Accenture and MTN complete ORAN Trials

Accenture and MTN have completed a proof-of-concept to assess the potential of an Open Radio Access Network (ORAN) solution aimed at enhancing customer experience and reducing operational costs

Successful live network trials were conducted in South Africa and Nigeria, following an initial phase of testing ORAN solutions in MTN SA’s lab before moving to real-world deployment.

Accenture highlights that this solution will assist communication service providers (CSPs) in addressing various challenges, such as managing high mobile traffic, competing in a saturated market, attracting and retaining customers, and differentiating their services while also focusing on cost efficiency.

"ORAN has the potential to introduce innovation and efficiency, revolutionising how networks are built and services are delivered to customers," remarked Accenture.

Nitesh Singh, Accenture Africa's lead for communication, media, and technology, explained, "To tackle these challenges, CSPs need to invest in radio access networks to enhance performance, customer experience, and create new revenue streams. This project allowed us to collaborate with MTN, leveraging the Rakuten communications platform, and develop a next-generation network that sets new benchmarks for mobile communications in South Africa and across the continent."

MTN’s Amith Maharaj added, "We believe that ORAN will eventually allow us to significantly reduce total cost of ownership, with a wider ecosystem, and unlock the benefits of cloud-native deployments with increased flexibility and scalability."