Kazakhstan’s Kcell selects Ericsson as 5G RAN partner

Kazakhstan's largest communications service provider, Kcell, has extended its partnership with Ericsson to drive the widespread adoption and development of 5G technology and related services throughout the country.

"We are excited to extend our partnership with Kcell as it marks a significant milestone towards positioning Kazakhstan at the forefront of Eurasia telecommunications innovation. We are building a network of the future that will not only offer superior connectivity for Kcell customers but also deliver an innovation platform that can help to transform industries and pave the way to a more connected digital society, fostering economic growth and societal advancement," said Andrea Missori, Head of South East Mediterranean and Eurasia, Ericsson.

As part of the multi-year collaboration, Kcell will deploy Ericsson's state-of-the-art 5G technology over a significant area encompassing at least 50% of Kazakhstan's territory.

The partnership will see the implementation of a single radio access network (RAN) approach for the 5G deployment, which involves the seamless integration of 5G into the existing 2G, 3G and 4G infrastructure. This approach maximizes the efficient use of network resources and simplifies the transition to the new technology, according to Ericsson.

In addition to improving speed, latency, reliability, the density of devices, and power consumption, 5G has the potential to create new services and applications such as virtual and augmented reality (AR/VR), industrial Internet of things (IIoT), and real-time control of robots, unmanned vehicles and drones, noted Askhat Uzbekov, Chairman of the Management Board of Kcell.

Additionally, 5G can be used for fixed wireless access (FWA) in hard-to-reach locations - where it is not physically possible to lay internet cables due to complex terrain. It can either replace or complement the wired "last mile" for residential and business customers.

"The operator can create and provide digital services itself, i.e., it can be a provider of end services as it is now, but it will create these services much faster and in much greater quantity and diversity than it does today. And I think cooperation with Ericsson will allow us to realize all these opportunities in the most efficient and seamless way," Uzbekov added.