Page 54 - SAMENA Trends - November-December 2019

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rebalancing, and optimized disaster applications, such as Nokia CloudBand edge computing, customers are adopting
recovery across data centers and clouds. Application Manager and Nokia Smart Plan VMware’s container-ready Telco Cloud
This will enable customers to embrace Suite, along with virtual IMS, virtual packet supported by innovative efforts like Project
a multi-cloud strategy to unify network core and session border controller are Maestro multi-domain orchestrator. We
and IT environments and connect them already certified for operations in VMware are delighted to partner with Nokia to
to private enterprise clouds, edge clouds, cloud environments. Dr. Alex Jinsung enable faster deployment of Nokia virtual
and public clouds. Nokia will continue Choi, Senior Vice President, Strategy & and containerized virtual functions on
to focus on the technical certification of Technology Innovation, Deutsche Telekom, VMware cloud infrastructure, ultimately
Nokia VNFs and software applications on said: “We are pleased to see Nokia and helping our customers prepare their telco
VMware vCloud NFV platform through a VMware come closer together to enable cloud networks for the future.” Bhaskar
dedicated, on-site VMware Ready for NFV a more seamless deployment of Nokia Gorti, President of Nokia Software, said:
Certification Lab. The new lab includes VNFs and CNFs on VMware’s Telco Cloud “In today’s digital era, communications
performance characterization to enable platform. We see great value in these service providers expect software
CSPs to properly configure their technology two companies’ portfolios featuring solutions to be cloud-native and hardware-
environments for the best results. With greater interoperability and believe the agnostic, with multi-vendor and multi-
the Certification Lab, Nokia and VMware contribution this expanded partnership network capabilities built in. The expanded
will serve customers in an accelerated will make to a viable ecosystem will help partnership we are announcing today
fashion, keeping pace with new features us accelerate our digital transformation.” gives Nokia and VMware greater scope
and releases and enabling better roadmap Shekar Ayyar, Executive Vice President and and capacity to accelerate innovation and
alignment between the two companies’ General Manager, Telco and Edge Cloud, best anticipate and deliver against the
portfolios. Several Nokia software VMware, said: “With the advent of 5G and expectations of our mutual customers.”

Nokia and Zain’s 5G Launch Improves Digital Life Across KSA

Nokia says the recent launch of 5G with together on 5G in KSA since the companies to 4,000 sites, then in October 2019 they
Zain in KSA plays an important role signed a Memorandum of Understanding launched their 5G networks and services
contributing to the government’s National back in 2017. In June 2019, the companies that covered multiple cities including
Transformation Plan 2020 and Saudi Vision firmed up the relationship with a three- Jeddah and the holy city of Mekkah. This
2030. Zain and Nokia have been working year, end-to-end contract to roll-out 5G saw the Zain-Nokia partnership rolling
out more than 1,000 5G sites in the three-
month period. The first phase of 5G
deployment will provide a network of 2,000
sites to cover a total of 26 Saudi cities
by the end of 2019. As well as enhancing
mobile broadband services in KSA, the
ultra-high bandwidth and low-latency
5G network provided by Zain will enable
new applications and services offering
advanced industrial automation, improved
education, healthcare, entertainment
and immersive Virtual Reality services,
similar to the services offered at Hajj this
year. This is central to a wider national
strategy designed to improve the digital
infrastructure and digital life of the
country and will ensure widespread socio-
economic benefits across KSA.

54 NOVEMBER 2019