Page 25 - SAMENA Trends - May 2025

REGIONAL & MEMBERS UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

Zain KSA Launch Saudi Arabia’s First Live Cloud RAN
Site

Nokia and Zain KSA have successfully national digital transformation goals, variety of new use cases, emphasizing
completed Saudi Arabia’s first live this successful trial provides a flexible our role in advancing Saudi Arabia’s digital
Cloud RAN site, marking a significant platform that can integrate solutions transformation.” Mohammad AlTayeh,
achievement in the country’s 5G innovation from various vendors. The project sets Customer Team Head at Zain Group, added,
journey. The trial, which took place from the stage for enterprise and private “The deployment of the Kingdom’s first
December 24, 2024, to January 26, 2025, wireless applications across numerous live Cloud RAN site underscores Nokia’s
utilized Nokia’s 5G anyRAN solution and industry sectors, reinforcing Saudi Arabia’s commitment to delivering next-generation
achieved peak download speeds of 1.5 leadership in technology. Eng. Mohammed networking solutions. By adopting a fully
Gbps on Zain KSA’s 5G core network. This AlNujaidi, Chief Technology Officer of Zain cloud-native approach, we not only achieve
live Cloud RAN site demonstrates the KSA, commented, “At Zain KSA, we are the performance of purpose-built RAN
advantages of cloud-native architectures, committed to delivering transformative but also establish a future-ready platform
including enhanced efficiency, lower total digital experiences that empower our capable of supporting AI-RAN, Open RAN,
cost of ownership, and faster deployment customers in a fast-evolving market. and even potential 6G innovations. Our
times. These improvements enable Collaborating with Nokia on the Kingdom’s partnership with Zain KSA highlights
Communications Service Providers first live Cloud RAN site allows us to explore how cloudification optimizes resources,
(CSPs) and enterprise customers to scale innovative service models, reduce network reduces total cost of ownership, and opens
their networks more efficiently while costs, and quickly respond to the needs of new growth opportunities across multiple
supporting the development of new digital both enterprise and individual consumers. sectors in the Kingdom.”
applications. Aligned with Saudi Arabia’s The added network agility will support a

Fang Rong Elected as Chairman of the Board and Xu
Ziyang Reappointed as CEO of ZTE Corporation

ZTE Corporation announced that at the finance and accounting, and operations nications operations, R&D, and manage-
first meeting of the Tenth Session of the management and sales respectively. Ms. ment. She graduated from Nanjing Institute
Board of Directors, the Resolution on the Fang Rong stated, "I am deeply honored of Posts and Telecommunications (now
Election of Chairman of the Tenth Session to take on the role of Chairman of ZTE known as Nanjing University of Posts and
of the Board of Directors was reviewed and Corporation, which is truly a profound mis- Telecommunications), specializing in Tele-
approved, with Ms. Fang Rong elected as sion. The world is undergoing an AI-driven communications Engineering. Ms. Fang
Chairman of the Board of the company. industrial revolution. Amid both opportu- began to work for Zhongxingxin in 1995
On the same day, the Tenth Session of nities and challenges, it is urgent for the and then joined ZTE Corporation in 1997.
the Board of Directors of ZTE Corporation company to transform into "connectivity + From 1998 to 2009, she served as Senior
appointed the senior management of the computing". With our collective dedication, Vice President of ZTE Corporation. She has
company. Mr. Xu Ziyang continues to serve I believe we will seize the strategic opportu- been acting as a board member of Zhongx-
as CEO of ZTE Corporation. Mr. Wang Xiyu, nities in this evolution, driving the compa- ing Development Company Limited since
Ms. Li Ying, and Mr. Xie Junshi act as Ex- ny's steady, sustainable growth, cultivating 2009 and Chairman of Xiazhi Technology
ecutive Vice Presidents, in charge of R&D, a robust talent ecosystem, and delivering Company Limited since 2021. Since 2018,
higher value for shareholders. Together she has been serving as a Non-Executive Di-
with global partners, we will accelerate rector at ZTE Corporation, and since March
the deployment and upgrade of digital and 2025, she has been working as Chairman
intelligent infrastructure, promote digital of the Board of ZTE Corporation. Under
intelligence across industries, and make her leadership, the company once yielded
intelligent experiences accessible for every notable results in the R&D and large-scale
consumer everywhere. Also, we will remain commercial use of products such as opti-
committed to green initiatives, bridge dig- cal communications, videoconferencing,
ital divides by developing AI for good and and power supply. Additionally, she played
for all and fulfill our social responsibilities a leading role for ZTE's breakthroughs in
to create a sustainable future." Ms. Fang emerging markets like India and high-end
Rong is a senior expert in the ICT industry, markets such as Europe, laying a solid
with extensive experience in telecommu- foundation for the company's globalization.
25 MAY 2025