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VMware and Mitacs Set Sights on Discovering a Sustainable Path for 6G

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Welcome to VMware! You have more than 27 years of experience in the telecommunications industry across mobile, wireless, fixed, satellite and cable technologies. What brought you to VMware?

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I gained much of my experience while working on the operator side. I saw what it takes to run a network and understand what operators will need to deploy future networks. I want to focus the next part of my career on creating solutions for these future needs.

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VMware sits at the crossroads of many emerging technologies that will shape the future of telecommunications. Multi-cloud, disaggregation, open interfaces, and automation, to name a few. We have an opportunity to create solutions that will evolve the way we build and operate networks, as well as evolve and grow how we communicate.

The telecommunications industry has not historically been known for its pace of innovation. Do you think this is changing?

It must change and it must change quickly as more agile competitors are moving in on new markets like private networks. Take hyperscalers for instance. They can innovate and implement new technology quickly because they are starting with a blank sheet of paper. And they are partnering with telcos to gain much-needed experience in how to build and operate networks. I think these are exciting times as this kind of competition will drive innovation.

While it may seem like telcos are at a disadvantage, I think they will rise to the challenge. The way we communicate is changing and they are more familiar with current and future users. It’s not just about connecting people but also about connecting things and entities that have different needs. A new type of network is needed that is agile and can grow in a modular fashion as user demands change. New use cases mean new market opportunity. Telcos know they must move fast to take advantage of new revenue streams.

In your estimation, how are 5G rollouts going?

When the industry first started talking about 5G, we focused on outcomes in three areas:

We’ve seen progress in the first pillar. But to me, faster speeds is only unleashing a small subset of new use cases. The other two pillars – uRLLC and mMTC – will enable technologies that will change society as we know it today. These are harder to move forward faster as they require more investment from operators.

Also, when we mention 5G, we should couple it with other technological evolutions happening alongside it such as virtualization, Open RAN and edge compute-enabled architectures. We have seen new operators make strides in these areas with new networks. We have also seen existing operators make very aggressive and impressive announcements about their future plans. These investments will require a monetization plan; therefore, it’s important to identify things like the edge-native killer use case.

What is your experience as a woman in the telecommunications industry?

I consider myself fortunate to have worked at many amazing companies throughout my career. I’ve gained a variety of experience that spans many technologies. But rising as a woman in this industry is challenging.

It’s great to see companies focused on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) but there is a lot of work to be done. I can’t tell you how many LinkedIn messages I receive that start with “we want to talk with you because we need more women on our leadership team.” They are missing the point. I’m not interested in helping you improve a statistic. I am interested in bringing my unique experience and lens to a team. That’s the power of DEI – bringing together a group of people who represent diverse communities and perspectives.

My hope is that the work I am doing today and the challenges I have overcome will create a more inclusive workplace for my 7-year-old daughter. For most of my career, I’ve been the only woman in the room. By the time my daughter enters the workforce, I hope she is working with a much more representative group of colleagues than what I experienced.

How would you describe your leadership style?

I try to lead with empathy. Great leaders lead from the heart and not just the head. So, while much of my work must be from the head, I often remind myself I must lead from the heart. Believing in people and diversity. Mentoring and coaching others to bring their talents and value forward for their company’s and customers’ success – as well as for their own career accomplishments.

Dream Big, then Stay Curious, Be Passionate. I’ve always loved “Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish”, but believe in addition to need and openness, you must also have passion and curiosity to make the most out of life.

Mariam Sorond has joined VMware as the Chief Technology Officer of the Service Provider and Edge business unit.

Mariam Sorond has joined VMware as the Chief Technology Officer of the Service Provider and Edge business unit. Learn more about her outlook on the telco industry, her career path, and her leadership style.

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Mariam Sorond has joined @VMware as the CTO of the Service Provider and Edge business unit. Learn more about her outlook on the telco industry, her career path, and her leadership style.

PALO ALTO, Calif. – Virgin Media O2 UK has selected VMware to help modernise its network and enable the continued success of its 5G rollout. The company will leverage VMware Telco Cloud Infrastructure to rapidly design, build, test and implement virtualised network functions, boosting innovation across its network and the delivery of new services. The collaboration has underpinned the deployment of Virgin Media O2’s 5G network over the past 16 months.

<a href="https://telco.vmware.com/products/telco-cloud-infrastructure.html">VMware’s Telco Cloud Infrastructure</a> delivers a single horizontal platform enabling Virgin Media O2 to simplify, scale, and better protect its core cloud networks. Operating a reliable, agile network that can be efficiently upgraded to maintain quality of coverage is fundamental to the success of Virgin Media O2’s 5G network – particularly in highly regulated and competitive markets.

