Etisalat Group, Saudi Telecom Company (stc), Zain Group, Mobily, and du, from Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (EITC), are partnering to push the implementation of Open Radio Access Network (Open RAN) solutions in their existing telecom networks, share their industry knowledge and experience setting a clear path to drive innovation for the ICT sector across the Middle East.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the five operators confirms commitment to deploy Open RAN across their footprint, providing an opportunity to traditional RAN vendors to adopt open interfaces, software and hardware to build more agile and flexible mobile networks in the 5G and 4G era, support new entrants with innovative solutions and achieve cost efficiencies in RAN deployments, the company said.
This partnership will open immense opportunities for operators and the telecom ecosystem with the availability of interoperable, competitive and commercial-grade Open RAN products, building a framework to exchange best practices and technical outcomes.
The customers will gain an advantage with service catering to the local market requirements with faster time to market while using the most advanced mobile access networks.
With operators focusing on introducing software capabilities in the OpenRAN environment it will bring technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) to the forefront, the company added.
“This is an extraordinary opportunity for the Middle East operators to come together to promote the development of an open technology that will help to enhance the flexibility and efficiency of our networks.
I am excited about this partnership that will foster a diverse and secure 4G/5G ecosystem based on Open RAN solutions. This is also a testimony to Etisalat’s commitment and leadership in innovation in the ICT sector and to development and adoption of Open RAN ensuring the best network experience for our customers,” said Hatem Bamatraf, Chief Technology Officer, Etisalat Group.
“stc is committed to the introduction of the latest technologies and innovative 5G/4G mobile networks solutions.
Today’s announcement signals the entry into a new era of operators’ collaboration in the Middle East to accelerate the development of Open Network technologies, which helps in diversifying our strategic technology growth,” said Haitham Alfaraj, Senior Vice President of Technology and Operations in stc Group.
He further added “Our commitment has always been to deliver a best-in-class mobile network to our deserving customers.
This is an exciting milestone in STC’s digital transformation journey; STC will continue to endeavor to always lead the market towards digital transformation, in line with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.”
“This joint and innovative initiative by like-minded and visionary regional mobile operators is truly inspirational as it brings multiple benefits to all our stakeholders and further enhances the Middle East telecom sector’s position on the ICT world map,” added Nawaf Al Gharabally, Zain Group’s Chief Technology Officer.
“Mobily is keen to strengthen this partnership, which copes with the latest innovations in ICT sector, as it improves the services provided to customers and builds an advanced open access network.
The implementation of Open RAN solutions supports flexibility and provides more innovation in managing the network for more efficient operations.
Mobily is willing to exert all efforts for the success of this partnership and forge several partnerships that push forward the development and innovation in the ICT sector,” said Eng. Alaa Malki, Chief Technology Officer at Mobily
“Driving innovation and Open RAN deployment is the shared responsibility of every telco operator. At du, we are committed to working with our regional counterparts, which will enable us to create further value by increasing infrastructure flexibility and efficiency while accelerating technology adoption and network expansion across the UAE,” pointed Saleem AlBlooshi, Chief Technology Officer, du.
The company further added that with OpenRAN the industry is working towards standards and technical specifications that define open interfaces within the radio system, including hardware and software, so that networks can be deployed and operated based on mix-and-match components from different suppliers.
Operators will be able to draw on the reinvigorated supplier innovation to drive cost efficiencies and more flexibly deliver customised services in response to evolving customer demands.
The introduction of Open RAN, virtualisation, and automation will enable a fundamental change in the way operators manage networks and deliver services.
Operators will be able to add or shift capacity more quickly for end users, automatically resolve network incidents or provide enterprise level services on-demand for industry.