E& UAE (United Arab Emirates), the telco arm of e& group, has made some significant developments and announcements at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2024 in Barcelona. These announcements include a focus on 5G-Advanced and 50 GPON Networks, completion of Cloud Radio Access Network (RAN) trials, deployment of Cloud solutions, a partnership for 5G Innovation, a partnership to implement Charging features to monetize new 5G Services, and a partnership for green and energy-efficient networks. Let’s now have a look at these announcements in the story ahead.
e& UAE has officially signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Huawei to deliver a gigabit experience to the UAE. With a focus on 5G-Advanced and 50 GPON networks, e& UAE partnered with Huawei to deliver multi-gig speeds, reaching up to 10 Gbps for mobile and up to 50 Gbps for fixed users across the UAE.
e& said the MoU also lays the groundwork for enhanced computing and storage performance for e& UAE through advanced software, hardware architecture, and application acceleration engines supporting emerging services such as XR, Cloud VR, V2X, 3D video, URLLC, and Industry 4.0.
e& UAE Completes Cloud RAN trial in the UAE
e& UAE, in partnership with Ericsson, has successfully conducted a 5G data call using Ericsson’s Cloud Radio Access Network (RAN) architecture in a lab environment in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The setup included a 5G non-standalone (NSA) solution for a mid-band carrier of 100 MHz, deployed on a Massive MIMO radio, where the RAN Compute baseband function was running on commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware supported with a Selected Function Hardware Accelerator (also known as a ‘look-aside accelerator’).
e& said the proof of concept is in line with e& UAE’s increased interest in virtualization and cloud-native technologies for 5G network evolution.
e& UAE also announced that it has become the first company outside North America to deploy and reap the benefits of the Microsoft Azure Operator Nexus and Azure Operator 5G Core solutions. The AI-powered solution will enable e& UAE to streamline network service setup, automate operations, and enhance security, ultimately aiming to achieve fully automated, zero-touch network operations.
As a Microsoft partner, NEC is the prime systems integrator for the implementation. e& said the deployment of Azure Operator Nexus and Azure Operator 5G Core solutions will also bring a range of benefits to e&’s business operations in the UAE, including enabling the telco to rapidly scale its network services. At the same time, the Azure Operator 5G Core solution will provide the foundation for delivering new and innovative services to its customers.
e& and Dell Technologies have signed an MoU to support and strengthen e&’s mobile networks’ transformation to open technologies using Dell’s Open Telecom Ecosystem Lab (OTEL). According to the official release, the agreement allows e& to explore new avenues to enhance its technological capabilities and utilize the Dell OTEL environment to create, validate, and drive innovations.
Launched in 2022, OTEL is Dell’s state-of-the-art facility dedicated to developing, testing, and improving telecommunications solutions through open-source technology and vendor-neutral collaboration.
e& UAE boosts 5G capabilities with Upgradation
e& has partnered with Ericsson to implement the latest Ericsson Charging features across its network to boost 5G capabilities, monetize new 5G services, and provide enhanced experiences to customers in the UAE.
The upgrade, which reportedly began in January 2024, includes Ericsson’s specialized 5G Charging Access Function (CAF), resulting in a comprehensive 5G converged charging system by leveraging over 85 new features, including differentiated charging for new 5G Voice over New Radio (VoNR), Voice over WiFi (VoWiFi), and Video over New Radio (ViNR) services.
This will further align e& UAE’s network architecture with the 3GPP’s 5G Service Based Architecture framework by consolidating voice and data traffic into a unified access function. The modernization and the application performance enhancements will also deliver significant efficiency improvements that will help reduce the carbon footprint and OPEX, the joint statement said.
e& and Huawei Sign MoU for Green Networks
In another development announced on Wednesday, e& and Huawei signed an MoU to collaborate on building green and energy-efficient networks in the UAE to significantly reduce carbon emissions and contribute to sustainable environmental practices.
e& will continue to work with Huawei to achieve network decarbonization across its ICT infrastructure, including radio, core, and transport networks, and data centers.
e& said it will adopt a mix of Huawei’s energy-efficient technology innovations and intelligent software features, as well as maximizing the use of renewable energy.
The companies will also collaborate in hosting a series of knowledge-sharing sessions to exchange insights on climate change and the latest technological advancements and adapt and align network strategies accordingly.
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