In this What’s Next with Aki Anastasiou interview, Nomvuyiso Batyi and Naveed Kashif discuss the evolution of the telecommunications market and how AI is reshaping RAN infrastructure in South Africa.

Batyi is the Chief Executive Officer of the recently established Association of Comms and Technology – a non-profit company dedicated to addressing ecosystem issues within the broader ICT sector.

Before this, she worked in roles at the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies, ICASA, and Primedia Broadcasting.

Kashif is the Head of Nokia’s Southern African Market Unit for Mobile Networks at Nokia.

He boasts an impressive 27-year track record in the telecommunications industry, having held leadership roles at companies like Nokia, Alcatel-Lucent, and IBM.

He holds an MBA focused on International Management from Vlerick Leuven-Gent Management School.

In this What’s Next interview, Batyi explains what the Association of Comms and Technology does, and Kashif explains Nokia’s role in the African telecommunication industry.

Kashif then outlines how AI is changing how Radio Access Networks (RANs) operate, and Batyi unpacks the challenges in optimising RAN infrastructure in Africa.

She also discusses the role of policy-making in accelerating growth and change in the South African telecommunications industry.

They concluded the interview by outlining how they expect the South African telecommunications industry to evolve in the coming years.