Kazakh mobile operator Kazakhtelecom JSC and Swedish teleccom giant Ericsson have announced plans to cooperate for the development of 5G in Kazakhstan.
The signed memorandum defines the interaction of the parties to conduct research and develop recommendations for the migration of existing Kcell and Altel / Tele2 networks to 5G, using Ericsson's experience in conducting similar research for major customers in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. As a result of this cooperation, Kazakhtelecom JSC expects to receive recommendations on the technological strategy and minimization of the cost of ownership of the future consolidated network.
Upon completion of the study, which is estimated to last 3 months, a 5G testing program with the participation of Ericsson for 2019–2020 will be proposed. The parties also agreed to share plans and experiences on virtualization using SDN / NFV technologies and on the formation of cloud communication nodes, as well as jointly analyze opportunities for further cooperation.
“We expect that cooperation with Ericsson will allow us to get access to advanced 5G NR solutions, with the help of which we will be able to test the 5G service scenarios defined in our 5G pilot testing program. We are confident that in cooperation with Ericsson together with mature 5G NR solutions, we will be able to create, at the testing stage, open and disaggregated 5G solutions that are implemented as much as the software allowes on standard servers in our telecom cloud,” said Nurlan Meyrmanov, Managing Director of Innovations at JSC Kazakhtelecom.
The 5G pilot implementation program is designed for the period 2019-2021 and provides three phases of testing different 5G service scenarios, including fixed wireless access (FWA), enhanced broadband mobile communications (eMBB), and machine-to-machine (mMTC). The objectives of the 5G pilot implementation program also include testing the technical implementation capabilities and testing the virtualization of various 5G segments: radio access networks (vRAN) and packet core (5GC).
“Together with leading operators, we are already introducing solutions based on 5G technologies into commercial operation in different countries of the world, and have extensive experience in modernizing infrastructure in Central Asia. In Kazakhstan, we will use the most promising solutions with good commercial potential. Upon completion of the research, we will offer Kazakhtelecom a 5G testing program for 2019 - 2020. In addition, our specialists will share their experiences in the field of virtualization using SDN / NFV technologies and the formation of cloud communications hubs,” said Aydin Abzhanbekov, vice president and general director of Ericsson in Kazakhstan.
