By: Tewodros Balcha
Ethio telecom
has completed Ethiopia's first pre-commercial deployment of an artificial
intelligence-powered radio access network (AIR RAN) solution in partnership
with ZTE, marking a step in the operator's efforts to improve existing network
performance through AI-driven innovation.
The deployment
has delivered an 11% increase in 4G capacity and a 40% improvement in peak-hour
user throughput compared with the traditional solution, according to ZTE.
The technology
combines FDD Massive MIMO with ZTE's AIREngine intelligent computing engine to
enable AI-driven beam scheduling, allowing radio resources to be allocated more
efficiently in response to changing network traffic demands.
The approach is
designed to unlock additional capacity and improve data throughput using
existing network infrastructure, helping Ethio telecom respond to growing
mobile data demand while improving network efficiency.
ZTE said the
two companies had spent the past two years exploring AI-enabled approaches to
radio access network optimisation.
The deployment
supports Ethio telecom's Next Horizon: Digital & Beyond 2028 strategy and
its ambition to evolve towards an AI-powered digital enterprise. It also aligns
with Ethiopia's broader Digital Ethiopia 2030 agenda.
