Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison (Indosat or IOH) has officially announced a strategic partnership with Nokia and NVIDIA to introduce Artificial Intelligence Radio Access Network (AI-RAN) across Indonesia. This collaboration combines Nokia’s cutting-edge 5G Cloud RAN technology with NVIDIA’s Aerial AI platform, creating a sophisticated computing infrastructure capable of running AI and RAN simultaneously.

This move positions Indosat as the first operator in Southeast Asia and the third globally to integrate AI into its RAN, aiming to boost network performance, enhance efficiency, and unlock cross-industry innovations, from telecommunications to digital transformation.

The three companies have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) focused on developing, testing, and deploying AI-RAN solutions. The initial phase will optimize AI inference using NVIDIA AI Aerial before fully integrating RAN systems into the same platform.

In addition to their technical collaboration, Indosat, Nokia, and NVIDIA plan to work closely with leading universities and research institutions in Indonesia. This initiative will support academic programs, drive AI innovation in telecommunications, and create opportunities for tech professionals to contribute to future network development. The partnership aims to accelerate AI-based network optimization, improve spectrum efficiency, and reduce energy consumption.

By adopting this advanced approach, Indosat seeks to revolutionize its network capabilities and business models. Sharing infrastructure costs across multiple applications allows Indosat to maximize return on investment (ROI) while opening new revenue streams through AI-powered services. The AI-RAN deployment is expected to significantly enhance network performance, optimize spectrum usage, and lower energy consumption, paving the way for future software-driven 6G networks.

This initiative aligns with Indonesia’s National AI Strategy, solidifying Indosat’s role not just as a connectivity provider but also as an AI service provider. The company has already established the Sovereign AI Factory in Indonesia to support businesses, startups, and government entities in developing local AI applications across healthcare, education, and agriculture. With this AI-RAN infrastructure, Indosat will cater to AI inference needs and accelerate the AI ecosystem for over 277 million Indonesians.

Using NVIDIA AI Enterprise and serverless APIs, Indosat plans to optimize AI inference across applications and seamlessly distribute AI workloads between central and distributed infrastructure. The AI-RAN solution will also empower Indosat’s AI application partners, including Hippocratic.ai, Personal.ai, GoTo, and Accenture, by leveraging NVIDIA’s distributed inference engines to scale AI tokens and deliver a more consistent user experience.

Vikram Sinha, President Director and CEO of Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison, emphasized the importance of this partnership: “This collaboration marks a significant milestone in Indonesia's telecommunications transformation. By integrating AI into the radio access network, we are not only enhancing connectivity but also building an AI-powered ecosystem that will drive innovation across sectors. This step aligns with our mission to connect and empower every Indonesian.”

The AI-RAN deployment will be carried out gradually, starting with the construction of a 5G AI-RAN lab in Surabaya in early 2025, serving as a hub for development, testing, and joint validation. A small-scale commercial trial for AI inference workloads using NVIDIA AI-RAN infrastructure is scheduled for the second half of 2025, with further development planned for 2026.

Tommi Uitto, President of Mobile Networks at Nokia, highlighted the groundbreaking nature of the initiative: “Nokia is proud to collaborate with Indosat on this revolutionary AI-RAN project across Indonesia. Combining AI with RAN creates the innovation engine of the future. With our 5G Cloud RAN platform, Indosat can transform its network into a multi-purpose computing grid that harnesses the power of AI-accelerated computing. Our AI-based solutions will help Indosat boost RAN capabilities, enhance performance, streamline operations, and optimize energy use.”

Ronnie Vasishta, SVP of Telecoms at NVIDIA, echoed this sentiment: “AI-RAN has fundamentally reshaped the telecommunications industry. Indosat's vision to build a national AI network, combined with NVIDIA's AI expertise and end-to-end software and hardware platforms, will accelerate AI adoption and innovation across Indonesia, creating a new model for telecom operators worldwide.”

PHOTO: IOH.CO.ID

This article was created with AI assistance.