VEON Ltd. announced that its Uzbek subsidiary Beeline Uzbekistan and Rakuten Symphony have signed a memorandum of understanding to explore cooperation on network technologies and digital platforms.
The agreement was signed during the Mobile World Congress 2026 in Barcelona and outlines potential collaboration in areas such as Open RAN architecture, AI-powered network operations and next-generation digital services.
Under the framework, the companies will assess opportunities for joint work on network deployment and optimization, cloud solutions, global IoT connectivity and mobile workforce services. The partners also plan to explore cooperation in eSIM technologies and international roaming using Rakuten’s cloud-native platform.
Beeline Uzbekistan currently serves about 7.7 mln mobile subscribers and more than 9 million monthly active users of digital services, according to company data. The partnership combines the operator’s role in Uzbekistan’s telecom market with Rakuten Symphony’s expertise in open and automated network infrastructure.
According to the companies, the initiative is aimed at supporting the development of Uzbekistan’s digital economy and modernizing telecom networks with software-driven technologies and artificial intelligence.
The new agreement expands earlier cooperation between VEON and Rakuten launched in 2023. Other VEON operators, including those in Ukraine and Kazakhstan, have previously worked with Rakuten on Open RAN and digital infrastructure projects.
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