Cloud portfolio expansion focused on providing end-to-end network software for CSPs
Mavenir spent a good deal of 2020 pushing its Open RAN software as part of larger movements in the telecoms industry toward disaggregation of the radio access network. But a Monday portfolio expansion announced served as a good reminder of the U.S. firm’s end-to-end software offerings which cover core, RAN and now a new Webscale Platform, mobile edge computing, artificial intelligence-based analytics and all around digital enablement.
The big picture here is cloudification of multiple network domains as operators look to swap out proprietary boxes for commercial off the shelf server hardware running cloud-native network function. The idea is operators will cut capex while gaining the flexibility and automated intelligence necessary to turn 5G networks into platforms capable of delivering differentiated services that can create new revenue opportunities.
The Webscale Platform announcement is in line Platform as a Service consumption models that use open source, Kubernetes-based network function management and orchestration. Noting that this type of offering is typically associated with IT and enterprise, SVP of 5G Cloud Platforms Suresh Somasundaram said the PaaS “requires additional and specialized functions to support telecom and specifically mobile workloads…Mavenir has developed a common software extending standard open source PaaS components to support telco needs for webscale deployment…”
With MEC, the thinking is that 5G latency reductions aren’t fully utilized unless computing can be distributed closer to where data is generated. The combination of 5G and MEC opens up delivery of latency- and throughput-dependent services that operators can charge a premium for. Mavenir called out applications like industrial automation, AR/VR, gaming, video surveillance and autonomous vehicles. “The additional focus on [MEC] will accelerate such applications for many different industries and sectors,” GM of Cloud Packet Computing Ashok Khuntia said in a statement.
AI and real-time analytics ingestion and analysis is a key component of network automation. In the march toward delivering network slices across a cloud-native network, AI and network automation are needed for the operator to manage the complexity of responsive service delivery while optimizing network and spectral resource allocations.
In terms of digital enablement, Mavenir’s platform includes partner/customer management, order journey experience, subscription/usage billing, charging and settlement. The company said its solution is designed with a focus on “adaptability.”
In tandem with a webscale platform, MEC and AI-based analytics, Mavenir CSO Bejoy Pankajakshan said the combination is for “Telcos looking to offer new mission critical network edge solutions, transform network operations and business models for new 5G networks…With a worldwide installed base and decades of experience in designing Multi-G telco services, Mavenir now offers its customer a path to realize the true potential of 5G through these new technology solutions.”
