Solutions by stc announced an O-RAN deal with Mavenir to launch what it claims to be the first commercial O-RAN network in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabian operators stc and Mobily have announced different deals for the implementation of Open RAN (O-RAN) technology in the country.
In the first agreement, solutions by stc, announced an O-RAN deal with U.S. firm Mavenir to launch what it claims to be the first commercial O-RAN network in Saudi Arabia.
The service is expected to be commercially available in 2024. This deal follows a successful initial deployment for multi-layer 4G and 5G NSA Access Network on the O-RAN platform to Saudi carrier stc, delivered in partnership with solutions by stc and Mavenir.
The newly launched multi-layered 4G and 5G Radio network will utilize Mavenir’s 4G Remote Radio Unit (RRU) and 5G Massive MIMO (mMIMO) Active Antenna Unit (AAU) technology and leverage the cloud-native Mavenir Webscale Platform (MWP) with fully containerized Centralized Unit (CU) and Distributed Unit (DU) software.
Yousef Almarshad, chief commercial officer of solutions by stc said: “Mavenir’s Open RAN technology innovation, together with solutions by stc experience in the Saudia Arabia market, provide a strong foundation for this trail-blazing Open RAN deployment, bringing the next-generation performance and breakthrough services to stc’s valued customers across the Kingdom.”
“Mavenir is confident that stc’s Open RAN network in Saudi Arabia will act as a catalyst for further accelerating operators’ digital transformation journeys across the Middle East region, ushering in a wave of customer-focused innovation that can fully leverage the unique potential generated by open standards and architecture,” said BG Kumar, president of access networks, platforms and digital enablement at Mavenir.
In a separate deal, Ericsson and Saudi carrier Mobily signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), aimed at adopting O-RAN principles with a focus on boosting network flexibility.
Under the terms of the agreement, the partners will explore various 5G deployment options across a flexible network architecture for purpose-built RAN and cloud RAN.
The scope of the MoU covers network segmentation between purpose-built RAN and cloud RAN as well as identification of potential locations where cloud RAN deployment would be most beneficial.
“Mobily is a keen supporter of Vision 2030 that aspires to establish Saudi Arabia as one of the world’s most technologically advanced economies. Our new memorandum of understanding aligns with the objectives of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) and the Communications, Space and Technology Commission (CST) to promote openness and virtualization in our networks,” said Alaa Malki, CTO at Mobily.