Virgin Media O2 will also leverage <a href="https://docs.vmware.com/en/VMware-Telco-Cloud-Platform---5G-Edition/1.0/telco-cloud-platform-5G-edition-reference-architecture-guide-10/GUID-DF008099-05A7-436C-9624-41BC99EA7621.html">VMware Tanzu for Telco's</a> Kubernetes cluster capabilities to build Containers as a Service (CaaS) proficiency. This will support the next generation of containerised network functions and enable Virgin Media O2 to maintain and expand the network’s ability to support multi-vendor solutions. Being able to onboard functions and interoperate between different vendors is essential in rapid deployment. VMware’s common platform enables Virgin Media O2 to add these incrementally.

“As the rollout of 5G networks comes close to completion, service providers need to be able to modernise their network infrastructure quickly, simply, and economically. The best way to do this is through a single platform that can automate and streamline delivery of multi-vendor network functions,” said Sanjay Uppal, senior vice president and general manager, Service Provider & Edge, VMware. “Through its work with VMware, Virgin Media O2 is able to deploy a network infrastructure that enables the successful roll out of its 5G services without limitations, by harnessing the agility, flexibility, and consistency of a common platform.”

Chris Buggie, Director of Infrastructure & Cloud Engineering & Delivery, Virgin Media O2, said, “Virtualising and modernising our network is essential if we are to cement our position as the leading telco provider across UK and EU and we are delighted to partner with VMware to achieve this. By utilising a consistent, NFV- and cloud-native platform for onboarding and managing our workloads and network functions, we are able reinvest into the network and our customers with a service we can be proud of.”

Learn more about how VMware is helping service providers modernise their networks at <a href="https://telco.vmware.com/">telco.vmware.com</a>.

VMware is a leading provider of multi-cloud services for all apps, enabling digital innovation with enterprise control. As a trusted foundation to accelerate innovation, VMware software gives businesses the flexibility and choice they need to build the future. Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, VMware is committed to building a better future through the company’s 2030 Agenda. For more information, please visit <a href="http://www.vmware.com/company">www.vmware.com/company</a>.

VMware, Telco Cloud Infrastructure and Tanzu are registered trademarks or trademarks of VMware, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and other jurisdictions.

This article may contain hyperlinks to non-VMware websites that are created and maintained by third parties who are solely responsible for the content on such websites.

VMware Global Communications

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Tigo selected VMware Cloud as its common multi-cloud infrastructure across operations and business units. Since implementing VMware Cloud, Tigo has become more agile and efficient, and the team is gaining the cloud skills it needs to embrace new features in the future.

Virgin Media O2 UK has selected VMware to help modernise its network and enable the continued success of its 5G rollout. Learn more:

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Virgin Media O2 Partners with VMware to Complete 5G Roll-Out Across UK and EU - VMware News and Stories

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Virgin Media O2 UK has selected @VMware to help modernise its network and enable the continued success of its 5G rollout. Learn more:

VMware announces research grants for <a href="https://6g-life.de/">6G-life</a> and <a href="https://ceti.one/">CeTI</a> at TU Dresden and <a href="https://www.tkn.tu-berlin.de/telecommunication_networks_tkn/">Telecommunication Networks Group</a> (TKN) at TU Berlin

BARCELONA – Mobile World Congress 2022 — 

VMware, Inc. (NYSE: VMW), a leading innovator in enterprise software, today unravelled its vision for <a href="https://octo.vmware.com/re-imagining-the-internet-for-planet-scale-automation/">Automating Life</a>. The vision is underpinned by the fusion of cloud, networking and AI technologies and a belief system structured around equity, sustainability and trust. To chart a successful course to 6G, the evolution of these underlying technologies must align with the evolutionary cycle of human behavior, society, and technology as they influence each other to form an evolution continuum.

“This evolution continuum — the way people change, technology evolves, and society responds — is how VMware aims to shape its path to 6G — by promoting technologies centered around human needs, e.g., that improves and saves lives,  but more importantly, enable humans to grow in and with technology in the way people want — not the way technology dictates,” said Kaniz Mahdi, vice president of distributed edge, VMware. “We are delighted to support Professor Fitzek and Professor Falko on their mission to shape the future of wireless with human-centric technologies.”  

