MTN South Africa Completes 5G-Ready Core Network Modernization with Ericsson
MTN South Africa has completed a significant modernization of its core network, partnering with Ericsson to implement real-time dynamic policies for 5G non-standalone and enhance its Policy Control Function (PCF). This marks a crucial step in building a future-ready network for South Africa.
The modernization, in line with their core network modernization agreement, saw MTN and Ericsson achieve a world-first by successfully conducting an In-Service Software Upgrade (ISSU) of an Ericsson Packet Core Gateway (PCG) node without disrupting user sessions or data flow. This was followed by a Container-as-a-Service Rolling Upgrade (CaaS-RU) on the Cloud Container Distribution (CCD), maintaining approximately 2 million active sessions without any disruption.
Other functions were upgraded to run on virtualized infrastructure powered by Ericsson NFVI. The network expansion included the addition of Ericsson's cloud-native Cloud Core Policy Controller (CCPC), bolstering MTN's session, mobility management, and policy control capabilities. This modernization brings benefits such as reduced latency, enhanced data throughput, and an improved overall user experience in South Africa's mobile infrastructure.
Solomzi Mnyaka, General Manager Network Services Engineering & L2 Support, MTN SA, hailed the modernization as a significant stride towards a modern, future-ready network. Sandile Dhlomo, Head, Ericsson South Africa, echoed this, stating that the solution lays the groundwork for future 5G Standalone. The collaboration between MTN South Africa and Ericsson has not only modernized the core network but also set a new benchmark in Africa with the first in-service software upgrade of an Ericsson Packet Core Gateway node without interrupting user sessions or data traffic.
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