BNET Case Study

In 2016, Bahrain’s Council of Ministers approved the Fourth National Telecommunications Plan (NTP), which is aimed at developing the country’s high-speed broadband services infrastructure, consolidating competition in mobile telecommunications, and developing wireless infrastructure among other things. Shortly after the NTP was introduced, telecommunications company Bahrain Network (BNET) was launched and was tasked to become the Kingdom’s national broadband network.

BNET’s vision of developing a technologically advanced digital communication infrastructure that enables a safe, secure, and smart Kingdom, meant that building its IT systems on the cloud is an obvious choice.

BNET selected Amazon Web Services (AWS) as its cloud service provider. The telco leveraged AWS’s innovations to build a new IT environment for its BSS and OSS applications that power the national fiber network.

With AWS’s flexible and reliable services, BNET was able to increase the capacity of the services it delivers to over one million customers and support its efforts to ensure users across the Kingdom have consistent and dependable access to its services.

Ammar Alaamer, Director of Digital Operations, BNET, said, “A year after the AWS implementation, we sought to take Bahrain’s broadband to the next level with solutions that will enable us to gain full visibility and real-time network insights across operations, optimize business processes and ensure first-rate customer experiences.”

After meticulous research and in accordance with detailed technical criteria, the telco tapped SAP as its technology partner to implement an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution that runs on the AWS cloud data center in Bahrain.

BNET engaged with Seidor MENA, an SAP Platinum partner, for the project implementation due to its vast experience and its understanding of the company’s requirements.

With a strong presence in the region, Seidor MENA is a technology consulting firm that offers a wide portfolio of ICT solutions and services across multiple industries. As a Premier Consulting Partner in the AWS Partner Network (APN), the company is well-adept in enabling organizations fully realize all the benefits of SAP in the AWS Cloud.

Seidor MENA supported BNET for the successful deployment of SAP’s S4/HANA real-time business suite. “We ensured the solution’s compatibility with the company’s requirements specifically in areas focused on artificial intelligence, process automation, data analytics, and the flexibility of cloud-based solutions,” explained Ignacio Ruiz de Eguilaz, Managing Director, Seidor MENA.

Juan Carlos Carracedo, SAP Head of Practice, Seidor MENA, said, “SAP S4/HANA provided them with full visibility on their signal towers, network hubs, and fixed-line broadband and phone networks.”

In line with the project, the systems integrator provided BNET with end-to-end infrastructure and application managed services in the cloud with 24x7 system availability. The implementation allowed them to optimize costs, deliver higher-availability services and support business innovation. It also gave them the capability to easily scale their analytics systems in the future.

“Supporting innovation in organizations requires a technology platform that allows for agile development, rapid deployment, and unlimited scale. With the right technology as the enabler, Seidor is a trusted advisor to empower organizations shift to an operating model optimized for innovation freeing up resources to focus on enhancing experiences for customers and simplifying the process of migrating apps and workloads to the cloud,” said Ruiz de Eguilaz.

BNET’s Alaamer said, “By embracing today’s most innovative technologies and with the support of industry leaders such as AWS, SAP and Seidor MENA, BNET is ideally-positioned to deliver the next-generation services that support business innovation, consumer happiness, and diversified economic growth in the Kingdom of Bahrain.”

BNET also adopted SAP SuccessFactors, another cloud-based solution built on AWS, to support its talent strategy. This implementation is in line with BNET’s commitment to contribute to the Bahrain Vision 2030 and support its ambitions to attract and develop specialised national talent and empower Bahraini women in the telecom field. Seidor MENA will provide ongoing support to ensure the availability and performance of the SAP platforms.

“We are proud to be a part of BNET’s digital transformation journey. BNET’s mission to enhance digital experiences for businesses and consumers in the Kingdom is instrumental in achieving the Bahrain Vision 2030. Together with SAP and AWS, we are confident that we can further empower BNET to achieve their strategic goals,” said Ruiz de Eguilaz.

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Requirements
1. To support business innovation
2. To enhance broadband network services
3. To ensure first-rate customer experiences
4. To effectively manage human capital development

Business Value
1. Gained full visibility and real-time network insights across operations
2. Optimized costs
3. Delivered higher-availability services
4. Offered enhanced digital experiences for businesses and consumers