Dubai: Residents using the Etisalat network may face possible disruptions over the next three months, announced the telecommunications firm on Wednesday.

The update, which will be carried out in stages, involves upgrading to the 5G network.

“We apologise to customers in advance for any inconvenience they may face during this transition," said Etisalat.

The company said the modernisation of mobile networks aims to enhance customer experience and provide state-of-the-art technologies and services in line with the recent developments witnessed in the UAE.

It will upgrade its networks in incremental stages to ensure smooth and uninterrupted services over the next three months.

Network providers around the world are gearing up for the roll out of 5G superfast mobile internet use, with the first 5G-ready smartphones expected to be released in early 2019.

5G will provide broadband-equivalent download speeds and faster on mobile phones.

Faster speeds are also needed to make driverless cars possible, and transfer vast amounts of data quickly.