Internet

Accenture and MTN finalise ORAN proof-of-concept in South Africa and Nigeria, aiming to enhance customer experience and cut costs.

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."

Global telecom giants and Ericsson join forces to launch a new venture, delivering universal network APIs to accelerate app development and innovation. (Image source: Adobe Stock)

Today, some of the largest telecom operators worldwide, including América Móvil, AT&T, Bharti Airtel, Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Reliance Jio, Singtel, Telefonica, Telstra, T-Mobile, Verizon, and Vodafone, along with Ericsson, have announced the launch of a joint venture aimed at delivering network Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) on a global scale to foster innovation in digital services

Network APIs offer a streamlined way to access, utilise, and pay for network capabilities, and this initiative aims to make these APIs universally accessible across multiple telecom service providers.

Historically, the advanced functionalities of modern mobile networks have been out of reach for developers, and integrating the capabilities of numerous telecom operators has proven complex. This new venture seeks to consolidate network APIs worldwide, enabling new applications to seamlessly function on any network, thus simplifying and accelerating the innovation process for developers.

Global API revolution

The introduction of these easily accessible network capabilities will unlock new opportunities for app development, empowering developers to create novel use cases across diverse sectors. These may include fraud prevention for financial transactions and the ability to adjust streaming quality dynamically based on device status.

The venture will offer network APIs to a wide ecosystem of developer platforms, including hyperscalers (HCPs), Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS) providers, system integrators (SIs), and independent software vendors (ISVs). It will be based on CAMARA APIs, an open-source project backed by the GSMA and the Linux Foundation. Vonage and Google Cloud will also collaborate, granting access to their extensive developer ecosystems and partner networks.

With Ericsson contributing its platform and network expertise, along with its global telecom relationships, the new company aims to drive the industry forward. Telecom operators like Three Sweden (Hi3G Access) are already in talks to join, with more expected to follow, creating a significant revenue opportunity.

Pending regulatory approvals, the venture is expected to close by early 2025, with Ericsson holding 50% of the equity and the telecom providers collectively holding the remaining 50%. The venture, guided by the GSMA Open Gateway principles, will ensure an open and inclusive platform to maximise value across the industry.

Gopal Vittal, managing director and CEO, Bharti Airtel, stated, “Today marks a defining moment as the industry comes together to form a unified platform that will allow more developers and businesses to utilise our networks and explore API opportunities through open gateway principles. This move will enhance network monetisation opportunities. Airtel is delighted to partner in this initiative that will help enable the telecom sector to drive growth and innovation across the ecosystem.”

Börje Ekholm, president and CEO, Ericsson, remarked, “Today is a defining moment for the industry and milestone in our strategy to open up the network for increased monetisation opportunities. A global platform built on Ericsson’s deep technical capabilities and with a comprehensive ecosystem, that provides millions of developers with a single connection, will enable the telecom industry to invest deeper into the network API opportunity, driving growth and innovation for everyone.”

LINX expands its African interconnection platform to PAIX Data Centres Nairobi, enhancing peering and connectivity for Kenya’s digital growth. (Image source: Adobe Stock)

The London Internet Exchange (LINX) has announced its expansion into PAIX Data Centres in Nairobi, driven by growing demand from the local networking community

LINX Nairobi, a neutral, multi-location interconnection service, provides peering options that enhance network performance, redundancy, and latency reduction. Since its launch in November 2023, this Internet Exchange Point (IXP) has rapidly attracted a robust community of local ISPs, global content providers, and key partners, with increasing traffic levels.

Following extensive engagement with the local engineering community and rising interest from PAIX networks, LINX decided to scale its infrastructure just nine months after launch.

Located in Upper Hill’s Britam Tower, PAIX Nairobi NBO-1 is situated in a major business and financial district for East and Central Africa. Networks in this facility will soon be just one cross-connection away from peering with LINX Nairobi, connecting global giants like Meta and local ISPs such as ICON Fiber, Mtaani Telecom, Mymanga Networks, and PepeaNet.

Connecting Nairobi's future

LINX Nairobi’s infrastructure, supported by dual fibre connections between data centre locations, ensures resilience and redundancy. The addition of PAIX will elevate LINX’s network to a four-site interconnection hub, with installation underway and expected to go live soon.

