Telecommunications company MTN South Africa and information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure and smart devices provider Huawei are joining forces to promote the large-scale application of the key capabilities of Net5.5G.

The duo signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for strategic cooperation on Net5.5G at the co-hosted Internet Protocol (IP) Day Summit in June.

The event convened experts from MTN’s network planning and Huawei’s data communications teams to discuss global network construction concepts, the latest innovative technologies and business insights in the IP field, with the aim of further improving MTN’s network resilience and service experience.

“Innovation is important for MTN and forms a key pillar in MTN network strategy,” notes MTN South Africa CTO Rami Farah.

In line with this, the MoU will lead to the joint promotion of the large-scale application of key capabilities of Net5.5G, such as 400 Gigabit Ethernet, SRv6 or Segment Routing IPv6, slicing and the Network Digital Map, to continuously improve MTN’s service experience and network availability in the mobile and business-to-business fields, as well as improve its operations and maintenance efficiency.

“The application of SRv6 and Network Digital Map has helped MTN build an IP transport network with optimal experience,” says MTN South Africa access planning and architecture GM Zoltan Miklos.

However, he says that in the cloud and 5G era MTN still faces a range of challenges in terms of service and network operations, security and reliability, besides others.

“Huawei will work with MTN to accelerate the commercial use of the next- generation IP transport network under the guidance of the Net5.5G target network,” explains Huawei data communication product line VP of metro router domain Xu Huan.

The Net5.5G target network will continue to be defined under the MoU, which will also support the sustainable development of MTN’s mobile, enterprise and home broadband services.

“Huawei looks forward to helping MTN build a leading IP transport network featuring ultra-broadband, high reliability and ultimate experience so as to help MTN achieve greater business success,” says Huawei’s IP marketing and solution sales department president Feng Su, emphasising that Net5.5G is the future of IP networks and that Huawei has made long-term investments in ultra-broadband products, network servitisation and network intelligence, besides others.

“The cooperation between MTN and Huawei will set a good example in the region, accelerate the implementation of new technologies and applications, and drive the sustainable development of regional carriers.”