African Mobile Network Operator MTN in collaboration with IT services company Accenture, has announced the successful completion of a Proof-of-Concept (PoC) to evaluate the capabilities of Open Radio Access Network (ORAN) solutions in live networks, aimed at improving customer service while reducing costs. According to local media reports, two live network trials were conducted in South Africa and Nigeria.
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Significance of ORAN for CSPs
The PoC included a comprehensive laboratory trial at MTN South Africa's Johannesburg facility, highlighting the potential for communication service providers (CSPs) to adapt to increasing mobile traffic, intense market competition, and the need to differentiate services while retaining customers and cutting costs.
"ORAN offers the flexibility and scalability to overcome these challenges, transforming how networks are built and services are delivered," shared the Managing Director for Communications and Media at Accenture South Africa in a LinkedIn post.
Commitment to Innovation and Cost Efficiency
"CSPs must invest in radio access networks to improve network performance, enhance customer experience, and unlock new revenue streams. This project provided an opportunity to partner with MTN and explore ORAN through the Rakuten Communications Platform, helping create the next generation of mobile communications in South Africa and across Africa," the MD's post added.
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"MTN remains committed to leveraging innovative technologies like ORAN to lower costs and deliver greater value to customers. This project underscores ORAN's potential to significantly reduce total cost of ownership while expanding the ecosystem, thus unlocking the benefits of cloud-native deployments with greater flexibility and scalability," the post concluded.
