Accenture, MTN conclude ORAN solution trials for SA, Nigeria
Accenture and MTN have wrapped up a proof-of-concept to evaluate the capabilities of an Open Radio Access Network (ORAN) solution, in order to improve customer experience while reducing costs.
Two successful trials of the live network were completed in South Africa and Nigeria.
An initial trial phase exploring ORAN solutions was conducted in MTN SA’s lab, prior to the live site deployment.
According to Accenture, the solution will help communication service providers (CSPs) deal with a range of issues, including high mobile telephone traffic, a fiercely competitive market, pressure to add and retain customers, and differentiate services, while also struggling to save costs.
“ORAN has the potential to bring disruptive innovation and efficiencies, transforming the way we build networks and deliver services to customers,” says Accenture.
Nitesh Singh, communication, media and technology lead for Accenture Africa, adds: “To overcome these challenges, CSPs must invest in the radio access network, which will help them improve their network performance, customer experience and develop new sources of revenue.
“This project provided us with an opportunity to share our experience with MTN through the Rakuten communications platform and to jointly create the next-generation network that will set new standards for future mobile communications in South Africa and across the continent.”
MTN spokesperson Amith Maharaj says: “We are confident that in time, ORAN holds the potential to enable us to significantly lower the total cost of ownership with an expanded ecosystem and unlock the benefits of cloud-native deployments with greater flexibility and scalability.”