In an ambitious leap from startup to 5G frontrunner, Uzbekistani mobile operator Perfectum has achieved a major technological milestone by successfully launching test calls on its new 5G standalone (SA) network in just nine months. With the support of Nokia, Perfectum is set to deliver high-speed mobile and broadband services to 50% of Uzbekistan’s 37 million citizens by the end of 2025, with full nationwide coverage targeted within two years. This fast track implementation has positioned Perfectum not only as a telecoms innovator in Central Asia but also as a model for rapid digital transformation in emerging markets across the world.
Perfectum is a new entrant to the Uzbek telecoms sector – a country that covers an area of over 448,000 square kilometres and boasts a young population that is hungry for growth and innovation. Against this backdrop, demand for modern connectivity and digital infrastructure has never been greater. Founded with the vision of enabling next-generation services, Perfectum entered the market with a bold mission: to leapfrog traditional 3G and 4G deployments and go straight to 5G standalone. Unlike non-standalone (NSA) 5G deployments that rely on 4G cores, SA networks offer the benefits of low latency, network slicing, edge computing and true 5G speeds. For Perfectum, this meant investing heavily in future-ready infrastructure from day one.
The challenge facing Perfectum wasn’t straightforward. With no legacy systems or prior infrastructure, the company was effectively starting from scratch. The objective was to design, procure, install and launch a full-scale 5G SA network capable of supporting high-demand mobile services and fixed wireless broadband – in nine months.
Adding to the complexity were the following factors:
- Geographic scale: Uzbekistan covers over 448,000 square kilometres – larger than the geographical
footprint of Germany - Population distribution: Rural connectivity was as important as urban rollout, requiring strategic planning to ensure all regions were covered
- Time constraints: The deployment window was aggressively short, especially for a greenfield operation
- Market expectations: With rising demand for digital services, there was pressure to deliver a robust
and scalable network capable of supporting high user demands and services - Future proofing: In a world dominated more and more by AI, the network also had to be future proofed for future growth and innovation
Perfectum needed experienced technology partners that could deliver cutting-edge solutions, work seamlessly together and move at lightning speeds. To meet these goals, Perfectum joined forces with Nokia. Together, the two companies established a collaborative, agile delivery model to align technology deployment with Perfectum’s business goals.
Maximised operational efficiency
As sole supplier for this project, Nokia supplied and is implementing a full end-to-end 5G standalone (SA) solution to Perfectum – including radio access, transport, core networks and applications for network automation, service orchestration, mediation and charging – as well as streamlining the implementation process for maximum operational efficiency. The core network and applications are deployed on Red Hat OpenShift, which is integrated in the Nokia Cloud Platform. Using its multi-cloud infrastructure and 5G Core technology, Nokia enabled a secure, scalable and high-performance environment optimised for ultra-low latency and high throughput.
Together, these solutions formed a robust foundation for Perfectum’s network – a true cloud-native, standalone 5G architecture from day one.
Speed of execution
The speed of execution is one of the most remarkable aspects of this deployment. In April 2024, Perfectum signed the contracts with Nokia and by January 2025, the first 5G SA test calls were made on the network.
“This implementation is a blueprint for a fast-track 5G SA rollout,” explains Erez Sverdlov, the vice president and Cloud and Network Services Market leader for Europe at Nokia. “Perfectum has rapidly built the foundation that is enabling the delivery of new network services in a multi-cloud environment, a key pillar of Nokia’s 5G Core, while doing so quickly, securely, and at scale. We look forward to working with Perfectum to drive new revenue opportunities and long-term growth.”
This rapid progress was made possible through a combination of:
- Tight integration between partner teams, working as a single, agile unit
- Cloud-first architecture, eliminating the delays and complexities of legacy hardware-based systems
- Clear strategic focus from Perfectum’s leadership, which maintained aggressive but achievable milestones
The results of this collaboration have been transformative.
Into the next generation
In nine months, test calls on the network were completed with plans to expand the service to 50% of the population by the end of 2025. The network will support both mobile 5G services and fixed wireless access (FWA), bringing high-speed broadband to homes and businesses that previously lacked access. From Perfectum’s perspective, the project has rapidly positioned the company as a digital transformation leader in Uzbekistan with the success of the deployment serving as a blueprint for emerging markets, showing just how quickly modern telcos can bypass legacy limitations and deliver next generation services from day one.
“We started 5G SA from scratch and are a classic startup,” says Dmitry Shukov, the chief executive of Perfectum. “The contract for the supply, installation and launch of equipment for the 5G SA network was signed in April 2024 and just nine months later, we are talking about the practical launch of the 5G SA network in a country with a population of 37 million people and a territory of half a million square kilometres. The teams in Perfectum and Nokia are working together as one and achieving amazing results. As well as providing 5G SA mobile services we will roll-out fixed wireless access to provide ultra high-speed home and business broadband services, which will accelerate the digital transformation of Uzbekistan.”
Perfectum is now positioned to drive a digital revolution in a country where connectivity has historically been limited. The flexibility of network slicing and multi-cloud capabilities will enable Perfectum to create specialised, value-driven services that cater to both consumer and enterprise markets. In the coming years, Perfectum’s network can support smart cities, remote working solutions, and digital commerce enabling Perfectum to continue to be at the forefront of delivering services that will not only enhance the quality of life for Uzbekistani citizens but also open up new business opportunities for enterprises across multiple sectors.
The leapfrog opportunity
The project also marks a significant milestone not only for Perfectum itself but for other emerging markets looking to leapfrog traditional network development cycles. For many countries, 5G is still a distant goal, and the prospect of upgrading from legacy 3G or 4G systems seems daunting. However, Perfectum’s success demonstrates that with the right partners and the right technology, a country can skip ahead to a more innovative 5G SA network.
Perfectum’s strategy shows that by utilising the right mix of advanced network infrastructure and cutting-edge digital solutions, telecoms operators can disrupt traditional development timelines and offer consumers access to services that were once considered beyond reach.
Perfectum and Nokia have set a new industry standard for the speed and efficiency of large-scale telecoms roll-outs and it is hoped the lessons learned from this project will encourage and inspire operators in other regions to do the same.
Perfectum’s journey is not just about technology deployment; it is about vision, execution and the ability to embrace the future. By harnessing the power of 5G SA, Perfectum is transforming Uzbekistan’s telecoms landscape, driving economic development and enabling a digital future for millions of people. With the combined expertise of Nokia, this partnership is poised to redefine what is possible in terms of network agility, speed and innovation.
