Major telecom and tech companies announced key collaborations to advance Artificial Intelligence (AI) and cloud-driven networks. UAE's du partnered with Microsoft for AI-powered call centers and joined AWS and Nokia to deploy 5G Cloud RAN. Samsung and Nvidia teamed up on AI-RAN, while SoftBank and OpenAI plan an AI data center in Japan. LG Uplus and AWS will develop AI cloud services for South Korea. Let's dive into the details of these exciting developments in the sections below.
1. Du Partners with Microsoft on AI Call Center Transformation
UAE operator du announced a collaboration with Microsoft aimed at enhancing call centre operations through advanced AI. This collaboration, launched at the Mobile World Congress (MWC25), marks a significant milestone in enhancing customer engagement and operational efficiency for du, the company said on March 5.
Through this collaboration, du and Microsoft will work together on the AI Call Center Transformation, using Microsoft's generative AI and cloud services to provide a personalised customer experience.
According to the official release, both companies are working together to transform du's contact center operations, addressing challenges such as stringent national data privacy regulations by utilising hybrid cloud technologies.
AI call centre operations
Diego Camberos, Chief Customer and Channels Officer at du said: "Leveraging the state-of-the-art AI tools from Microsoft enables us to anticipate and exceed our customers' expectations in every interaction. Together, we're crafting a future where technology serves as a bridge to more meaningful, efficient, and personalised customer engagements."
Du said the project uses Microsoft's AI technologies. These solutions will provide real-time call insights, post-call analytics, and automated VoiceBot support while supporting many of the common languages used in the UAE.
Silvia Candiani, Vice President, Telco, Media and Gaming, at Microsoft, said: "We are pleased to collaborate with du to bring innovative AI solutions to their call center operations."
"By implementing these advanced AI solutions, du aims to improve First Call Resolution (FCR) rates, reduce Average Handling Time (AHT), and enhance overall customer satisfaction. The automated VoiceBot, part of the subscriber copilot being developed, will reduce the volume of calls to the contact center and optimise the usage of human agents by handling routine inquiries and providing intelligent responses," the companies said.
Additionally, the companies said the AI models will enable targeted retention strategies, boosting customer retention and revenue generation opportunities. Furthermore, the project positions du to monetise the solution, creating a new revenue stream.
With the learnings from the solution being run for one of the largest datacenters in the UAE, du said it will also help other government and commercial contact centers in the UAE transform their customer experiences and contact centers by providing these capabilities as part of their du Tech AI and cloud solutions portfolio.
As part of the collaboration, Microsoft will support du to focus on upskilling and reskilling Du's workforce to utilise the latest innovations in AI and cloud services.
Also Read: Ericsson and Turk Telekom Sign 6G Collaboration Agreement: MWC25
2. Du, AWS, and Nokia Collaborate to Enable RAN Cloudification
Du has announced an agreement with Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Nokia to enable the cloudification of its Radio Access Network (RAN). AWS and Nokia showcased this in a joint 5G Cloud RAN demonstration at the Mobile World Congress 2025. AWS and Nokia will host Nokia's virtualised Distributed Unit (vDU) on an AWS Graviton 3 outposts server to support Du's digital modernisation.
Under this collaboration, du said it will deploy Nokia's Cloud RAN solution using AWS's cloud services to explore and develop key use cases in wireless networks as well as the RAN Edge, providing du with maximum flexibility for the commercial deployment of Cloud RAN.
These architecture options will introduce Cloud RAN alongside du's network, maintaining feature and performance. The Nokia Cloud RAN architecture will be deployed using a microservices-based Cloud RAN software running on AWS cloud infrastructure with on-premises AWS Outposts.
The solution will leverage the AWS cloud continuum across the du 5G network, expanding to the furthest edge while delivering a common automation, observability and security framework. This ensures faster time to market for monetising new use cases for du, the official release said on March 6.
With low-latency transport, du will test centralised and distributed workload deployments using on-premises AWS Outpost servers at RAN sites. Alongside AWS Outposts, AWS's cloud Continuum - spanning regions and outposts - will enable du to support diverse architectures and use cases. Du also plans to leverage Amazon EKS and AWS Telco Network Builder (TNB) for scalable management and automation across deployment models.
Saleem AlBlooshi, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of du, said: "5G Cloud RAN will enhance our network's efficiency and flexibility and enable us to explore new opportunities and services that can deliver genuine value to our customers and society at large."
Amir Rao, Director for Telco 5G at AWS, said, "We built our AWS Outposts Graviton3 based ARM RAN server keeping the cloud continuum in mind to bring the best of AWS services right at the far edge for critical latency sensitive RAN software."
Mark Atkinson, Senior Vice President and Head of Radio Access Networks at Nokia added: "This successful collaboration with du and AWS confirms that our anyRAN approach provides a flexible path to scalable benefits with hybrid and cloud-based RAN architectures, which is important in the dynamic and competitive UAE market."
Du said this collaboration highlights its hybrid RAN strategy which integrates existing infrastructure with cloud-native solutions.
