Ericsson and etisalat by e& will test Ericsson Cloud RAN solution in the network and identify areas where its introduction would best complement the existing purpose-built radio access network (RAN) infrastructure. They will also examine the potential of the solution to address a variety of 5G deployments and use cases with increased flexibility, faster service delivery and greater scalability.

As an initial step, the two partners will conduct a proof of concept (PoC) for the new technology in a lab environment in the UAE.

Ericsson Cloud RAN is based on cloud-native principles and  open architecture with standardized interfaces that are compatible with the deployed Ericsson Radio System products and solutions, enabling etisalat by e& to evolve its network to its architecture of choice.

Marwan Bin Shakar, Senior Vice President Access Network Development, at etisalat by e&, says: “Our innovation-driven alliance with Ericsson aligns with our continued commitment towards leveraging the latest technologies in the telecommunications industry to meet the rapidly evolving needs and high-performance expectations of our customers and enterprises. We look forward to strengthening the capabilities of our 5G network with Ericsson Cloud RAN.”

Ekow Nelson, Vice President and Head of Global Customer Unit for e& at Ericsson Middle East and Africa, says: “Today’s collaboration is another step in etisalat by e&’s 5G journey. Ericsson Cloud RAN will enable etisalat by e& to seamlessly evolve towards cloud-native technologies and open network architectures, with the vision that it can deploy cloud-native networks on any site, any cloud, and any server platform.”

Ericsson Cloud RAN delivers network capabilities that enable service providers to pursue new business opportunities and diversify 5G use cases.