Continuing a busy week for Nokia in terms of news headlines, operator Zain Iraq has announced a strategic partnership with the technology giant to upgrade its network in the south of Iraq.
Nokia says the three-year deal marks its first entry into the microwave (MW) business with Zain Iraq, enhancing network capacity and modernising infrastructure to support future growth and increased traffic demand.
The deployment will begin immediately, with a focus on optimising network performance and ensuring scalability to accommodate future growth.
Nokia says its solutions will help Zain Iraq to expand network capacity and enhance customer experience while paving the way for future innovations in the region.
Zain Iraq has been experiencing increasing demand for its data services – hence this expansion. Nokia says it will implement its state-of-the-art microwave technology, including the latest E-band solutions, to upgrade Zain Iraq's MW backbone.
This upgrade will increase network capacity and prepare the network for an anticipated data surge driven by rising customer usage.
This deal involves swapping out competitor equipment and introducing Nokia's high-capacity microwave solutions. Central to this deployment is the UBT-T XP version, which offers the highest transmit power in the market. This technology reduces antenna sizes and tower load, delivering significant capital expenditure (capex) and operational expenditure (opex) savings.
Emre Gurkan, CEO of Zain Iraq, says: “Our partnership with Nokia enables us to overcome capacity limitations and modernise our network infrastructure. With Nokia's advanced microwave technology and E-band solutions, we are not only resolving current challenges but also future-proofing our network for future growth.”
