Middle East telco Ooredoo Group announced it has selected Huawei to make its network fully 5G-enabled in Oman, Indonesia, Tunisia and Maldives over the next five years, the telco said in a release.
Under the terms of the deal, Huawei will deploy its 5G SingleRAN radio solution with advanced massive MIMO technology and 5G cloud core solution with a convergent platform to achieve a full digital transformation and modernization of Ooredoo’s existing mobile networks.
5G services have already been launched by Ooredoo in Kuwait in collaboration with Huawei. Currently, Ooredoo is speeding up the delivery of more network stations to be 5G-ready in Kuwait and Oman. The carrier also said it will launch 5G commercial services in additional countries across the Ooredoo footprint during 2020.
“With Huawei’s leading 5G network solution, we will be able to improve our network’s operation efficiency and provide limitless opportunities to our customers. Users will enjoy a more streamlined and personalized experience and businesses will be empowered to develop the smart, connected cities of the future,” said Waleed Al Sayed, deputy group CEO and CEO of Ooredoo Qatar.
“Through this strategic partnership, we will support Ooredoo to achieve high 5G performance services for consumers, households and vertical industries in line with our commitment to build a fully connected and intelligent world,” said Ryan Ding, executive director of the board and president of the carrier business group at Huawei.
In a recent event with partners and media in London, Huawei said it has 91 commercial 5G contracts to date. The company added that it has already shipped over 600,000 5G Massive MIMO active antenna units (AAUs).
“Last year, at this event, I said Huawei is 12-18 months ahead of its competitors,” Ding told a room of partners, analysts and media at the London showcase.
“Today, I can say Huweai has still got this leadership,” he said. In a media roundtable, later, in response to a question about where in the network stack Huawei’s lead is strongest, he said simply: “In technology.” Asked to expand, he stated: “In all technology.”
Rival vendor Ericsson recently confirmed it has already signed 81 commercial agreements or contracts with unique operators, of which 25 are live 5G networks. Some key customers include AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile US, US Cellular, Verizon, Swisscom, TDC, Telenor, Vodafone UK, Wind , Etisalat, Optus, Ooredoo, STC, KT, SK Telecom and Telstra.
Nokia reached a total of 63 commercial 5G contracts worldwide as of mid-January. The company said that some of the customers include AT&T, KDDI, Korea Telecom, LG Uplus, NTT DoCoMo, O2, SK Telecom, SoftBank, Sprint, STC, T-Mobile US, Verizon, Vodafone Italy and Zain Saudi Arabia.
Nokia highlighted that these 5G commercial contracts exclude any other type of 5G agreements, such as paid network trials, pilots or demonstrations. Including these agreements, the total number of 5G agreements would reach over 100.
