Industry Update: March
Weaver Labs’ ‘Industry Update’ is a concise summary of a handful of major industry announcements that are relevant to us, our community & wider ecosystem. This will keep you up to date with the direction the industry is moving towards
After consolidating all that happened at Mobile World Congress (MWC), an annual trade show organised by GSMA, dedicated primarily to the mobile communications industry, at the start of the month, it is clear that there have been some interesting takeaways that are worth sharing; from the ‘Metaverse’ generating all the media hype, to seeing hyperscalers move ever-closer with telecoms to the rapid yet predictable development of cloud ecosystems in Telecoms.
Traditional telecom operators and vendors did have a significant physical presence, but it was undoubtedly the cloud that showed it was leading the innovation way for the telecom market. Cloud ecosystems for telecoms operators are evolving extraordinarily fast, as are integrated/ecosystem approaches for the roll out of Private 5G Networks. This is something to take note of.
All in all, we are really happy to see the industry moving towards a complete softwarisation, where tools like Cell-Stack will be required. We are also glad the big names in the industry are now willing to work with public clouds — clearly changing the ownership model. We break down the key areas:
Cloud & Hyperscalers
Cloud ecosystems for telecoms operators are evolving extraordinarily fast, this is clear by the announcement of Telefonica who plan to boost cloud Cover with AWS. Telefónica plans to launch several value-added services such as edge computing and cloud-native private 5G networks that run on AWS Outposts. This collaboration is designed to open up new opportunities in 5G and use cases for edge computing, as well as machine learning, internet of things (IoT), video and game streaming and Industry 4.0. As expected the hyperscalers continue to expand their presence in the telecoms industry. Given the industry’s push for Open RAN, more diversified supply chains & cloud-native networks, telecoms is becoming more & more softwarised, so there is no surprise that the hyperscalers are integrating themselves more into the ecosystem. For example Microsoft has added more 5G-centric services to its Azure-for-telcos lineup — Microsoft has now entered the fray from the direction of its core network business on Azure with its Metaswitch Networks & Affirmed Networks acquisitions, as well as a new partnership with Qualcomm for “chip to cloud” ideas. Furthermore, VMware and AWS are also addressing use cases specific across service provider networks. Together, they are working to enable service providers to streamline operations and automation, optimise network traffic and provide a superior end-user experience.Finally, Vodafone has announced that they will deploy Oracle Tech to support 5G standalone network core. They will leverage Oracle for their cloud-native network policy solution to help accelerate new 5G services and get 5G offerings into the hands of customers more quickly
Private Networks
Here, Cloud and hyperscalers are also taking the lead with software based solutions, all this will help ease adoption and reduce challenges in deployments. Clearly, hyperscalers have an advantage in knowing how to create platforms that can scale for multiple use cases.
At MWC we saw how STL, VMware and ASOCS unveiled an end-to-end 5G Enterprise solution, they announced the launch of industry’s first end-to-end 5G Enterprise solution to address the growing demand for private 5G enterprise connectivity for campus, industrial and venue applications. In addition, Microsoft has expanded Azure for Operators with a Private 5G Edge Platform- the platform lets businesses get their private edge networks up and running quickly through a self-install capability, grants these organisations the unique ability to roam beyond the geographical boundaries of that private network and still stay connected via AT&T’s U.S. public mobile network.
Rakuten symphony
Rakuten’s OpenRAN-focused venture Symphony gained plenty of attention at Mobile World Congress, with a large number of partnerships and the acquisition of US cloud-native networking specialist Robin.io.
However, what most stood out was the message their CMO, Geoff Hollingworth sent to the industry: “I think doing business with telecoms is very, very challenging for other companies outside of telecoms. The real innovation these days is happening in very small companies.” As seen by the innovative software of Rakuten Symphony, and other telecom innovators, the industry is moving from hardware to software, and this transformation will only increase so that telecoms is not left behind. Having said this, the industry still struggles with a lack of innovation & opportunities for changing the status quo, as Geoff stated “Innovation is an absolute problem, because there’s no way for that technology innovation to actually enter the telecoms operating model today, so there’s no software interfaces, and there’s no accessibility.”
Telecoms Orchestrators and a push to the Edge
Linked with the high-degree of softwarisation, Orchestration software providers are providing platform solutions that are customer focused and make connectivity more accessible and easier to consume. This benefits not only connectivity providers but the whole ecosystem, easing adoption and expanding the reach of Networks.
Open-source software specialist Red Hat is getting in on the telecom action and is teaming up with LTE small cell manufacturer Baicells to bring high-speed connectivity to users all over the world — especially to areas lacking connectivity. Netcracker has launched a digital platform to help CSPs accelerate business growth in the digital economy. The platform supports new immersive digital experiences through loyalty programs and personalised recommendations that will place CSPs at the centre of the consumer digital lifestyle. Samsung tapped Amdocs as a go-to-market partner for its system integrator and OSS/BSS capabilities, specifically with an eye on private wireless and fixed wireless access. Amdocs and Samsung already implemented a private CBRS network with Howard University, providing connectivity for more than 6,000 students on campus. Finally, as mentioned above, Robin.io is expanding their 5G And Edge Deployment ecosystem. Robin Cloud-native, flexible Kubernetes platform offers greater choice and agility to accelerate new connectivity and service options.
In conclusion, the most clear takeaway is that the industry is still progressing towards full cloud-native & softwarised solutions that make connectivity easier to consume through platforms and consumer-focused interfaces. The metaverse & all these other interesting use cases will always attract the most attention, but we can’t lose sight of the priorities and fundamentals that make these applications exist- making the infrastructure accessible, affordable and more wide-spread.
