Telkom Kenya, Rakuten Symphony, and Airspan have formalized a partnership by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at advancing the adoption of Open Radio Access Network (Open RAN) technology in Africa.
The collaboration will focus on knowledge transfer, as well as the development and testing of 4G and 5G technologies within Kenya.
Through this partnership, the telco seeks to gain expertise in open and flexible network architectures, leveraging automation and AI-driven technologies.
The company aims to lead in creating homegrown solutions by collaborating with global industry leaders.
Rakuten Symphony and Airspan will manage the testing process, with specific roles for each partner. Rakuten Symphony will provide the centralized and distributed unit infrastructure, along with its advanced OSS platform.
Airspan will contribute 4G and 5G radio units, as well as the mobile core. Telkom Kenya will supply local resources and facilities necessary for the initiative.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Telkom Kenya, Mugo Kibati expressed enthusiasm for the partnership, stating, “Telkom Kenya is excited to collaborate in this consortium of cutting-edge technology leaders in this field of open architecture telecommunications network and reap the benefits of modern and ultimately inevitable technological advances such as AI. We are proud to be investing in the development of our people through the collaborative testing capabilities that we will be building within this consortium to explore the possible benefits of Open RAN in our mobile network.”
On his part, Sharad Sriwastawa, President of Rakuten Symphony, highlighted the company’s expertise, saying, “Our diverse portfolio of solutions delivers proven positive outcomes for mobile network operators across the world. We look forward to bringing Rakuten Symphony’s proven global expertise in mobile network transformation to support Telkom Kenya’s commitment to innovation.”
President and CEO of Airspan, Glenn Laxdal remarked on the significance of the collaboration, stating, “Telkom Kenya’s collaboration with this consortium to explore the latest telecommunication advancements reflects bold innovation to place Kenya at the heart of Africa’s technological leadership within the region. Airspan is proud to support this vision with advanced 4G/5G solutions, alongside Rakuten Symphony, whose expertise as one of the world’s largest commercial Open RAN vendors ensures impactful results.”
Rakuten Mobile, in conjunction with Rakuten Symphony, will incorporate insights from the “Research and Development Project of the Enhanced Infrastructures for Post-5G Information and Communication Systems,” a project subsidized by Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO).
This is highly informative and best wishes for both the parties