Under the direction of Professor Frank Fitzek at TU Dresden, the Centre for Tactile Internet with Human-in-the-Loop (CeTI) and the 6G-life hub are working to enable humans to interact in quasi real-time with cyber-physical-systems in the physical or digital world over intelligent communications networks (5G and beyond). Enabling this type of interaction will promote equitable access to remote environments for people of different genders, ages, cultural backgrounds, or physical limitations. It also has the potential to democratize access to skills and expertise as well as its cutting-edge research for sustainability, security, resilience, and latency.

“We’re thrilled to be working with VMware to further the research and innovations that are playing a significant role in the path to 6G,” said Frank Fitzek, professor and head of the Deutsche Telekom Chair of Communication Networks at TU Dresden. “We started 6G-life to provide new approaches for sustainability, security, resiliency and latency. This collaboration will help us advance our leading work in specific areas such as the Tactile Internet in the Cluster of Excellence CeTI, 5G communications networks, quantum communication and artificial intelligence methods.”

As the fusion of cloud, networking, and AI plays a pivotal role for 6G, novel concepts for distributed systems, data management, and computing are essential. With its proven track record and expertise, the Telecommunications Network Group at TU Berlin under Professor Falko Dressler, is developing novel solutions for future virtual edge computing, machine learning and networking, and distributed data management in the era of 6G.

“We are excited to start a collaboration with VMware,” said Falko Dressler, professor and chair for Telecommunication Networks at TU Berlin. “Virtualization at multiple layers of a mobile edge system introduces flexibility at a potential cost of added complexity. ML helps overcome this complexity arising from extreme virtualization on core-to-edge-to-end device continuum and opens up new frontiers for cutting edge research paving the path to 6G.”

International Research Ecosystem for Automating Life

These academic grants will facilitate research and discovery on Automating Life in concert with the <a href="https://news.vmware.com/releases/vmware-mitacs-partnership">Digital Equity Grid Innovation (TETRA) initiative</a> launched by VMware in partnership with IEEE FNI and Mitacs in Canada, as VMware continues to expand its research and innovation portfolio with similar grants and partnerships across the globe.

VMware announces research grants for 6G-life and CeTI at TU Dresden and Telecommunication Networks Group (TKN) at TU Berlin. Learn more:

VMware Collaborates with German Universities on Automating Life; VMware’s Path to 6G

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VMware Collaborates with German Universities on Automating Life;  VMware’s Path to 6G - VMware News and Stories

VMware Collaborates with German Universities on Automating Life;  VMware’s Path to 6G

VMware and AWS continue to explore ways to bring their technologies closer together to deliver for customers. While the focus has been on the enterprise up until now, 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, optimize network traffic and provide a superior end-user experience.

5G and Hybrid Operations and Automation

Service providers are embracing public clouds as a part of their network architecture. As network functions are deployed across on-premises telco clouds and public clouds, service providers require a platform that enables consistent hybrid operations and automation.  

<a href="https://telco.vmware.com/products/telco-cloud-platform-public-cloud.html">VMware Telco Cloud Platform – Public Cloud</a>, powered by VMware Cloud, offers service providers choice and flexibility to run their workloads in a hybrid environment with ease. VMware Telco Cloud Platform – Public Cloud is providing service providers with the ability to migrate telco and IT workloads to public cloud infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS), specifically VMware Cloud on AWS. They are able to do so quickly and cost efficiently while having the flexibility to bring them back to the on-premises telco clouds, if and when necessary.

VMware Telco Cloud Automation enables service providers to take full advantage of their hybrid ecosystem by providing a centralized management plane. <a href="https://blogs.vmware.com/telco/introducing-telco-cloud-automation-2-0-whats-new/">As part of Telco Cloud Automation</a>, service providers can leverage AWS public cloud resources with VMware Cloud on AWS. Telco Cloud Automation can provision cloud-native network functions, bringing unified management of workloads on-premises and on public cloud infrastructures.

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The Importance of Network Programmability

As service providers enjoy the benefits of moving to a software-defined core, they are turning their attention to modernizing other parts of the network. Most notably, the radio access network, or RAN. Beyond virtualizing the RAN, VMware is a driving force in creating the software-defined RAN that enables innovation and new capabilities via xApps and rApps on top of VMware’s RAN Intelligent Controllers (RICs).

Mobile operators benefit from apps that increase spectral efficiency, introduce precision location services, and achieve energy savings, to name a few. VMware RICs host a variety of xApps and rApps and run them on any cloud for any RAN.  

