RIYADH: Saudi Arabia facilitated the world’s first trial of 5G transmitters 14 km above land at the Red Sea Project site, the Communications and Information Technology Commission said in a statement. The trial, carried out by the UK-based Stratospheric Platforms Ltd, which is a partner of German firm Deutsche Telekom, was the “world’s first demonstration of the High-Altitude Platform System using aircraft to extend a 5G service” covering an area of 450 sq. km. The aims of the new service include ensuring continuity of services, extending coverage to remote areas, and increasing environment-friendly technologies. Also referred to as the 5G HAPS, the trial provided downlink speeds of up to 90 Mbit/s using 10MHz channel. “This successful demonstration puts us at the technological frontier globally and takes us closer to our Vision 2030 goal of extending high-quality ICT access to every part of the country,” the statement quoted CITC Gov. Mohammed Al-Tamimi as saying.