10 March 2025
Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison has announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Nokia and Nvidia to deploy an advanced AI-RAN (Artificial Intelligence Radio Access Network) infrastructure within its network..png?lu=711)
This groundbreaking collaboration aims to enhance network capabilities, paving the way for innovative services across various sectors in Indonesia.
The MoU outlines a strategic plan for Indosat to integrate Nokia's 5G Cloud RAN solution with Nvidia’s AI Aerial platform, creating a unified accelerated computing infrastructure dedicated to hosting both AI and RAN workloads. The partnership will initially focus on bringing AI inferencing workloads to the Nvidia AI Aerial platform, followed by the seamless integration of RAN workloads, ensuring a robust and efficient network environment.
Indosat highlighted that the deployment of AI-RAN will not only lead to significant improvements in network performance, spectral efficiency, and energy consumption but will also position the company for a transition towards future 6G capabilities.
“AI-RAN will enable Indosat to share infrastructure costs across multiple applications, maximizing its return on investment while unlocking new revenue streams via AI-driven services. When you combine AI with RAN, you create an engine for future innovation. With our 5G Cloud RAN platform, Indosat can transform its network into a multi-purpose computing grid leveraging the synergies of AI-accelerated computing,” said Tommi Uitto, President of Mobile Networks at Nokia.
A 5G AI-RAN lab will be established in Surabaya in early 2025 for joint development, testing, and validation. Indosat plans to launch a small-scale commercial pilot for AI Inferencing workloads on the Nvidia AI-RAN infrastructure in the second half of this year, with broader deployment scheduled for 2026.
“This initiative makes us the first operator in Southeast Asia and the third globally to build a commercial AI-RAN network. By embedding AI into our radio access network, we’re not just enhancing connectivity — we’re building a nationwide AI-powered ecosystem that will fuel innovation across industries,” said Vikram Sinha, President Director and CEO of Indosat.
In addition, Indosat, Nokia, and Nvidia will collaborate with Indonesian universities and research institutions to promote AI-RAN development. They will support academic programs aimed at fostering AI innovation in telecom applications, thereby accelerating breakthroughs in AI-driven network optimization, spectral efficiency, and energy consumption.