Edge: Powering AWS Wavelength Low-Latency Traffic with VMware SD-WAN

Modern applications – those that will power experiences like autonomous driving, drone-to-door delivery and mixed reality shopping – require ultra-low latency, connected through mobile networks. For this, AWS Wavelength embeds AWS infrastructure and services within service providers’ networks . This removes the requirement to send vast amounts of data over unnecessary hops to a centralized location for processing. Wavelength powers millisecond-level connections between mobile devices and application servers— radically enhancing end-user quality of experience (QoE) and app performance.

VMware SD-WAN, which generates dependable, highly efficient and ultra-secure tunnels that directly link VMware SD-WAN Edge devices within an enterprise network to virtual VMware SD-WAN Edge appliances embedded within nearby Wavelength nodes can help IT organizations with enterprises  leverage customizable business policies, SD-WAN prioritizes latency-sensitive apps to support incredible transmission speeds over 5G, satellite, broadband, and private lines.

The power of AWS Wavelength + VMware SD-WAN was on display at VMware’s stand at Mobile World Congress. The demo showcased how a service provider might deliver the <a href="https://www.odience.com/">Odience live streaming platform</a> leveraging Wavelength and SD-WAN as part of their network underlay. This would enable experiences like virtual concerts, e-Sports and remote shopping.

Be sure to stop by VMware’s Mobile World Congress booth – Hall 3, Booth 3M11 – to hear more about how VMware and AWS are collaborating across service provider networks.

VMware and AWS are working together to enable service providers to streamline operations and automation, optimize network traffic and provide a superior end-user experience. Learn More:

AWS and VMware Collaborate across 5G and Edge Computing Solutions

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AWS and VMware Collaborate Across 5G and Edge Computing Solutions - VMware News and Stories

VMware and AWS are working together to enable service providers to streamline operations and automation, optimize network traffic and provide a superior end-user experience. Learn more:

MetTel to offer customers a managed SASE service powered by VMware SASE

NEW YORK and PALO ALTO, Calif. – MetTel, a digital transformation and communications leader, <a>and VMware</a>, a leading innovator in enterprise software, today announced MetTel will offer customers a managed secure access service edge (SASE) solution powered by VMware SASE. The solution will enable IT organizations to efficiently deliver cloud-based security, networking and edge compute services to applications running at the edge.

“Supporting modern enterprise applications requires a new way of thinking about how they are delivered and secured. What worked for apps running on a private or public cloud won’t work out at the edge,” said Craig Connors, vice president and general manager of VMware’s SASE business. “Pairing VMware SASE’s capabilities with MetTel’s extensive expertise in fully managed network services will give organizations a solution built for the future, with security, speed, simplicity and savings in mind.”

“MetTel is excited to expand our relationship with VMware to bring the next evolution of networking and security as a service to our client base,” said MetTel CTO Ed Fox.  “Together, we have been successful in delivering the next generation of WAN services to our customers over the past several years. Now we are working together to extend those services to the expanding edge and to individual users wherever they work, providing our largest clients the ability to transform the way they work and engage with their customers.”

IT technicians are increasingly seeking to implement operationally efficient solutions that provide workers in the branch, home and remote locations with more secure, reliable, consistent access to applications and services. The solution MetTel will now offer, VMware Secure Access Service Edge, provides an integrated architecture, simplifying the process of managing security, networking and edge compute services.

VMware’s comprehensive cloud-delivered SASE solution brings together:

These capabilities are delivered as a service from a global network of over 150 points of presence (PoPs) deployed by VMware and its SASE service provider partners. 

Adding VMware SASE to MetTel’s portfolio of managed network services will enable:

As a SASE leader, VMware deploys and supports a large global footprint of PoPs that deliver effortlessly scalable cloud-based networking and security services. MetTel, a long-standing VMware partner, has been named a two-time Gartner Magic Quadrant Leader for Managed Network Services and brings a large portfolio of industry-leading managed services for advanced networking and voice capabilities that connect and scale enterprise business applications.

MetTel fully manages VMware partner-managed web gateways and operates its own global network with data center resources in: Montreal, Toronto, Calgary, Mexico City, London, Madrid, Mumbai, Singapore, Tokyo and Sydney, with further expansion expected in 2022. This build out is in addition to MetTel's network of physical and virtual data centers around the US including Ashburn, VA; Atlanta, GA; Denver, CO; Dallas, TX; Santa Clara and San Jose, CA; Seattle, WA; New York City and Chicago, IL. 

