VEON’s Beeline Uzbekistan and Rakuten Symphony Partner for Open RAN, AI Collaboration

Core Insights - VEON Ltd. and Rakuten Group have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to explore strategic collaborations aimed at enhancing Uzbekistan's digital economy, focusing on Open RAN development, AI-powered network intelligence, and next-generation digital platforms [1][2][3] Group 1: Partnership Details - The MoU establishes a framework for collaboration on network deployment, optimization, and digital services, utilizing Rakuten's software stack and platform expertise [2] - The collaboration will assess opportunities in Open RAN architecture, AI-driven network operations, cloud solutions, and global IoT connectivity [3] Group 2: Market Position and Impact - Beeline Uzbekistan serves 7.7 million mobile subscribers and over 9 million monthly active users, positioning itself as a leader in Uzbekistan's digital growth [4] - The partnership aims to leverage Beeline Uzbekistan's market position and Rakuten Symphony's experience in cloud-native networks to enhance digital services [4][5] Group 3: Strategic Goals - The collaboration is expected to support Uzbekistan's ambition to become a digital economy leader in Central Asia by building necessary infrastructure and platforms [5] - The partnership builds on previous collaborations between VEON and Rakuten in Ukraine and Kazakhstan, demonstrating the scalability of VEON's approach in emerging markets [5]