Nokia and Cellcard Upgrade Residential Fiber Broadband Network in Cambodia

• Cellcard deploys Nokia’s next-generation XGS-PON solution, providing multi-gigabit broadband access to homes and businesses across Cambodia.
• Cellcard uses Nokia’s Lightspan and Altiplano solutions to automate and increase the performance of its residential fiber broadband network.
• The upgraded network will enable Cellcard to provide enhanced broadband services and support new high-speed, low-latency applications such as Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR).

PHNOM PENH - Nokia announced that CAMGSM PLC, commercially known as Cellcard, will migrate its fiber network from GPON to XGS-PON using Nokia’s Lightspan and Altiplano broadband solutions. The modernized network will improve end-user experiences and provide up to 10Gb/s internet speeds to customers. It will also help Cellcard increase competitive advantage and enhance the reliability, flexibility, and scale of its fiber network to better support evolving customer demands, according to the official website of Nokia. 

Under the agreement, Cellcard will deploy Nokia’s Lightspan Optical Line Terminals (OLTs) and its Altiplano Access Controller in the capital city of Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, and other major cities across the region. Nokia’s Altiplano Access Controller provides a cloud-native platform with a complete suite of network management and SDN control functions that will enable Cellcard to better visualize, automate and optimize the broadband access services it offers. Using Nokia’s Lightspan access nodes, Cellcard will also be able to establish a future-ready network that can seamlessly evolve to 25G PON and immediately address the growing demand for more capacity.

Asitha De Costa, ICT Division CIO at Cellcard, said: “We are dedicated to delivering a best-in-class network experience to our customers, especially as data consumption continues to rise and individuals rely more on digital infrastructure for their professional and personal activities. We are delighted to collaborate with Nokia for the first time in our fiber networks domain to enhance the residential broadband experience of our subscribers. The new network will enable our users to enjoy high-bandwidth-consuming applications like gaming while enhancing network efficiency through automation.”

Ajay Sharma, Head of South-East Asia North Sales, Network Infrastructure at Nokia, said: “We remain committed to helping service providers across the world transition to XGS-PON and automation to better support the growing demand for 10Gb/s services and need for improved network utilization and operational efficiencies. Our field-proven Lightspan and Altiplano solutions will help Cellcard modernize its fiber broadband network and enable them to reduce its power expenditure and lower its carbon emissions. This significant project reinforces our longstanding partnership with Cellcard.”Nokia will deliver a modernized core network that enables Ooredoo Qatar to offer more advanced services using network slicing.

Network will generate new consumer and enterprise revenue streams across industries such as ports, mining and natural gas.

ESPOO - Ooredoo Qatar, the leading telecommunications company in Qatar with more than 3.4 million customers, has selected Nokia to modernize the operator’s core network to enable the delivery of more advanced services, using network slicing and the integration of AI and machine learning capabilities that strengthen network performance, reliability, and the overall customer experience, according to the official website of Nokia. 

The modernization will support Ooredoo Qatar’s network evolution to unlock more value faster from its network assets through new business models and consumer and enterprise revenue streams.

Sheikh Ali Bin Jabor Al-Thani, Chief Executive Officer at Ooredoo Qatar, said: “Our vision is about enriching people’s digital lives and taking this important step with Nokia, of moving to a 5G standalone core network, supports our group-wide project initiatives of evolving our network operations with new digital capabilities and business models that strengthen the customer and enterprise experience.”

The deal includes Nokia 5G voice core, packet core, and subscriber data management, which will provide Ooredoo Qatar with the capabilities to deliver ultra-low latency bandwidth and multi-access edge computing, which are needed to provide real-time industrial automation and high-quality gaming experiences at scale. 

Nokia's core solutions give communication service providers the flexibility required to operate multi-vendor networks. Ooredoo Qatar will also be able to create thousands of virtual networks on a single physical network infrastructure, with each “slice" tailored to specific requirements for different applications, services, and customers. 

Raghav Sahgal, President of Cloud and Network Services at Nokia, said: “As a leading operator in the Middle East, Ooredoo Qatar continues to drive transformation projects that meet its customers’ evolving digital needs. We are delighted to grow Nokia’s strong partnership with Ooredoo Qatar by providing our flexible 5G standalone Core capabilities and supporting the operator’s multi-level network requirements.”

Ooredoo Qatar will also use Nokia’s MantaRay NM solution for a consolidated and automated network view that optimizes network monitoring and management.

The deal includes the rollout of Nokia Data Center Fabric solution, which enables data centers and cloud environments to easily scale, adapt, and operate. As part of the solution, Nokia’s 7220 Interconnect Router (IXR) system will be deployed, allowing Ooredoo Qatar to provide its services at higher efficiency, reduced energy consumption, and increased capacity.

Nokia had the most 5G Standalone Core communication service provider customers, with 123 in total, at the end of 2024.