VEON's Beeline Uzbekistan and Rakuten Symphony Partner for Open RAN, AI Collaboration
MWN-AI** Summary
On March 4, 2026, VEON Ltd. and Rakuten Group, Inc. announced a strategic partnership between Beeline Uzbekistan, VEON’s subsidiary in Uzbekistan, and Rakuten Symphony during the MWC Barcelona 2026. This collaboration aims to enhance Uzbekistan's rapidly evolving digital economy through advancements in Open RAN technology, AI-driven network intelligence, and next-generation digital platforms.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) sets a framework for cooperation in several key areas, including network deployment, optimization, and the development of digital services. By leveraging Rakuten’s expertise in software and cloud-native networks, both companies will explore opportunities to enhance network operations and connectivity, including the integration of eSIM technology and international roaming services.
Beeline Uzbekistan, serving 7.7 million mobile subscribers and over 9 million monthly active users, is positioned to lead Uzbekistan's digital growth by investing in infrastructure and completing digital services. The partnership capitalizes on Beeline's strong market presence and Rakuten's innovative technology solutions to develop a more robust digital ecosystem.
Sharad Sriwastawa, President of Rakuten Symphony, emphasized the importance of this collaboration in advancing national digital infrastructure, while Andrey Pyatakhin, CEO of Beeline Uzbekistan, highlighted the commitment to utilizing cloud-native networks and AI-driven automation to enhance customer experience. Kaan Terzioglu, VEON Group CEO, noted that this collaboration demonstrates VEON's scalable approach to technology partnerships in emerging markets.
This announcement builds on a previously established Rakuten-VEON partnership, which includes collaboration in Ukraine and Kazakhstan, underscoring VEON's strategy to harness advanced technology to drive economic growth across Central Asia.
MWN-AI** Analysis
VEON Ltd.’s recent strategic alliance with Rakuten Symphony, particularly for Beeline Uzbekistan, positions the company to capitalize on Uzbekistan’s burgeoning digital economy. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) underscores a commitment to enhancing digital infrastructure via Open RAN and AI technologies. These initiatives are pivotal for not only optimizing network efficiency but also for elevating customer experience amid growing competition in the region.
With Beeline Uzbekistan serving approximately 7.7 million mobile subscribers, the partnership aims to tap into the local market’s potential by integrating Rakuten’s advanced cloud-native solutions. The emphasis on AI-powered network intelligence is especially crucial, enabling Beeline to refine its operations, enhance service reliability, and support emerging digital services like eSIM and international roaming. This alignment not only strengthens Beeline’s operational framework but also supports Uzbekistan's ambition to emerge as a regional digital economy leader.
Investors should consider several factors when analyzing VEON's stock in light of this partnership. The strategic collaboration expands VEON’s technological capabilities, presenting a compelling growth narrative that could attract long-term investors seeking exposure in emerging markets. Furthermore, the focus on Open RAN and network automation aligns with global industry trends emphasizing cost reduction and network flexibility.
However, potential risks merit attention. The success of these initiatives hinges on effective implementation and adoption by the customer base, alongside the competitive landscape in the telecommunications sector. Regulatory challenges in Uzbekistan could also pose potential hurdles.
In conclusion, VEON’s partnership with Rakuten Symphony represents a robust step toward advancing digital transformation in Uzbekistan, ultimately enhancing VEON's competitive stance in a dynamic market. Investors should monitor the execution of this collaboration closely, assessing its impact on VEON’s growth trajectory and market positioning.
**MWN-AI Summary and Analysis is based on asking OpenAI to summarize and analyze this news release.
Tokyo, Tashkent and Barcelona , March 4, 2026 – VEON Ltd. (Nasdaq: VEON), a global digital operator, and Rakuten Group, Inc. today announce that Beeline Uzbekistan, VEON’s digital operator in Uzbekistan, and Rakuten Symphony, a subsidiary of Rakuten Group, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore strategic collaborations that support the development of Uzbekistan’s fast-growing digital economy, including on Open RAN development, AI-powered network intelligence and next-generation digital platforms.
The MoU, signed at the MWC Barcelona 2026, establishes a framework to explore collaboration on areas including network deployment, optimization and development, as well as digital services, leveraging Rakuten’s software stack and platform expertise.
Under this framework, the companies will assess opportunities to deepen collaboration across priority technology areas, including Open RAN architecture, the ways that AI can deliver more sophisticated network operations, next-generation digital platforms, cloud solutions and global IoT and mobile workforce connectivity. In addition, the two companies will advance collaboration in eSIM and international roaming, leveraging Rakuten Mobile’s AI-powered, cloud-native platform and its track record in delivering integrated eSIM services at scale.
Beeline Uzbekistan serves 7.7 million mobile subscribers and more than 9 million monthly active users with digital services. The partnership combines Beeline Uzbekistan’s strong market position and leadership in driving Uzbekistan’s digital growth, with Rakuten Symphony’s experience in cloud-native networks and open, automated architectures.
