Ericsson and Turkcell strengthen partnership with 5G Cloud RAN test implementation and 5G Evolution

• Ericsson and Turkcell have successfully completed a trial deployment of Ericsson 5G Cloud RAN technology.
• Turkcell is one of the first communications service providers in the world to try out this technology.
• By deploying Ericsson's 5G Cloud RAN technology, Turkcell will benefit from greater flexibility and scalability of its network, enabling it to roll out next-generation services more quickly.

With the aim of improving connectivity and network capabilities, Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) and Turkcell (NYSE: TKC; BIST: TCELL) today announced a successful trial implementation of Ericsson 5G Cloud Radio Access Network (RAN) technology on Turkcell's network. With the launch, Turkcell is one of the first communications service providers (CSPs) worldwide to trial this technology.

As part of this trial, Ericsson provided hardware and software and conducted demonstrations, test cases and performance evaluations. The deployment of Ericsson 5G Cloud RAN will provide Turkcell with greater flexibility and scalability, enabling faster deployment of innovative services to the market.

Ericsson Cloud RAN is a cloud-native solution that virtualizes RAN functions and decouples hardware from software, providing new opportunities for CSPs looking to implement cloud-native technology and open network architecture to scale and drive network efficiency and virtualization.

With the adoption of Cloud RAN technology, Turkcell aims to introduce new software features and integrate an Open RAN approach into its Service Management and Orchestration (SMO) framework. In addition, rApps will enable the company to enhance network management capabilities for both Cloud RAN and purpose-built deployments. The implementation of Cloud RAN is expected to increase flexibility and agility and unlock new capabilities through centralized deployments.

Prof. Dr. Vehbi Çağrı Güngör, Chief Network Technologies Officer at Turkcellsays: “As one of the first examples in the world, the 5G Cloud RAN technology trial conducted with Ericsson will help strengthen Turkcell’s strategy to cloudify its network operations. This initiative, which represents a new step in Turkcell’s technological leadership, will also support our transition to an Open RAN network strategy and enhance the enhanced connectivity experience we offer in Turkey. At Turkcell, we are committed to investing in innovative technologies to provide our customers with reliable and high-quality services. Our consistent investments in our long-standing partnership with Ericsson are a testament to our shared vision to support customers and drive digital transformation in the country.”

Işıl Yalçın, Vice President and Head of Ericsson Türkiye at Ericsson Middle East and Africasays: “The Cloud RAN trial with Turkcell strengthens our partnership and reflects our shared commitment to drive Turkey's digital transformation and innovation goals. Our Cloud RAN solution is designed to provide the flexibility and performance required for modern networks while improving overall scalability. This trial is in line with Ericsson's strategy to help our customers transform their networks into a platform that enables new monetization cases through open APIs. With this Cloud RAN trial deployment, we have demonstrated the technology's potential to more dynamically deploy, manage and upgrade Turkcell's network.”

The partnership between Turkcell and Ericsson builds on a long-standing relationship between Ericsson and Turkcell dating back to 1994. Recently, the companies collaborated on research into W-band solutions to demonstrate how the evolution of mobile backhaul can meet the increasing demand for broadband services.