VMware and MetTel will work to harness their respective IT resources and Gartner Magic Quadrant leading capabilities to amplify the power and reach of both companies’ networks and technologies worldwide.

MetTel is a leader in communications and digital transformation (DX) solutions for enterprise and government customers. By converging all communications over a proprietary network, MetTel gives enterprises one, unified view and control point for all their communications and advanced network services. MetTel’s comprehensive portfolio of customer solutions can boost enterprise productivity, reduce costs, and simplify operations. Combining customized and managed communication solutions with a powerful platform of cloud-based software, the company’s MetTel Portal® enables customers to manage their inventory, usage, spend and repairs from one simple, user-friendly interface. For more information visit <a href="http://mettel.net/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">www.mettel.net</a>, follow us on Twitter (<a href="https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=2686530-1&h=3973370938&u=https%3A%2F%2Fc212.net%2Fc%2Flink%2F%3Ft%3D0%26l%3Den%26o%3D2613922-1%26h%3D3558888810%26u%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Ftwitter.com%252FOneMetTel%26a%3D%2540OneMetTel&a=%40OneMetTel" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">@OneMetTel</a>) and on <a href="https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=2686530-1&h=1879444418&u=https%3A%2F%2Fc212.net%2Fc%2Flink%2F%3Ft%3D0%26l%3Den%26o%3D2613922-1%26h%3D1566050904%26u%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.linkedin.com%252Fcompany%252Fmettel%253Ftrk%253Dtop_nav_home%26a%3DLinkedIn&a=LinkedIn" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">LinkedIn</a>, or call us directly at 877.963.8663. MetTel. Connect Smarter.™

VMware is a leading provider of multi-cloud services for all apps, enabling digital innovation with enterprise control. As a trusted foundation to accelerate innovation, VMware software gives businesses the flexibility and choice they need to build the future. Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, VMware is committed to building a better future through the company’s 2030 Agenda. For more information, please visit <a href="http://www.vmware.com/company" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">www.vmware.com/company</a>.

VMware and VMware SASE are registered trademarks or trademarks of VMware, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and other jurisdictions.

This press release may contain hyperlinks to non-VMware websites that are created and maintained by third parties who are solely responsible for the content on such websites.

Mike Azzi, <a href="mailto:mazzi@mettel.net" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">mazzi@mettel.net</a>, 347.420.0957

Angela Leaf, VMware Global Communications, <a href="mailto:aleaf@vmware.com">aleaf@vmware.com</a>, 860.480.3367

MetTel will offer customers a managed secure access service edge (SASE) solution powered by VMware SASE. The solution will enable IT organizations to efficiently deliver cloud-based security, networking and edge compute services to applications running at the edge.

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MetTel and VMware to Deliver Cloud-Based Security, Networking and Compute Services at the Edge - VMware News and Stories

BARCELONA – Mobile World Congress 2022 — Millicom provides cable and mobile services as Tigo in nine countries in Latin America. Due to the complexity of its networks, Tigo required unification of its disparate IT operations before it could move forward with its multi-cloud ambitions. To accomplish this feat, Tigo turned to VMware.

Before engaging with VMware, Tigo’s IT, Telco and B2B teams from various geographic operations and business units were functioning independently. They each operated their own cloud environment without a common governance, operating model, or technology platform to enable Tigo to standardize its service delivery. Tigo selected VMware Cloud as its common private cloud infrastructure across its operations and business units. Since implementing VMware Cloud, Tigo has become more agile and efficient by eliminating the disparate silos, reducing the time to market for deploying existing services and increased flexibility in introducing new services, and the team is gaining the cloud skills it needs to embrace new features in the future.

With its existing operations across IT, Telco and B2B modernized and running more efficiently, Tigo has turned its eye toward 5G, expanding to hybrid multi-cloud and cloud-native environment.

Xavier Rocoplan, Millicom’s executive vice president and CTIO, said, “Strategic technology partners like VMware will play a critical role in shaping the future of Tigo as we look to bring 5G and other edge technologies to Latin America. Deploying 5G services requires flexibility in how we move workloads across the network. VMware will help us achieve our agility and scalability needs more efficiently and continue to be our partner in the cloud transformation journey we started 3 years ago.”

Sanjay Uppal, senior vice president and general manager of VMware’s Service Provider & Edge business unit, said, “Service providers across the globe are all at different stages in their network modernization journey. Tigo is laying a solid foundation for their digital transformation and on its way to monetizing 5G services that will change the way their customers work and live.”

