US carrier Sprint will build a core network and operating system for ‘internet of things’ (IoT) connectivity and applications. Ericsson has been appointed to deliver the solution.
Sprint said the distributed and virtualised core network, allied with a dedicated IoT operating system for managing devices and connectivity, renders large volumes of enterprise data at the network edge in real time, and primes it for advanced data analytics applications and vertical-market use cases.
The pair said the distributed and virtualised network core, providing low latency and highest availability, reduces distance between the device generating the data and the IoT application processing it.
Nodes are distributed right to the enterprise premise, if necessary, to support specific security, privacy and latency requirements, it said.
The management platform, meanwhile, affords simplified inbound and outbound activity, easy configuration and software / firmware updates for each device, chip-level security, and monitoring of billing and usage data.
Ivo Rook, senior vice president of IoT at Sprint, commented: “We are… [building] a platform primed for the most demanding applications like artificial intelligence, edge computing, robotics, autonomous vehicles and more with ultra-low-latency, the highest availability and an unmatched level of security at the chip level.”
He added: “This is a network built for software and it’s ready for 5G. Our IoT platform is for those companies, large and small, that are creating the immediate economy.”
Asa Tamsons, senior vice president and head of business area technology and emerging business at Ericsson, said: “Sprint will be one of the first to market with a distributed core network and operating system built especially for IoT and powered by Ericsson’s IoT Accelerator platform.
“Our goal is to make it easy for Sprint and their customers to access and use connected intelligence, enabling instant and actionable insights for a better customer experience and maximum value.”
The proposition also covers service assurance for all IoT elements and enterprise locations, including network operations centre monitoring, service resource fulfilment, cloud orchestration management and application management.
