Teams Indosat Ooredo and Cisco sign MoU.
Indonesian telecommunications provider Indosat Ooredoo has deepened its partnership with networking vendor Cisco in a bid to help strengthen the telco’s mobile and fibre network to support more commercial launches of 5G and high-speed connectivity services.
The two companies signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on 3 November with the intention to collaborate on the development of next-generation connectivity solutions for businesses of all sizes across the country.
The agreement follows an earlier partnership, announced in June, that saw Indosat Ooredoo work with Cisco in its first commercial deployment of segment routing over IPv6 (SRv6) technology to support the development of its 5G services across the country.
Partnering with Cisco, Indosat Ooredoo was working to transform its transport infrastructure into a state-of-the-art, programmable, 5G-ready network supported by IPv6 segment routing technology, known as SRv6, with network slicing.
The additional collaboration resulting from the new MoU will especially focus on developing appropriate technologies and solutions by developing applications that enable new services to achieve the joint strategies vision for digital transformation, the companies noted.
Signed in San Jose, California, the MoU sees Cisco gear up to work more closely with Indosat Ooredoo on its architectural transformation to help unlock the commercial potential of secure, agile connectivity solutions for businesses in Indonesia.
With the mobile and fibre network upgrades expected to arise from the partnership, it is hoped the move will enable Indosat Ooredo to provision capabilities such as low-latency, managed Wi-Fi, and managed SD-WAN technology services, which will differentiate its offerings and position in the 5G era.
The two companies will also develop use cases aimed at accelerating the deployment of next generation network connectivity and 5G services across different customer segments.
Another key element of the collaboration aims to ensure 5G preparedness that underpins Indosat Ooredoo’s commitment to a “safe and secure customer experience” throughout the country.
It is claimed that the transition to 5G is fundamental for Indosat Ooredoo’s vision going forward, as it forms the foundation for future solutions, including smart city, internet-of-things (IoT) and other vertical services.
It is expected that virtualisation and network automation will play a prominent role in the service provider’s strategic blueprint, creating a scalable network that supports the creation of new services in a fast and agile fashion.
“We are excited about the next phase of our evolution, which will pave the way for massive innovation and give rise to a new breed of services that benefit the Indonesian economy," said Ahmad Al-Neama, president director and CEO of Indosat Ooredoo.
“As businesses continue to transform and embed digital solutions to their offering, we’re proud to partner with Cisco to deliver next-generation connectivity solutions to businesses of all sizes.
“We believe that this strategic partnership will play an important role in supporting the government to accelerate digital transformation in Indonesia,” he added.
The agreement comes as Indonesia sees an increasing number of commercial launches of 5G services in the country.
It is hoped that Indosat Ooredoo’s expertise and understanding of the local market, coupled with Cisco’s global leadership in networking and 5G technologies, will create the synergies that will play a pivotal role in enabling Indonesia’s long-term vision on economic and digital transformation priorities.
“More than ever before, people, businesses, governments, and communities have come to rely on the power of connections to keep the world running,” said Sanjay Kaul, Cisco Asia Pacific and Japan service provider business president. “The internet has gone from being a must-have to a critical lifeline as the world has grappled with the pandemic over the past 18 months.
"As we look at the post-pandemic future, connectivity will play an even more critical role in every aspect of our lives.
“Our collaboration with Indosat Ooredoo will see the best of both companies come together to deliver the next-generation network infrastructure powered software-defined routed optical networks, which will enable service agility and digital value plays for small, medium, and large enterprises in the 5G era,” he added.
In September, Indosat Ooredo parent company Ooredoo Group and CK Hutchison unveiled plans to merge operations in Indonesia in a $6 billion deal designed to create a “commercially stronger” digital and telecommunications provider.
Under the new banner of Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison, the blockbuster transaction is set to see the official coming together of Indosat (Indosat Ooredoo) and Hutchison 3 Indonesia (H3I), with Vikram Sinha nominated as CEO and Nicky Lee as CFO of the combined company.
With the deal expected to completed by the end of 2021, the merged organisation will aim to act as a “stronger second operator” in Indonesia with annual revenue of approximately US$3 billion and cost savings of roughly $300-400 million expected to be realised over 3-5 years.
