Embodiments of a folded meta-inspired antenna for dual-band operation and user equipment for dual-band operation in a wireless network are generally described herein. In some embodiments, the folded meta-inspired antenna may include first and second conductive layers disposed on opposite sides of a substrate to provide a wideband distributed structure comprising a plurality of high-Q resonances resulting from, at least in part, metamaterial-based loading. Conductive material on the first side of the substrate is arranged around a central longitudinal slot coupled with a plurality of perpendicular slots. For dual-band operation, the folded meta-inspired antenna may operate as a folded monopole at a higher frequency band and operate as a slot-type radiator at a lower frequency band. The plurality of resonances may cause the folded meta-inspired antenna to achieve broader bandwidth at both lower and higher frequency bands.