du, AWS, and Nokia Partner to Advance 5G Cloud RAN in the UAE

du, the leading telecom and digital services provider in the UAE, has announced a strategic collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Nokia to drive innovation through the cloudification of its Radio Access Network (RAN). This initiative is set to accelerate digital transformation across the region by enhancing network flexibility and efficiency.

During Mobile World Congress 2025, AWS and Nokia are jointly showcasing a 5G Cloud RAN solution at the AWS booth, featuring Nokia’s vDU hosted on an AWS Graviton3 Outposts server. This demonstration supports du’s vision of delivering advanced services and exceptional network performance to customers and industries across the UAE.

Saleem AlBlooshi, Chief Technology Officer at du, said: “Our collaboration with Nokia and AWS supports our ambitions to deliver exceptional network performance and innovative services. 5G Cloud RAN will enhance our network’s efficiency and flexibility, enabling us to explore new opportunities and services that provide real value to our customers and society at large.”

As part of this collaboration, du will deploy Nokia’s Cloud RAN solution utilizing AWS cloud services to develop key use cases in wireless networks and RAN Edge. This setup will provide du with the flexibility to introduce Cloud RAN alongside its purpose-built network, ensuring feature and performance consistency.

The solution leverages a microservices-based Cloud RAN software running on AWS Outposts, combining the strengths of AWS and Nokia technologies to maximize spectral efficiency, performance, and feature parity.

By integrating the AWS cloud continuum into du’s 5G network, the solution extends to the far edge, delivering a unified automation, observability, and security framework. This ensures faster time-to-market for monetizing new use cases. du will also test centralized and distributed workloads using AWS Outposts at RAN sites and plans to utilize Amazon EKS and AWS Telco Network Builder (TNB) for scalable deployment management and automation.

Amir Rao, Director for Telco 5G at AWS, commented: “AWS is proud to collaborate with du and Nokia to support the cloudification of du’s network. With our Graviton3-based ARM RAN server, we bring the best of AWS services to the far edge, ensuring low latency, security, and operational excellence for critical RAN software.”

Mark Atkinson, Senior Vice President and Head of Radio Access Networks at Nokia, added: “This successful collaboration with du and AWS demonstrates that our anyRAN approach delivers scalable benefits through hybrid and cloud-based RAN architectures. In the dynamic UAE market, we help drive Cloud RAN evolution to unlock new revenue models and monetization opportunities.”

This collaboration underscores du’s commitment to a hybrid RAN strategy, seamlessly integrating its existing purpose-built infrastructure with cloud-native solutions. The hybrid approach not only boosts flexibility and scalability but also supports the UAE’s growing demand for advanced edge use cases and industry-specific applications in sectors such as manufacturing, energy, and logistics, powered by AI and machine learning technologies.