MTN Nigeria’s parent company, MTN Group, announced on Wednesday that it is set to commence testing, and eventually launch its OpenRAN technology.

The South African mobile and broadband company noted that the launch of OpenRAN will enable the company to launch 4G and 5G services more quickly, cost-effectively and seamlessly

MTN Group, in its press release, said that:

“OpenRAN allows for the disaggregation of hardware and software elements of a network, enabling telcos to build a network using components with the same specifications and scale from a diverse base of vendors.”

To bring OpenRAN to life, MTN Group said it has gone into partnership with five firms to launch OpenRAN in Africa. The five firms are: namely Voyage, India’s Tech Mahindra, U.S.-based firms Altiostar, Mavenir and Parallel Wireless.

MTN said it plans to roll out OpenRAN by the end of 2021.

MTN first rolled out open-source technology in 2019 to improve rural coverage. This was in line with the company’s belief that people deserve the benefits of a modern connected life.

“To date, we have deployed over 1,100 commercial sites in more than 11 countries and were among the pioneers of open-source adoption, facilitating cost-effective deployment in unconnected areas,” MTN Group said.

Knowing that mobile network operators make use of radio access network more, MTN Group said with OpenRAN, it would reduce power consumption and emissions by modernising its radio access networks.

Read also: Opera Launches Hype – Its African Inspired Chat Services, in Kenya

The telecommunications giant added that it is targeting zero emission by 2040.

“This is a real game-changer for mobile advancement in emerging markets,” said Amith Maharaj, MTN group’s head of network planning and design.

Speaking on the benefits of OpenRAN, MTN Group Executive: Network Planning and Design, Amith Maharaj, said:

“While OpenRAN brings a new architecture to mobile networks and more suppliers to deal with, it gives telcos much-needed flexibility. This means that MTN can now look at building a network that can meet cost and capacity requirements of specific markets, or even rapidly deploy 5G and/or 4G seamlessly with existing legacy services. This is a real game-changer for mobile advancement in emerging markets.”