PAIX Data Centres’ sales manager Emmanuel Makina stated, “With our cloud- and carrier-neutral datacentre located in the centre of the business district, we host communities of interest for the financial and content industries, so that includes financial services, advertising, broadcasting, and entertainment companies. The customers that host their mission critical equipment in our facility have a requirement to be online 24×7 in today’s digital economy. They all benefit from being able to connect to multiple networks, easily scale their bandwidth, reduce their connectivity costs, and have the lowest latency to their partners.”

“Further, the PAIX facility is a natural communications hub for Nairobi: in a very central location in Upper Hill, and next to Britam Tower where our customers can colocate their antennas for wireless connectivity to all parts of the city,” added Makina.

Jennifer Holmes, chief commercial officer for LINX, commented, “We didn’t expect to be expanding the LINX Nairobi network this soon, but we like to pride ourselves in our commitment to the local community. They said, we listened. By expanding the peering opportunities to the customers at PAIX we are adding value to the entire LINX Nairobi community and prospective new local and global networks who we are in talks with.”

PAIX Data Centres CEO and founder, Wouter van Hulten, emphasised their dedication to advancing Kenya’s digital infrastructure, “PAIX Data Centres is fully committed to the development of Kenya’s digital infrastructure, with support for all the latest AI hardware and software. PAIX Data Centres is invested in by Africa50, a private equity fund in which the Republic of Kenya is a shareholder. We are building and operating the infrastructure to enable Africa’s digital economy, with local datacentres, local teams, and world class operations, all essential ingredients for the developments that lie ahead. We warmly welcome LINX to the PAIX Community in Kenya.”

The teams from PAIX and LINX are available at ITW Africa in Nairobi this week to discuss network deployment strategies, peering opportunities, and much more regarding LINX Nairobi.

Liquid Intelligent Technologies upgrades its 1,300km fibre route from Mombasa to Busia, enhancing multi-terabit capacity and regional digital connectivity. (Image source: Liquid Intelligent Technologies)

In a significant development, Liquid Intelligent Technologies, part of Cassava Technologies and a leading African technology company, has upgraded its 1,300km fibre route connecting Mombasa, Kenya’s coastal city, to Busia on the Ugandan border

This upgrade brings additional multi-terabit capacity and bolsters regional resilience.

The high-speed fibre route, along with enhancements to existing routes between Kenya and Uganda, improves digital connectivity while offering greater efficiency and reliable service to multiple East African nations. Liquid’s expansion guarantees 99.99% uptime between Mombasa and the Uganda border, solidifying its position as a key player in the region’s digital transformation.

Connectivity boost

“This expansion is aligned with Liquid’s vision of a digitally connected Africa that leaves no one behind. The improved connectivity provided by this route, complementing our existing routes to the Uganda border, will support critical business sectors across the region, providing reliable, high-capacity networks essential for digital transformation and economic development. Liquid’s investment also complements the Kenyan government’s digital transformation initiatives, contributing the infrastructure and connectivity needed to develop digital superhighways and digitise services,” remarked Adil El Youssefi, CEO of Liquid Intelligent Technologies: Rest of Africa.

Kenya is fast becoming East Africa’s digital and connectivity hub, with several undersea cable providers anchoring at Mombasa’s port. Liquid’s new fibre route enhances its terrestrial fibre infrastructure, accelerating data traffic growth and further enhancing the region’s connectivity capabilities.

Utilising advanced technology, the upgraded fibre route supports multi-terabit data transmission, making it a scalable solution for Liquid’s retail, home, enterprise, and wholesale customers. It also strategically positions Liquid’s East African operations to support international hyperscalers seeking entry into Africa, taking advantage of the continent’s growth potential.

With this increased capacity, the route enhances the resilience of both land and undersea networks, ensuring seamless service even during disruptions. Liquid’s monitoring of the route ensures continuous, uninterrupted service.

With a fibre network spanning over 110,000km, Liquid is committed to enabling a connected Africa that fosters innovation, drives economic progress, and promotes socio-economic development.

Liquid’s continuous investment in fibre infrastructure is a testament to its dedication to advancing technology and innovation across Africa, empowering communities to embrace a digital future.