TELUS Harnesses the Winds of Change with Open RAN

Why It Matters

Telus’s Open RAN rollout, backed by Wind River’s real‑time platform, showcases how carriers can modernize networks cost‑effectively while maintaining performance, setting a benchmark for industry‑wide virtualization and AI adoption.

Key Takeaways

• Telus has deployed 20% of network on virtualized Open RAN
• Wind River supplies real‑time OS and cloud layer for Telus RAN
• Partnership emphasizes rapid issue resolution and roadmap co‑development
• Telus aims to nationwide Open RAN rollout by 2029
• Industry faces revenue pressure while pushing virtualization and AI adoption

Summary

The video captures a joint appearance by Telus’s Director of RAN Engineering, Sushil Varat, and Wind River’s Vice‑President for the EMIA region, Nastasi Kariskos, at Mobile World Congress 2026. Their discussion centers on Telus’s ongoing transformation from a traditional, proprietary radio access network to a virtualized, Open RAN architecture, powered by Wind River’s real‑time operating system and cloud infrastructure.

Telus reports that 20% of its Canadian network is already running on the Open RAN stack, a notable milestone for a mature carrier. The move is driven by industry‑wide pressures: declining average revenue per user, the need for cost‑effective virtualization, and a strategic push toward AI‑enabled autonomous networks. However, the operators still grapple with fragmented standards and the challenge of integrating multiple vendors into a federated, cloud‑native environment.

Key quotes illustrate the partnership’s depth: Varat praises Wind River’s “real‑time kernel” for delivering reliable, time‑sensitive performance, while Kariskos emphasizes a “long‑term strategic innovation partnership” that aligns road‑maps and delivers rapid issue resolution. Telus also recently earned an award for best network performance on Open RAN, underscoring the technical success of the collaboration. The two firms aim to extend the Open RAN footprint nationwide by 2029, with a clear focus on co‑developing new features and maintaining executive‑level alignment.

The alliance signals a broader industry shift toward open, software‑defined networks that can lower capex, accelerate service rollout, and enable AI‑driven optimization. For other carriers, Telus’s experience demonstrates that a tightly integrated vendor partnership—combining real‑time OS expertise with flexible cloud layers—can mitigate interoperability risks and sustain innovation despite shrinking revenue streams.

Original Description

At MWC26, Sushil Rawat, director of RAN strategy at TELUS, and Nastasi Karaiskos, vice president of Wind River, discuss their ongoing collaboration to transform TELUS’s radio access network using virtualised and Open RAN technologies, the operational benefits of Wind River’s real-time cloud platform, the need for standardisation, and the role of AI and automation in future network evolution.

Featuring:

- Sushil Rawat, Director RAN Strategy, TELUS

- Nastasi Karaiskos, VP Global Telco & EMEA Sales, Wind River

Recorded March 2026

#telecomtv #windriver #telus #radioaccessnetwork #ai #automation #cloud #transformation