KUWAIT CITY, Feb 10: Zain, Kuwait’s leading technology innovator, and Parallel Wireless, the foremost provider of Open RAN hardware-agnostic solutions, have successfully completed a pioneering 5G Standalone (SA) Proof of Concept (POC). This achievement underscores Zain’s strong commitment to advancing technological innovation, further solidifying Kuwait’s position as a global leader in Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
The POC, which focused on Fixed Wireless Access (FWA), demonstrated impressive download speeds exceeding 1.3 Gbps, surpassing Zain’s stringent performance benchmark and setting one of the highest records in Open RAN technology to date.
This success marks a significant advancement in Open RAN technology, proving its capability to meet and surpass operator expectations in terms of performance, reliability, and scalability. It not only confirms the maturity of Open RAN but also showcases its potential to rival traditional RAN solutions in delivering next-generation network performance.
Daaji Al-Oud, Zain Kuwait’s Chief Technology Officer, commented: “We are delighted to achieve this milestone, which exemplifies Zain’s ongoing leadership in technological innovation and strengthens Kuwait’s ICT sector on both local and global fronts.”
He further added: “This achievement underscores our efforts to integrate the latest advanced solutions that propel the transformation of our telecom infrastructure, preparing us for the future of 5G networks. With download speeds exceeding 1.3 Gbps for 5G SA, this accomplishment reinforces our leadership in the Kuwaiti market.”
Al-Oud continued: “We are enthusiastic about Open RAN’s potential to shape the future of 5G networks. Moreover, the energy savings of over 35% align with Zain’s sustainability goals and contribute to our net-zero ambition by 2050.”
Bassem A. Jalil, Vice Chairman and CEO of METCO, said: “Our expert team provided crucial on-ground support, enabling Parallel Wireless to showcase its innovative Open RAN technology, which played a key role in the successful execution of the trial. This milestone reflects METCO’s commitment to delivering next-generation connectivity solutions across the region.”
Steve Papa, CEO and Founder of Parallel Wireless, stated: “Zain’s proactive approach in embracing Open RAN sets them apart as a leader in driving innovation. This POC demonstrates the capabilities of our hardware-agnostic design and illustrates Open RAN’s real-world potential as a platform for innovation.”
During the trial, Parallel Wireless showcased its GreenRAN hardware-agnostic technology. By utilizing AMD EPYC CPUs, the trial achieved over 35% energy savings compared to legacy benchmarks, illustrating the efficiency of open antenna platforms in delivering both high performance and reduced energy consumption.
The POC also demonstrated seamless operation across two Kubernetes platforms—SUSE and AWS—highlighting the flexibility and interoperability of Open RAN. Additionally, the trial validated CU-DU separation based on ORAN Split Option 2, enhancing network scalability and operational efficiency.
METCO played a vital role in ensuring the successful execution of this milestone project, overseeing discussions and project management to ensure smooth collaboration between all parties involved.
