Etisalat Expands Relationship with Affirmed Networks to Drive Digital Operations & Automation

ACTON, Mass., July 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Etisalat, which provides innovative solutions and services in 16 countries across the Middle East, Asia and Africa, announced today that it has further expanded its partnership with Affirmed Networks by selecting and deploying Affirmed's comprehensive orchestration and automation platform. This platform will accelerate the automation of Etisalat's existing and upcoming digital services and infrastructure and pave the way for a smooth, quick rollout of 5G and Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC) services.

Known for its rich history of innovation, Etisalat first selected Affirmed Networks in 2016 to provide virtual packet core solutions, making Etisalat one of the first telco operators to deploy a fully virtualized mobile core. As the industry now prepares for widespread deployment of 5G and edge services, Etisalat is deploying Affirmed's automation capabilities to:

• Create a common activation layer across a multivendor environment capable of providing visibility and automation across the operator's mobile, fixed and enterprise offerings;
• Reduce the barriers to service creation and accelerate service activation across all of Etisalat's service offerings by leveraging Affirmed's innovative "no code" approach;
• Accelerate the deployment of next-generation virtual and cloud infrastructure including multivendor MEC and 5G.

Affirmed Networks' industry-leading orchestration and automation platform leverages CI/CD and DevOps models, enabling operators to adapt to new market requirements such as 5G at the speed of business. By offering a unique "no code" approach, operators can rapidly iterate service model creation and modification, expediting delivery of services tailored to unique customer requirements. Operators can reduce operational complexity and costs with integrated activation across all service domains.

Etisalat has also deployed the Affirmed Cloud Edge (ACE) solution in a successful proof of concept as part of their MEC implementation that is a stepping stone in Etisalat's journey towards rollout of innovative new 5G services. The deployment of MEC architectures will be critical to leveraging 4G/5G and significantly reduce latency to deliver a new breed of revenue-generating services such as virtual reality gaming, autonomous driving, augmented reality, mission critical IoT and others.

Esmaeel AlHammadi, Senior Vice President, Network Development, Etisalat said: "This strategic partnership with Affirmed Networks will focus on enhancing Etisalat's next-generation networks with advanced automation, enabling rapid provisioning of new services. This is in line with our vision and strategy to 'Drive the digital future to empower societies' by enabling digital innovation and transformation across our services and infrastructure. With Etisalat as one of the first operators to deploy a fully virtualised core, this collaboration will accelerate the deployment of virtual and cloud infrastructure including mobile edge computing and 5G."

"Etisalat has long been an industry pioneer at the forefront of deploying innovative technologies and services capable of providing the best possible customer experience," said Sanjay Mewada, Chief Strategy and Marketing Officer, Affirmed Networks. "Through their ongoing digital transformation, Etisalat has gained a first-hand understanding of how automation can simplify operations and drive network agility.  This has served as the foundation of our ongoing partnership and has allowed us to make great strides around the delivery of new digital services that will be supported by next-gen architecture and infrastructure including MEC and 5G."

Etisalat is a multinational, blue-chip organization operating in 16 countries in the Middle East, Africa and Asia, with a history of innovation within the global telecommunication industry. Through its work with Affirmed, Etisalat is continuing this track record of innovation by demonstrating how a new generation of applications and services will be delivered to their subscribers over 4G and 5G.

About Etisalat

Etisalat Group is one of the world's leading telecom groups in emerging markets, with consolidated net revenues at AED 52.2 billion and consolidated net profit of AED 8.7 billion for 2019. Its high credit ratings reflect the company's strong balance sheet and proven long-term performance. Headquartered in Abu Dhabi, Etisalat was established over four decades ago in the UAE as the country's first telecommunications service provider. An international blue-chip organisation, Etisalat Group provides innovative solutions and services to 150 million subscribers in 16 countries across the Middle East, Asia and Africa.

Website: www. etisalat.com

About Affirmed Networks

Affirmed Networks was founded to transform the future of the mobile industry. Our vEPC and cloud-based solutions are enabling Communications Service Providers (CSPs) to change the economics of deploying and scaling networks. CSPs have deployed Affirmed's NFV solutions to deliver differentiated 5G services, including mobile broadband, IoT, carrier-grade Wi-Fi roaming, connected cars and more. Proven in more than 100+ networks and over 80 countries, our NFV solutions are deployed in the world's largest networks. Affirmed Networks was acquired by Microsoft in April 2020. For more information, please visit www.affirmednetworks.com.

SOURCE Affirmed Networks

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