Safaricom Telecommunication Ethiopia Plc, on Monday, announced a partnership with VMware (NYSE: VMW) to drive cloud adoption and transform its Ethiopian business.
VMware Telco Cloud Platform enables service providers to rapidly deploy and efficiently operate multi-vendor CNFs and VNFs with agility and scalability across 5G and other networks that span from the core and the edge to the radio access network (RAN).
“Building a world-class network in Ethiopia will unlock its economic potential as well as build a positive future for people across the country. We aim to contribute to the country’s digital transformation and inclusion for Ethiopians working with our partners. VMware Telco Cloud Platform will provide a robust platform for the deployment of all network functions while also enabling flexibility as we scale and expand services.” Pedro Rabacal, Chief Technology Officer at Safaricom Ethiopia, said.
Safaricom Telecommunication Ethiopia Plc, which is part of an international consortium named the Global Partnership for Ethiopia, was granted the second Unified Telecommunication Service License in July 2021.
Sanjay Uppal, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Service Provider and Edge, VMware, said the project is unique as Safaricom Ethiopia does not need to contend with legacy technology and architectures.
Safaricom Ethiopia unveiled its first China-assembled $100 million data centre in Addis Ababa as it gears up to launch its commercial operations in Ethiopia.
Mr Rabacal, notes that the data centre is not the only significant milestone achieved in February.
𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 for @SafaricomET! We 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐎𝐍 our own first self-built site today! We're speeding towards commercial launch.The site is 𝟐,𝟑 & 𝟒𝐆 enabled.
#WeAreBuilding #DigitalEthiopia pic.twitter.com/Jhlp6dUDEb— Pedro Rabaçal (@pedrorabacal1) February 18, 2022
“On February 5, the first successful voice call was made using Safaricom’s network with the code ‘07’. Text messaging, internet access, and other network services followed successfully,” he disclosed.
Safaricom intends to establish two more data centres, one in Addis Ababa and another in Adama, and erect more than 7,000 network towers.
“Our intention is to bring everything to Ethiopia. Our cloud is here, the M-Pesa platform will also be hosted in the country.We have been getting ready with the intention of providing our core services in country.” @pedrorabacal1 #DigitalEthiopia pic.twitter.com/5hPLNIO9uq
— Safaricom Ethiopia (@SafaricomET) February 22, 2022
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