“We are pleased to continue our collaboration with VEON by expanding our partnership to Beeline Uzbekistan, which champions Uzbekistan’s digital growth with investments into network and digital services, supporting the national digital economy,” said Sharad Sriwastawa, President, Rakuten Symphony. “This partnership demonstrates both organizations’ commitment to advancing the national digital infrastructures with open, AI-ready software and connectivity solutions that will futureproof national telecom networks. We look forward to supporting Beeline Uzbekistan’s next steps in its digital journey.”
"Uzbekistan is on an ambitious path to becoming a digital economy leader in Central Asia, and we at Beeline Uzbekistan are committed to building the infrastructure and platforms that make this possible,” said Andrey Pyatakhin, CEO of Beeline Uzbekistan. “In collaboration with Rakuten Symphony, we will explore how cloud-native network architectures and AI-driven automation can accelerate our services and deliver better digital experiences for our customers. With this, we are building on the investments we have made in our Network Operations Center, our digital services ecosystem, and our new software company BuildX."
“We are excited to build the digital infrastructure and services that power Uzbekistan's economic growth and look forwarding to exploring collaborations with Rakuten across various areas,” said Kaan Terzioglu, VEON Group CEO, who joined the signing ceremony in Barcelona. “Extending our collaboration with Rakuten to Uzbekistan, following our Ukraine and Kazakhstan operations earlier, demonstrates the scalability of VEON’s approach in bringing cutting-edge technology partnerships to high-growth emerging markets that we proudly serve.”
Today’s announcement builds on the Rakuten-VEON partnership initially launched in 2023. Kyivstar Group and Beeline Kazakhstan, two other VEON Group Companies, are already partnering with Rakuten in Ukraine and Kazakhstan to explore collaboration on Open RAN and other digital cooperation opportunities.
About VEON
VEON is a digital operator that provides connectivity and digital services to nearly 150 million connectivity and 140 million digital users. Operating across five countries that are home to more than 6% of the world’s population, VEON is transforming lives through technology-driven services that empower individuals and drive economic growth. VEON is listed on NASDAQ. For more information, visit: https://www.veon.com.
About Beeline Uzbekistan
Unitel LLC (doing business as “Beeline Uzbekistan”) has been operating as a digital operator under the Beeline Uzbekistan trademark since September 2006. Beeline Uzbekistan is a part of VEON Group and a Certified Top Employer in 2024, 2025 and 2026. Beeline Uzbekistan has more than 2,000 employees.
About Rakuten
Rakuten Group, Inc. (TSE: 4755) is a global technology leader in services that empower individuals, communities, businesses and society. Founded in Tokyo in 1997 as an online marketplace, Rakuten has expanded to offer services in e-commerce, fintech, digital content and communications to 2 billion members around the world. The Rakuten Group has around 30,000 employees, and operations in 30 countries and regions. For more information visit https://global.rakuten.com/corp/.
About Rakuten Symphony
Rakuten Symphony is 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 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, South Korea, Europe and the Middle East Africa region. For more information about Rakuten Symphony's offerings, please visit: https://symphony.rakuten.com.
Forward-Looking Statements Disclaimer
This release contains “forward-looking statements”, as the phrase is defined in U.S. securities laws. The forward-looking statements in this release, including those related to VEON’s and its subsidiaries’ Rakuten Symphony partnerships, involve risks, uncertainties and other factors which could cause actual results and performance to differ materially from those expressed by such statements. These risks include those relating to uncertainty over success of our strategic initiatives, among others discussed in our Annual Report on Form 20-F filed on April 25, 2025. The forward-looking statements contained herein speak only as of the date of this release and VEON disclaims any obligation to update them, except as required by U.S. federal securities laws.
Contact Information
VEON
Hande Asik
Chief Strategy and Communications Officer
pr@veon.com
Attachment
FAQ**
How will the collaboration between VEON Ltd. and Rakuten Symphony enhance the digital infrastructure in Uzbekistan, and what specific benefits can Beeline Uzbekistan expect from this partnership?
Can VEON Ltd. provide insights into how the Open RAN development mentioned in the MoU will impact the mobile connectivity landscape in not just Uzbekistan, but across other markets they operate in as well?
Given the strategic significance of AI-powered network intelligence in this partnership, what role does VEON Ltd. foresee for artificial intelligence in the management and optimization of mobile networks in Uzbekistan and beyond?
How does VEON Ltd. plan to leverage Rakuten Symphony's cloud-native platforms to improve digital services for the 7.7 million mobile subscribers of Beeline Uzbekistan, and what metrics will be used to gauge success in this collaboration?
**MWN-AI FAQ is based on asking OpenAI questions about VEON Ltd. (NASDAQ: VEON).
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