5G advanced in Saudi Arabia with launch of first live Cloud RAN site
JEDDAH: The Saudi telecom sector is set to advance with the launch of its first live Cloud Radio Access Network site, marking a significant step in the Kingdom's 5G innovation.
Finnish technology company Nokia and Zain KSA announced on March 25 the completion of the site, which achieved peak download speeds of 1.5 gigabits per second when connected to the telecom company's 5G core network.
The trial commenced on Dec. 24 and concluded on Jan. 26, according to a statement.
As part of its national digital transformation strategy, Saudi Arabia is investing in advanced technologies, with the successful Cloud RAN trial highlighting the potential of a flexible, multi-vendor ecosystem to meet evolving customer demands and support emerging enterprise applications.
This innovation, along with Vision 2030 initiatives, is expected to drive the value of the 5G sector in the Kingdom to $13.41 billion by 2029, up from $2.1 billion in 2023, according to TechSci Research.
Mohammed Al-Nujaidi, chief technology officer at Zain KSA, said the company strives to deliver transformative digital experiences that empower its customers to thrive in a fast-evolving market.
'Partnering with Nokia on the Kingdom's first live Cloud RAN site allows us to explore new service models, reduce ongoing network costs, and respond more quickly to our enterprise and individual consumer demands,' he said.
The CTO added: 'Increased network agility will support a wide array of new use cases, underscoring our role in driving Saudi Arabia's digital transformation.'
Mohammad Al-Tayeh, customer team head for Zain Group and Zain KSA at Nokia mobile networks, said that the deployment of the Kingdom's first live Cloud RAN site is a testament to Nokia's dedication to delivering next-generation networking solutions.
'By introducing a fully cloud-native approach, we not only match the performance of purpose-built RAN but also create a future-ready platform that supports AI-RAN, Open RAN, and even potential 6G innovations,' Al-Tayeh said.
He further noted that the partnership with Zain KSA showcases how cloudification can enhance resource optimization, lower the total cost of ownership, and unlock new growth opportunities across various sectors in the Kingdom.
This deployment highlights the potential of cloud-native architectures in enhancing network efficiency, reducing total cost of ownership, and accelerating time-to-market — key benefits for communications service providers and enterprise customers seeking to modernize their networks.
Nokia's Cloud RAN approach ensures peak performance by delivering full feature parity with purpose-built solutions. The trial also lays a strong foundation for future innovations, including AI-RAN, Open RAN, and potential 6G networks.
In January, Nokia announced it had partnered with Zain KSA to launch the first 4G/5G Femtocell solution in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East and Africa region, aimed at improving mobile coverage and optimizing connectivity for enterprise customers.
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