VMware at Mobile World Congress 2022

VMware multi-cloud solutions are on display at its Mobile World Congress stand – Hall 3, Stand 3M11. Visit the <a href="https://news.vmware.com/mobile-world-congress-2022-media-kit" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">online media kit</a> for all VMware announcements made at the show as well as on-demand demos, customer testimonials, partner updates and more.

VMware and VMware Telco Cloud are registered trademarks or trademarks of VMware, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and other jurisdictions.

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Millicom (Tigo) Accelerates Its Multi-Cloud Journey with VMware - VMware News and Stories

BARCELONA – Mobile World Congress 2022 — While most service providers are sorting out how to insert 5G technology into legacy architectures, it’s always been a 5G world for DISH Network. It is standing up a 5G network from scratch and selected VMware to build the foundation for the complex radio access network (RAN). Its RAN workloads will run on top of VMware Telco Cloud Platform RAN and, announced today, DISH will trial VMware’s RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) as the platform on top of which RAN applications will run.

Marc Rouanne, executive vice president and chief network officer at DISH Wireless, said, “DISH’s Network of Networks will leverage network slicing, Open RAN (O-RAN), and other 5G innovations to provide customized network services. It’s not a one-size-fits-all experience. It can be customizable, by speed, latency, data requirements – all defined by the customer. We are redefining the relationship between service provider and enterprise, and VMware has been a strategic partner in helping us achieve this vision.”

<a href="https://telco.vmware.com/products/ric.html">VMware RIC</a> is a multi-RAN, multi-cloud platform that abstracts the underlying RAN infrastructure and can host both near-real-time applications (xApps) and non-real-time applications (rApps). These apps enable new capabilities – automation, optimization and service customization – that fuel innovation across a telco network.

Through this trial, DISH will evaluate VMware RIC on its ability to:

Sanjay Uppal, senior vice president and general manager of VMware’s Service Provider and Edge business unit, said, “DISH is building a first-of-its-kind network that will move the entire industry forward. We’re excited to be a part of the journey as we continue to work with DISH and its ecosystem partners to launch the first Open RAN-based 5G network in the United States.”

DISH Network Corporation is a connectivity company. Since 1980, it has served as a disruptive force, driving innovation and value on behalf of consumers. Through its subsidiaries, the company provides television entertainment and award-winning technology to millions of customers with its satellite DISH TV and streaming SLING TV services. In 2020, the company became a nationwide U.S. wireless carrier through the acquisition of Boost Mobile. DISH continues to innovate in wireless, building the nation's first virtualized, O-RAN 5G broadband network. DISH Network Corporation (NASDAQ: DISH) is a Fortune 200 company.

DISH Wireless, Corporate Communications

DISH will trial VMware’s RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) as the platform on top of which radio access network (RAN) applications will run.

DISH will trial VMware’s RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) as the platform on top of which radio access network (RAN) applications will run. Learn more:

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DISH to Trial VMware RAN Intelligent Controller - VMware News and Stories

BARCELONA – Mobile World Congress 2022 — Partners since 2008, VMware and HCL Technologies (HCL), a leading global technology company, today announced the companies will expand their collaboration to deliver integrated solutions for service providers around the world. HCL, specifically, will expand its Cloud Smart portfolio of services powered by VMware technology to include support for VMware Telco Cloud – 5G Core and VMware Telco Cloud RAN. In addition, HCL will set up a dedicated lab to streamline the deployment of these solutions across customers’ networks.

“Service providers operate vast and complex networks that feature software and hardware solutions from a variety of technology partners. Our strategic partnership with VMware will help to meet the needs of CSPs (Communications Service Providers) around the world as they build and transition to open and virtualized 5G networks. Further, our dedicated labs will help them to simplify validation of solution interoperability and streamline rollout of large-scale deployments,” said Anand Swamy, senior vice president and Global Head, OEM Ecosystems, HCL Technologies.

HCL operates VMware-enabled labs across the globe to support customer deployment of VMware solutions. As part of this expanded partnership, HCL will establish a lab for onboarding, integration, verification, and performance benchmarking of various 5G Core and virtual RAN configurations on VMware Telco Cloud Platform. In addition, VMware will train additional HCL engineers on how to deploy, configure and manage VMware Telco Cloud Platform. This will enable service providers – both existing mutual customers and new prospects – to quickly launch trials, Proofs of Concept (POC) and/or commercial deployment of VMware Telco Cloud Platform.

