MTN Uganda has disclosed that it has signed a five-year strategic partnership deal with Huawei Technologies to transform and modernise its network towards a Cloud-native 5G-Capable Core network.
According to the pair, the partnership, dubbed MUNA project, is part of the greater MTN Group MUNIC strategy to see MTN Uganda’s network evolve into an All-Cloud Core network.
BMA understands that this initiative will allow MTN Uganda to have a future-oriented network with greater service agility, innovation for both consumer and industrial verticals, differentiation, improved operational efficiency and better customer experiences with higher data speeds and reduced latency. In addition, it further accelerates MTN’s Ambition 2025 strategic objective of leading digital transformation in Africa through innovation that will step-change businesses in Africa.
Commenting on the partnership, Ali Monzer, the Chief Technical and Information Officer at MTN Uganda, said, “Through this project, we are modernising our core network to get ready for 5G in the near future in Uganda. However, this modernisation will also help us immediately deliver a better quality of our voice network.”
MTN Uganda Chief Executive Officer, Sylvia Mulinge, notes that the MUNA partnership with Huawei makes MTN’s core network battle-ready for the forthcoming 5G launch.
She said, “As MTN Uganda, we have always been the front-runner of evolving technology in this country. In 2020, we were the first operator in East Africa to do a successful 5G network demonstration. While that was a non-commercial exhibition, this network modernisation is a precursor of the 5G capabilities that Uganda will experience soon.”
Also commenting, Dr Chris Baryomunsi, Minister for ICT & National Guidance, Uganda, said, “I welcome the collaboration between MTN Uganda and Huawei Technologies. We are soon launching the transition to 5G. This will not only help MTN, but other telecom companies as well to have improved Quality of Service. In this digital transformation journey, we are running as a country to keep pace with the rest of the world.”
Gavin Gaofei, the Managing Director at Huawei Uganda, stated that modernisation and innovation for greater technology-enabled service propositions require sustainable partnerships and enabling ecosystems.
“We at Huawei Technologies are proud to cement our 20 Year strategic partnership with MTN Uganda with yet another future-oriented Cloud-native 5G Core network initiative,” Gaofei added.
