An initial trial phase exploring ORAN solutions was also conducted in MTN SA's lab, prior to the live site deployment, says the duo. 

According to the duo, Communication Service Providers (CSPs) are faced with a number of issues including high mobile telephone traffic, a fiercely competitive market, pressure to add and retain customers as well as differentiate services — to mention a few — while at the same time struggling to save costs. 

ORAN has the potential to bring disruptive innovation and efficiencies, transforming the way we build networks and deliver services to our customers, says the duo. 

"To overcome these challenges, CSPs must invest in the radio access network which will help them improve their network performance, customer experience and develop new sources of revenue," says Nitesh Singh, communication, media and technology lead for Accenture, Africa.

"This project provided us with an opportunity to share our experience with MTN through the Rakuten communications platform, and to jointly create the next generation network that will set new standards for future mobile communications in South Africa and across the continent," adds Singh.

"MTN is committed to exploring innovative technological solutions to reduce the costs and deliver greater value to our customers. We are confident that in time ORAN holds the potential to enable us significantly lower the total cost of ownership with an expanded ecosystem and unlock the benefits of cloud-native deployments with greater flexibility and scalability," says Amith Maharaj, a MTN spokesperson. 

The duo concludes that Accenture and MTN will conclude the Proof-of-Concept to test the capabilities of Open Radio Access Network (ORAN) solution on Wednesday, 11 September in South Africa and Nigeria. 

For more information, visit www.accenture.com. 

*Image courtesy of contributor