stc in collaboration with Nokia, has announced the first successful commercial deployment of 5G Non-Standalone (NSA) Cloud RAN in the Middle East and Africa’s (MEA) region. This great achievement shows stc’s leading role in technology and its commitment to making Cloud RAN deployments a reality in the region.
The deployment is based on Nokia leading Cloud RAN solution, enabling a smooth transition towards a hybrid radio access networks of the future while ensuring network performances and consistency. It’s built on advanced cloud technology and modern equipment from Dell, RedHat, and Nokia to ensure the network is powerful, flexible, and efficient.
This deployment marks a significant milestone in stc’s journey to enable Cloud RAN adoption in commercial network. Furthermore, it prepares the way for future network technologies such as 6G. By leveraging Nokia’s Cloud RAN capabilities, stc is targeting to gain the benefits of Cloud RAN including network automation, programmability, architecture agility and flexibility as well as the introduction of new services and use cases.
Haitham AlFaraj, Group Chief Technology Officer at stc, said: " This deployment underscores stc's strategic vision to lead the evolution of Cloud RAN technologies, which serve as a foundation for driving digital transformation across the region. By prioritizing flexibility and scalability, stc is accelerating the shift towards cloud-native networks and laying the groundwork for the transition to AI-driven RAN, enabling smarter, more adaptive, and efficient networks for the future."
Mikko Lavanti, Senior Vice President for MEA Mobile Networks at Nokia, said: “This milestone enhances stc's role in driving innovation and reinforcing Saudi Arabia's role as a key technological hub in the Middle East region. By supporting future-proof, cloud-based and open network topologies, Nokia’s AnyRAN approach enables operators and enterprises to unlock the full potential of advanced network solutions and accelerate their digital transformation journeys.”
Tibor Fabry-Asztalos, Senior Vice President & Product Engineering for Telecom Systems Business, Dell Technologies, said: "stc’s network cloud transformation, supported by our collaboration with Nokia and Red Hat, provides the foundation for Middle East and Africa’s first 5G Cloud RAN deployment and will help accelerate new opportunities for businesses across the region."
Source: stc Press Release
