Zain Group recently announced its cooperation with Huawei to build a 5G and cloud-oriented, intelligent SRv6-based IP transport network, which the companies claim is the first of its kind in the Middle East.
Zain Group is a leading multinational mobile operator in the Middle East and Africa, serving 49.5 million users. Processing an average of 10,500 TB data per day across its footprint that is ever-growing, reliable connectivity through 5G services is vital for Zain in ensuring a great mobile experience for its users.
Furthermore, Zain plans to develop new services such as VR/AR and high quality private lines. This requires the transport network to support larger capacity and provide committed service level agreements (SLAs) to ensure the bandwidth and latency requirements of various services. Additionally, as the number of IP connections keeps increasing, Zain also seeks quick network deployment and accurate fault locating to achieve autonomous-driving networks.
In preparing for the launch of 5G services in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia as well as for other operations on Zain’s roadmap to launch 5G services, Zain began re-planning and re-designing transport networks in early 2019. After an in-depth analysis of the existing network and long-term aims, Zain chose to apply Huawei's committed SLA IP solution. The network slicing function of the solution can ensure bandwidth for mission-critical services in vertical industries.
The SRv6 intelligent routing function allows for deterministic paths and committed latency. The In-situ Flow Information Telemetry (iFIT) function can locate faults in minutes to ensure high availability. SRv6 features simplified network protocols, flexible programmability, slicing, simplified inter-domain transmission, and seamless support for IPv4/IPv6 services.
Mohammed Al Murshed, Core Networks Director, Zain Group
Zain plans to deploy SRv6 and slicing ready IP networks in multiple regions in 2020, and works with Huawei to build intelligent IP networks featuring ultra broadband, committed SLA, and autonomous driving function.
Daniel Tang, CTO of Huawei;s Datacom Product Line
The solution has been widely deployed in multiple leading operators around the world. Huawei anticipates making IP transport networks even more intelligent through our continued cooperation with Zain.
