Kuwaiti cellular operator Viva has announced plans to upgrade its 4G wireless network to Long Term Evolution Advanced (LTE-A) technology, which it says will provide theoretical peak download speeds of 1Gbps. Viva’s core network has already been upgraded to support LTE-A and the operator has now begun end-user trials on its access network. A commercial launch date for the new technology has not been disclosed.
Viva, whose shareholders include Saudi Telecom Company (STC) and the Kuwaiti government, first launched mobile services in December 2008 and began offering LTE technology in March this year. According to TeleGeography’s GlobalComms database, Viva had around two million subscribers and a 31.5% share of Kuwait’s mobile market at the end of June 2013.