In an exclusive interview with Telecom Review, Danial Mausoof, head of sales for mobile networks, Nokia MEA, shares the latest on his company’s innovative solutions as well as its projects related to digital inclusion and enhanced connectivity.
How does Nokia address the challenges of connectivity in rural areas, and what innovative solutions are being put in place to enhance digital access?
Connectivity has a profound impact on economic development and social cohesion. While there has been growth in internet penetration globally at about 5.3 billion people, just over 34% still do not have high-speed broadband. The statistics get worse as we look at Africa, as it is the least connected continent, where only 36% of people were connected in 2022.
Nokia continues to work on many fronts in Africa to expand connectivity across the continent. First, as 5G licenses continue to be issued across Africa over the next two years, Nokia will continue to expand on the 5G coverage in urban and rural areas in partnership with the CSPs. Additionally, we continue to develop cost-effective solutions that are targeted for rural areas with lower population densities. Together with our partners, we continue to improve the total cost of ownership (TCO) of these solutions and innovate on using different backhaul solutions, including microwave links, satellite backhaul or fiber deployments, depending on the local infrastructure conditions.
How does Nokia collaborate with local governments, NGOs or other stakeholders to ensure the sustainability of inclusive rural connectivity projects?
Bridging the digital divide might seem like a marketing statement, but it is a complex task. It is crucial to understand that the digital divide includes not only physical connectivity but also an overlapping divide in digital skills, digital use, access to content, etc. The United Nations International Telecommunication Union (ITU) organizes its goals into two buckets: universal connectivity and meaningful connectivity. Collaborative approaches involving international players working closely with local and government players are needed.
Nokia plays an important role in working collaboratively with regulators and agencies to help shape policies that help promote and advocate for favorable spectrum allocation and licensing processes.
We collaborate with governments, mobile network operators and non-profit organizations in the region to extend connectivity to underserved rural areas. In addition to infrastructure deployment, Nokia has been involved in digital inclusion initiatives in Africa. This includes providing digital literacy programs and tools to help rural populations make effective use of digital technology.
Nokia has been at the forefront of empowering communities and promoting gender equality through its collaboration with United Nations Women. Since signing the Women Empowerment Principles (WEPs) in 2021, Nokia has executed successful pilots in the Middle East and Africa region. In Kenya, Nokia has continued to provide STEM education for girls and families, raising awareness about gender-based violence and planning to expand these initiatives in collaboration with UN Women and the Kenyan Ministry of Education. In South Africa, Nokia's second cycle program aimed at enabling financial independence for underprivileged women who survived gender-based violence has been met with high demand, leading to plans for a new program.
Nokia has also partnered with UNICEF and the Orange Foundation to empower young people in Morocco through digital, entrepreneurial and environmental skills, coupled with knowledge about climate change. Employees from Nokia and the Orange Foundation are contributing to this initiative through mentoring and training. This collaboration not only extends Nokia's shared value relationship but also brings tangible outcomes to Morocco.
Furthermore, Nokia and UNICEF are working together to bridge the digital divide in select parts of Senegal. More than 100 teachers and over 10,000 middle school students in underserved areas will benefit from a dedicated digital education and coding program. This initiative includes specialized sessions on digital skills, equipment upgrades, and enhanced connectivity, demonstrating Nokia's commitment to providing quality education and empowering communities across the globe. Through these collaborative efforts, Nokia continues to make a significant impact, fostering positive change and empowering individuals in diverse communities.
What are your thoughts on the future outlook and potential for innovative developments in rural connectivity, and how does Nokia intend to play a role in this evolving landscape?
Africa has been facing a tough economic downturn, and the current devaluation and rising costs have pushed up opex for our customers and partners in our region. This becomes even more difficult in smaller ARPU rural areas. As per the World Bank, $100 billion is required to connect an additional 1.1 billion online by 2030. Achieving this target is a significant undertaking and will require the deployment of nearly 250,000 new 4G base stations and at least 250,000 kilometers of fiber across the region, as per the report. Given the complexity, new innovative solutions and business models are required to ensure that we continue to bridge the connectivity divide. We will continue to collaborate with operators to introduce 5G in urban areas as the licenses become available. Today, Nokia has 306 commercial 5G deals and 110 live 5G operator networks globally. We continue to focus on new business models, including RAN as a service model with the regional tower companies in Africa.
Our focus on energy-efficient solutions such as Rural Connect allows a quick return on investment and plays a critical role in new business models, like RAN infrastructure sharing arrangements and Network-as-a-Service (NaaS), to lower the TCO.
What progress is Nokia making in the realm of Cloud RAN, and what benefits have been noted in terms of network performance and flexibility?
Nokia has been very actively driving cloud RAN development at the global and regional level and has announced a number of collaborations and pilots with major operators. At Nokia, we believe that the networks of the future will be hybrid, with a mix of cloud RAN and purpose-built RAN. In this context, it is crucial that cloud RAN networks not only enhance flexibility and automation while enabling new use cases but also maintain the carrier-grade performance standards currently provided by purpose-built networks. That’s why Nokia’s approach to cloud RAN is to enable seamless coexistence with purpose-built RAN systems by offering feature parity between the two while maintaining consistent performance based on Nokia's leading inline acceleration. Finally, Nokia announced advanced collaborations with the main server makers and hyperscalers that enable a collaborative advantage for our CSP and enterprise customers and allow them to translate it into more efficiency and flexibility in their operations.