“Service providers are leveraging Telco Cloud Platform as the foundation of their network modernization. With it, they can deploy myriad network functions – both VNFs and CNFs – as well as third party software across the core, RAN and edge,” said Sanjay Uppal, senior vice president and general manager, Service Provider & Edge, VMware. “Our work with HCL will help accelerate service providers’ modernization efforts to ultimately enable them to monetize services faster.”

VMware and HCL complement each other’s abilities and the ties between both companies are extensive:

Learn more about HCL and VMware’s partnership at <a href="http://www.vmware.com/partners/siso/hcl.html">www.vmware.com/partners/siso/hcl.html</a>.

VMware and HCL Technologies (HCL) today announced the companies will expand their collaboration to deliver integrated solutions for service providers around the world.

VMware and HCL Technologies (HCL) will expand their collaboration to deliver integrated solutions for service providers around the world.

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HCL Technologies and VMware Expand Partnership to Streamline 5G and RAN Deployments - VMware News and Stories

BARCELONA – Mobile World Congress 2022 — Safaricom Telecommunication Ethiopia Plc, as part of an international consortium named the Global Partnership for Ethiopia, was granted the second Unified Telecommunication Service License in July 2021. Currently, Safaricom Ethiopia is building a telecom network for commercial launch and to contribute to Ethiopia’s digital transformation and inclusion objectives.

Safaricom Ethiopia has selected VMware as its Telco Cloud Platform partner.

Pedro Rabacal, Chief Technology Officer at Safaricom Ethiopia, said, “Building a world-class network in Ethiopia will unlock its economic potential as well as build a positive future for people across the country. We aim to contribute to the country’s digital transformation and inclusion for Ethiopians working with our partners. VMware Telco Cloud Platform will provide a robust platform for the deployment all network functions while also enabling flexibility as we scale and expand services.”

<a href="https://telco.vmware.com/products/telco-cloud-platform.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">VMware Telco Cloud Platform</a> enables service providers to rapidly deploy and efficiently operate multi-vendor CNFs and VNFs with agility and scalability across 5G and other networks that span from the core and the edge to the radio access network (RAN). Safaricom intends to deploy the platform across both its IT environments and telco network in Ethiopia.

Sanjay Uppal, senior vice president and general manager, Service Provider & Edge, VMware, said, “This project is unique as Safaricom Ethiopia does not need to contend with legacy technology and architectures. It has an opportunity to build something special from the ground up. We’re honored to play an integral role in the creation of a network that will transform Ethiopia as we know it today.”

About Safaricom Telecommunication Ethiopia PLC

Safaricom Ethiopia is a purpose-led technology and communication company committed to contributing to Ethiopia’s digital transformation and inclusion agenda.  The Global Partnership for Ethiopia, comprises of Safaricom Plc, Vodacom Group, Vodafone Group, Sumitomo Corporation and CDC Group, was awarded a license to operate telecom services in Ethiopia in July 2021, which registered Safaricom Telecommunications Ethiopia PLC.

VMware and Telco Cloud Platform are registered trademarks or trademarks of VMware, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and other jurisdictions.

Safaricom Media Relations

Safaricom will build out a telecom network in Ethiopia from scratch. In this endeavor, Safaricom has selected VMware Telco Cloud Platform as the digital foundation on top of which its network will rise.

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Safaricom Taps VMware to Build a Greenfield Network in Ethiopia - VMware News and Stories

BARCELONA – Mobile World Congress 2022 — Today, VMware unveiled products and partnerships at Mobile World Congress 2022 that will help service providers more quickly modernize their networks and monetize new services. This includes innovations in the areas of modern apps, the RAN, and the edge.

“As telcos build 5G networks around the world, they are creating new services that will change the way we work and live,” said Sanjay Uppal, senior vice president and general manager, Service Provider and Edge, VMware. “VMware’s multi-cloud approach sets our customers apart during this once-in-a-generation shift. It helps them innovate—from the core and the RAN to the edge and cloud—and deliver advanced services to move their business forward.”

Modern App Transformation for Telco

As service providers modernize their networks to use virtual and cloud-native network functions, many are choosing VMware Telco Cloud Platform as the common foundation on which to do so. It lets them take their operations to the next level. For example:

VMware is also partnering to streamline testing and validation of third-party solutions on Telco Cloud Platform. For instance, Dell, Oracle and VMware have created a validated design that provides a blueprint for building a robust, scalable 5G core on industry standard infrastructure. The solution can shorten network deployments by reducing the time needed to design, test, and integrate components from multiple partners. Read more in <a href="https://www.dell.com/en-us/dt/corporate/newsroom/announcements/detailpage.press-releases~usa~2022~02~20220222-dell-technologies-telecom-solutions-simplify-and-accelerate-modern-open-network-deployments.htm#/filter-on/Country:en-us" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dell’s announcement</a>.

