Rakuten Mobile has announced this week that it's set to begin Open RAN testing with Ukrainian telco Kyivstar.
The Japanese operator said the two companies will begin in-country laboratory testing of the technology.
Kyivstar, a subsidiary of Veon Group, signed an Open RAN partnership with Rakuten last year for the deployment of Rakuten Symphony's Open RAN technology within its network.
Rakuten notes that Kyivstar, Ukraine's biggest carrier with 24 million mobile subscribers, will conduct testing of software from Rakuten Symphony’s RAN portfolio along with its Cloud-Native Platform in a controlled laboratory environment.
The development of Open RAN is seen as a key step in the company's long-term strategy to deploy critical digital infrastructure, amid Ukraine's war with Russia.
The goal of Open RAN networks is to mix and match vendors and technology providers to diversify supply chain security, promote competition, and drive cost efficiencies.
"We believe in the potential of Open RAN to rebuild Ukraine’s digital infrastructure for the future," said Kaan Terzioglu, Group CEO of Veon. "The start of in-country testing is a critical milestone, and we hope to accelerate our collaboration further upon its successful completion.”
Last month, Veon signed a Letter of Intent to move ahead with plans to float Kyivstar in the US.
According to Veon, the opportunity to become listed in the US would enable the company to attract international investors to support the company's growth and push Ukraine's economy.
Last year, Veon increased its investment in the carrier to $1 billion for the period between 2023 and 2027.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Kyivstar has built 1,895 new LTE base stations and upgraded about 13,200 existing base stations to 4G.
The telco has added more than 4,100 residential areas to 4G coverage, noting that 95 percent of the population of territories controlled by Ukraine have access to 4G services on Kyivstar's network.
By the end of 2026, Kyivstar wants to cover 98 percent of the population with 4G coverage.
