Another advantage of one vendor providing open RAN? Nokia’s common RAN software ensures consistency of features and performance across the hybrid footprint
Nokia and du announced they have deployed the first commercial 5G cloud RAN solution in the Middle East and Africa. The partnership underlines du’s hybrid RAN strategy intended to leverage purpose-built and cloud-native infrastructures for greater flexibility and scalability.
The deployment “supports the [United Arab Emirates’] evolving digital requirements as well as advanced use cases, including AI, machine learning and industry-specific applications in manufacturing, energy, and logistics,” according to the press statement.
The 5G Cloud RAN site is in Abu Dhabi and based on Nokia’s anyRAN with the Finnish vendor’s virtualised Distributed Units (vDU) and Centralised Units (vCU) running on Dell PowerEdge XR8620 servers, and Red Hat OpenShift.
OpenShift is “the industry’s leading hybrid cloud application platform powered by Kubernetes”, to support cloud-native RAN functions across the network. The plan is that by integrating OpenShift, service providers such as du can better scale their 5G network footprint and quickly introduce new services. The UAE deployment also used Nokia’s AirScale Massive MIMO Radios operating in the 3.6 GHz spectrum, using 5G Standalone architecture.
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Nokia says its commercial Cloud RAN solution can co-exist with purpose-built networks in hybrid environments and evolve to full cloud-native networks, supporting RAN cloudification. Common Nokia RAN software ensures consistency of features and performance consistency of both kinds of RAN across the entire footprint.
Saleem Alblooshi, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of du, said, “Our collaboration with Nokia represents a major leap forward in du’s mission to deliver exceptional network performance and innovative services. Leveraging 5G Cloud RAN will not only enhance our network’s efficiency and flexibility but also enable us to explore new opportunities and services that can deliver genuine value to our customers and society at large.”
Mark Atkinson, Head of RAN at Nokia, said, “This strategic partnership with du is much more than an infrastructure deployment. Both companies are committed to driving innovation by developing pioneering use cases that leverage the transformative power of AI and private wireless networks.
“Under our anyRAN approach, we bring together Nokia’s expertise, trusted performance, and innovation in radio networks with best-in-class partner solutions to offer true flexibility and scalability to operators and enterprises. This collaboration will enable the development of innovative services that empower businesses and individuals alike.”