Pilot project marks one of South Asia's first Open RAN deployments
Colombo and Tokyo, October 28, 2025 – Rakuten Symphony and SLT-MOBITEL have announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on a pilot project to build an Open Radio Access Network (Open RAN) comprising 4G and 5G NSA/SA (Non-Standalone and Standalone) sites within Sri Lanka.
SLT-MOBITEL will leverage Rakuten Symphony’s advanced Open RAN portfolio to deliver innovative network infrastructure for the project, including a virtualized Centralized Unit (CU)and Distributed Unit (DU) infrastructure, along with pre-certified third party 4G and 5G open Radio Units (RUs).
The partnership is part of a wider strategic initiative led by Rakuten Mobile, Rakuten Symphony’s parent company, supported by the Japanese government. This initiative is accelerating global Open RAN adoption to diversify the telecom supply chain and represents a forward-looking investment in telecom to make networks more competitive and secure. To date, initiatives have been rolled out in India, Vietnam, Kuwait and Kenya.
The project will be among the first Open RAN deployments in South Asia and serves as a precursor to a nationwide Open RAN deployment in Sri Lanka, aimed at enhancing SLT-MOBITEL’s network agility, efficiency and scalability.
Sharad Sriwastawa, President of Rakuten Symphony, said, “Adopting open network principles and leveraging Rakuten Symphony’s proven technology, SLT-MOBITEL is positioned to achieve improved total cost of ownership, a leaner operating model and faster time to market, ultimately delivering improved network outcomes and an enhanced customer experience. We look forward to supporting SLT-MOBITEL in the delivery of one of South Asia’s first Open RAN deployments.”
Sudharshana Geeganage, Chief Operating Officer of Mobitel (Pvt) Ltd., said, “SLT-MOBITEL is proud to lead South Asia's Open RAN revolution through the partnership with Rakuten Symphony. The collaboration demonstrates SLT-MOBITEL's focus on implementing next-generation technologies to strengthen our service capabilities. Open RAN trial will offer unprecedented network flexibility and innovation capabilities, supporting SLT-MOBITEL to deliver superior customer value and support Sri Lanka's digital economy growth."
Rakuten Symphony, through its collaboration with Rakuten Mobile who applies achievements obtained from key research and development projects subsidized by the NEDO (New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization) program*1, remains committed to leading Open RAN innovation, and the development of automated network quality assurance systems and edge cloud capabilities for next-generation communication networks of the future.
Read more about Rakuten Symphony and Rakuten Mobile’s participation in government sponsored research and development initiatives to explore modernization of mobile networks and diversification of supply chain vendor ecosystems.
Notes
“Research and Development Project of the Enhanced Infrastructures for Post-5G Information and Communication Systems (JPNP20017)”, subsidized by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO). https://corp.mobile.rakuten.co.jp/english/news/press/2023/0703_02/
About SLT-MOBITEL
SLT-MOBITEL, the National ICT solutions provider, with a rich history of over 163 years, offers a wide range of fixed, mobile and digital lifestyle services including voice, fibre, cloud, enterprise solutions wholesale, international ICT solutions, IPTV services, eChannelling, and a host of value-added packages. The company has been at the forefront of technological advancements in South Asia, having launched the first 3.5G and 4G networks and trialed 5G in the region.
With multiple submarine cable connections and recognition for having Sri Lanka’s fastest mobile network, SLT-MOBITEL connects the country to the world. Demonstrating the company's commitment to transparency, innovation, resilience and overall business excellence, SLT-MOBITEL continues to achieve significant recognition via prestigious awards both globally and locally. Today, the company’s loyal and growing customer base is a testament to the brand's focus on a national vision, customer centricity and credo of ‘The Connection’.
About Rakuten Symphony
Rakuten Symphony is reimagining telecom, changing supply chain norms and disrupting outmoded thinking that threatens the industry’s pursuit of rapid innovation and growth. Based on proven modern infrastructure practices, its open interface platforms make it possible to launch and operate advanced mobile services in a fraction of the time and cost of conventional approaches, with no compromise to network quality or security. Rakuten Symphony has operations in Japan, the United States, Singapore, India, Europe and the Middle East Africa region.
For more information, visit: https://symphony.rakuten.com
