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.
VMware Telco Cloud Platform – Public Cloud, 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. As part of Telco Cloud Automation, 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.
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 Odience live streaming platform 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.