Disaggregation of the RAN

When it comes to RAN modernization, service providers are moving beyond talk to action. Many are in the process of transitioning to vRAN or Open RAN—or have plans to do so. And they are working with several RAN vendors to meet their specific needs.

VMware works with a broad ecosystem of RAN vendors to test and validate the interoperability of their solutions with VMware Telco Cloud Platform RAN. It does this so that service providers do not have to. Instead, they can simply run and manage RAN functions from a variety of vendors on a platform that is built and optimized for the RAN.

Today VMware and HCL, a VMware partner since 2008, announced they are expanding their collaboration to deliver integrated solutions for service providers around the world. HCL, specifically, will expand its Cloud Smart portfolio of services powered by VMware technology to include support for VMware Telco Cloud – 5G Core and VMware Telco Cloud RAN. In addition, HCL will set up a dedicated lab to streamline the deployment of these solutions across customers’ networks.

Learn more about this new engagement <a href="https://news.vmware.com/releases/vmware-and-hcl-in-telco" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a>.

Programmability of the Network

In O-RAN architectures, the RAN Intelligent Controller—or RIC—hosts apps that enable new capabilities such as automation, network optimization and service customization. <a href="https://telco.vmware.com/products/ric.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">VMware RIC</a> hosts both near-real-time applications (xApps) and non-real-time applications (rApps) built by a growing ecosystem of third-party software developers.

Modern service providers are working with VMware to trial and implement VMware RIC in their network.For example, Vodafone recently completed a <a href="https://www.vodafone.com/news/press-release/vodafone-and-partners-boost-5g-capacity" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">proof-of-concept</a> designed to enable more efficient use of spectrum. They ran a <a href="https://telco.vmware.com/content/dam/digitalmarketing/vmware/en/pdf/microsites/telco/vmware-cohere-spectrum-multiplier-with-ric.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">new app from Cohere Technologies</a>, the Spectrum Multiplier, on VMware RIC connected to a Capgemini 5G RAN. The results: Vodafone doubled 5G spectral efficiency—and effectively cell site capacity—using Cohere’s xApp intelligence. Read more about this proof of concept and Vodafone’s O-RAN journey in <a href="https://blogs.vmware.com/telco/vodafone-trial-part-1/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">this blog series</a>.

Programmability of the network extends beyond the RAN. Announced today, Arrcus’ virtualized routing solution, Arrcus ACE 2.0, is now interoperable with VMware Telco Cloud Platform, enabling service providers to increase the programmability of their networks and extend them to the edge. At the VMware stand at Mobile World Congress 2022, SoftBank demonstrated how it can utilize this solution to achieve its vision for 5G Mobile User Plane enablement. 

Enterprise Transition to the Edge

Enterprise customers are actively moving modern app workloads to the edge. They are betting on 5G to accelerate this journey. And on private 5G as a foundation. That’s why VMware is working with several partners to deliver private networking solutions to service providers that they can in turn deliver to enterprise customers.

For example, ASOCS, Druid and VMware have unveiled a validated design for private mobile networks, enabling enterprise customers to take advantage of more secure, robust, 5G connectivity at the edge. Running on VMware’s Edge Compute Stack, ASOCS CYRUS RAN and Druid Raemis Core, deliver a Private 5G solution. Read more about our validated design in partnership with ASOCS and Druid <a href="https://blogs.vmware.com/telco/private-5g/">here</a>.

Additionally, STL, ASOCS and VMware introduced a 5G enterprise solution offering a powerful on-premises, fully virtualized and open RAN. Featuring STL’s Garuda, a smart 5G indoor small cell, this solution can be hosted alongside enterprise IT infrastructure on commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) servers, seamlessly blending with an enterprise’s existing infrastructure.

Lastly, service providers are adding VMware SASE to their portfolio of managed solutions to enable enterprise customers to innovate at the edge.

Today, VMware unveiled products and partnerships at Mobile World Congress 2022 that will help service providers more quickly modernize their networks and monetize new services. Learn more:

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Telcos Transform into Technology Powerhouses with VMware - VMware News and Stories

At #MWC22 @VMware unveiled products and partnerships that will help service providers more quickly modernize their networks and monetize new services. Learn more:

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