performance and advancing Kuwait's digital future.