3. Samsung and Nvidia Collaborate to Develop AI-RAN
Samsung Electronics said it is working with Nvidia to advance AI-RAN technologies. "The endeavour aims to support a smooth and easy adoption of AI in mobile networks by expanding the ecosystem of Central Processing Unit (CPU) and bolstering partnerships with Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) companies," Samsung said in a joint statement on March 12.
Late last year, the two companies successfully demonstrated a proof-of-concept to verify how Nvidia's accelerated computing can be seamlessly integrated into software-based networks to help enhance AI capabilities. This was one of the key milestones achieved, which the companies highlighted, demonstrating the interoperability between Samsung's O-RAN-compliant virtualised RAN (vRAN) and Nvidia's accelerated computing, which took place in Samsung Research's lab.
Samsung said it can seamlessly deliver AI-RAN by integrating its vRAN (virtualised Distributed Unit, vDU) with Nvidia's accelerated computing into a commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) server where Samsung's vRAN software is installed.
The companies will continue exploring the best-of-breed combinations of AI-RAN options leveraging Samsung vRAN with Nvidia's Grace CPU and/or GPU-based AI platform using Compute Unified Device Architecture (CUDA) technologies. All of these are optimal for each network deployment environment — from rural, sub-urban to dense urban, the companies said.
At MWC 2025, Samsung demonstrated its AI-For-RAN innovations, including AI-based physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) estimation and non-uniform modulation, showing ways to infuse AI into mobile networks.
"While AI is reshaping the telecommunications landscape, Samsung is helping operators to build the right network architecture and environment where AI can thrive, all powered by our proven and AI-powered vRAN," said June Moon, Executive Vice President, Head of R&D, Networks Business at Samsung Electronics. "This collaboration with Nvidia signifies our continued efforts to expand GPU and CPU ecosystem, and we look forward to exploring more possibilities in the future."
"AI-RAN is a critical technology that delivers transformative gains in network utilisation, efficiency and performance, while enabling new AI services," said Ronnie Vasishta, Senior Vice President for Telecom at Nvidia. "Samsung is a frontrunner in AI-RAN development. Their vRAN expertise and software integrated with the Nvidia's AI accelerated computing will accelerate the path to AI-native wireless networks."
As one of the founding members of the AI-RAN Alliance, which was established in 2024, Samsung said it is actively participating in the advancement of AI-RAN technologies alongside academic institutions and companies like Nvidia.
Samsung also said it can empower operators with its flexible networks and enhance their competitive edge to stay at the forefront of the AI era.
4. SoftBank and OpenAI to Jointly Run AI Agents from Sakai Site - Report
Japanese telecom company SoftBank plans to sign a contract to acquire the former Sharp LCD panel plant in the city of Sakai, Osaka, Japan, for around JPY 100 billion as soon as March 14, according to Nikkei Asia, citing industry sources.
The operator is planning to use the site as a data centre to operate Artificial Intelligence (AI) agents jointly developed with US-based OpenAI. Construction will begin in fiscal 2025, with the aim of starting operations in 2026. The site's power capacity is expected to be about 150 MW at the start of operations, making it one of the largest in Japan. The capacity will be increased to 250 MW in 2028, according to the report.
AI agents are autonomous programs that can make decisions and carry out necessary tasks independently based on parameters set by users.
SoftBank reportedly concluded that the site could procure enough electricity in the long term to operate an AI data center. GPUs will likely be procured from Nvidia and the Stargate Project, a company recently launched by SoftBank Group and others to develop AI infrastructure in the US, the report said.
The Sakai facility will also develop and operate SoftBank Corp's own generative AI base model. It is also expected to be rented out to domestic companies and research institutions in Japan.
Also Read: Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison to Deploy AI-RAN in Indonesia with Nokia and Nvidia
5. LG Uplus and AWS Partner to Develop AI Cloud Services - Report
South Korea's third-largest wireless carrier, LG Uplus, has partnered with Amazon Web Services (AWS), a cloud computing subsidiary of Amazon, to develop localised AI cloud services, according to Yonhap, citing an event at MWC 2025.
The companies will collaborate in key areas, such as Korean sovereign cloud development, AI platforms and solutions and AI consulting. The first step will see LG Uplus and AWS work together to co-develop a Korean sovereign cloud to support the AI transition of public, financial and high-tech businesses in South Korea.
In the next step, the two plan to jointly develop a "work agent" to optimise LG Uplus' own small large language model (LLM), ixi-Gen, and AWS' LLM, Nova, to help Korean corporations quickly adopt AI services. Additionally, the companies will also jointly develop a "Work Agent," a tool designed to facilitate the AI transformation (AX) process for businesses.
"Through collaboration with AWS, we will address the pain points of domestic companies struggling with AX transformation," BusinessKorea quoted Kwon Yong-hyun, executive vice president and head of the Enterprise Division at LG Uplus, as saying.
Additionally, LG Uplus will participate in AWS' AI consulting organisation, as a consulting partner, specialising in sovereign cloud solutions and data security. According to the report, LG Uplus also stated that both companies plan to continue their collaboration to enhance cloud security and AI-driven business solutions.
