Nokia and du have deployed the first commercial 5G Cloud RAN solution in the Middle East and Africa region. This partnership underscores du’s hybrid RAN strategy, combining purpose-built and cloud-native infrastructures for enhanced flexibility and scalability. The initiative aligns with the UAE’s evolving digital transformation agenda and supports advanced use cases in AI, machine learning, and industries such as manufacturing, energy, and logistics.
The commercial 5G Cloud RAN site in Abu Dhabi leverages Nokia’s anyRAN approach, including virtualized Distributed Units (vDU) and Centralized Units (vCU) running on Dell PowerEdge XR8620 servers. The deployment is powered by Red Hat OpenShift, a leading hybrid cloud application platform using Kubernetes, to enable cloud-native RAN functions across the network. Additionally, Nokia’s AirScale Massive MIMO Radios, operating in the 3.6 GHz (n78) spectrum frequency with 5G Standalone architecture, were utilized.
Nokia’s Cloud RAN solution coexists with purpose-built networks in hybrid environments and can evolve to full cloud-native networks, meeting the growing demand for RAN cloudification. With common Nokia RAN software, service providers benefit from consistent features and performance across Cloud RAN and purpose-built RAN solutions.
Saleem Alblooshi, Chief Technology Officer, du
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, RAN, Nokia
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.
