Saudi Arabia’s 5G Revolution: Nokia and Zain KSA Launch First Live Cloud RAN Site

Nokia and Zain KSA has announced the successful completion of Saudi Arabia’s first live Cloud RAN site, a milestone that positions the Kingdom at the forefront of 5G innovation. This trial, which began on December 24, 2024 and concluded on January 26, 2025, leverages Nokia’s 5G anyRAN (Cloud RAN) solution. The site achieved peak download speeds of 1.5 Gbps when connected to Zain KSA’s 5G core network.

The live Cloud RAN site demonstrates how cloud-native architectures can boost efficiency, reduce total cost of ownership, and accelerate time to market — key factors for Communications Service Providers (CSPs) and enterprise customers looking to evolve their networks.

Saudi Arabia continues to invest in cutting-edge technologies under its national digital transformation goals. This successful Cloud RAN trial provides a flexible platform that can readily integrate solutions from multiple providers, fostering a multi-vendor ecosystem to meet fast-evolving customer demands. It also supports emerging use cases for enterprise and private-wireless applications, accelerating digital transformation across various industry verticals.

At Zain KSA, we strive to deliver transformative digital experiences that empower our customers to thrive in a fast-evolving market. Partnering with Nokia on the Kingdom’s first live Cloud RAN site allows us to explore new service models, reduce ongoing network costs, and respond more quickly to our enterprise and individual consumer demands. The increased network agility will support a wide array of new use cases, underscoring our role in driving Saudi Arabia’s digital transformation.

– Eng. Mohammed AlNujaidi, Chief Technology Officer, Zain KSA

This successful deployment of the Kingdom’s first live Cloud RAN site is a testament to Nokia’s dedication to delivering next-generation networking solutions. By introducing a fully cloud-native approach, we not only match the performance of purpose-built RAN but also create a future-ready platform that supports AI-RAN, Open RAN, and even potential 6G innovations. Our collaboration with Zain KSA showcases how cloudification can optimize resources, reduce total cost of ownership, and pave the way for new growth opportunities across multiple sectors in the Kingdom.

– Mohammad AlTayeh, Customer Team Head for Zain Group and Zain KSA, Nokia mobile networks

By delivering full feature parity with purpose-built solutions, Nokia’s Cloud RAN approach ensures no compromise on performance. The success of this trial also lays a strong foundation for future innovations, including AI-RAN, Open RAN, and potential 6G networks.