Zain KSA and Huawei Announce the Launch of 5G LAN Network in MENA

During the MWC22 Barcelona, Zain KSA and Huawei released the joint innovation achievement on the first 5G LAN network in Middle East and North Africa. This means Zain KSA is capable of commercial deployment and large-scale replication of 5G private networks, so it can bring more diversified digital services to the local 5GtoB market.

5G now has become an important part of global ICT infrastructure, which not only accelerates digital transformation of various industries, but also brings some challenges. For example, on industrial networks, industry terminals communicate at Layer 2 through a LAN. To implement wireless communication, ARs are required for network protocol conversion and interconnection. This makes the network architecture more complex and increases O&M costs. How to simplify the network architecture is challenging the industry.

5G LAN is a key technology to enable the application of 5G in vertical industries. It neglects the requirement for ARs and can help customers achieve seamless 5G network convergence without changing the network topology, configurations, and applications. 5G LAN enables a simplified network architecture, efficient deployment, and centralized network O&M. Leveraging both 5G LAN and MEC advantages can address the reconstruction requirements of conventional wired networks in vertical industries as well as the differentiated and deterministic network requirements.

At MEC Forum and Achievements Release during MWC22 Barcelona, Zain KSA and Huawei exchanged ideas on the joint innovation plan in the near future. Based on Zain KSA’s leading achievements with 5G LAN, the two parties are planning to promote the maturity of 5G LAN and MEC technologies and develop replicable scenario-based solutions, so as to bring a high-quality experience and innovative services to enterprises.

“Our journey is driving forward digital transformation in the Kingdom. Today, Zain KSA plays a pivotal role in empowering a digital society and in pursuing the transition towards a digital economy, towards accelerating nationwide digital transformation. We will continue to focus on exploring the new technology capability, such as 5G LAN, backed by our partnerships with the global tech leader Huawei, to achieve our objectives in promoting economic growth and sustainable development, in line with Saudi Vision 2030.”

Abdulrahman bin Hamad AlMufadda, CTO, Zain KSA

Huawei and Zain will continue to explore the MEC field and promote the in-depth integration of 5G and industry technologies. Together, the two sides will work with local partners to boom the 5G MEC ecosystem, helping enterprises transform and upgrade and boosting the digital economy.