Dell Technologies and VMware are working with South Korean operator SK Telecom to bundle together private 5G and multi-access edge compute (MEC) to help carriers sell Industry 4.0 to enterprises, and to drive broader digital change. The new solution, called OneBox MEC, will make localised connectivity and compute simpler to deploy, the trio said.
The package will be available via solutions providers, network vendors, and system integrators. Private 5G networks — running in dedicated spectrum or dedicated spectrum slices, utilising either on-site compute resources, or highly-localised MEC in the cellular network — deliver “reliable and predictable performance” and “secure connectivity”.
The new OneBox MEC packages these benefits into an integrated plug-and-play offer for data-intensive, low-latency edge services. The deal incorporates Dell’s EMC PowerEdge XE2420 server, VMWare’s Telco Cloud Platform, and SK Telecom’s 5GX MEC Platform. Together, these will deliver “performance, availability and security… for [carriers] to build their portfolio of private 5G and edge solutions.
David Trigg, vice president of market development at Dell, said: “Dell has worked closely with VMware and SK Telecom to develop cloud-native solutions and completed proofs of concept deployments designed to optimize 5G and edge computing content delivery and user experience. With this collaboration, we will deliver 5G-enabled edge computing solutions, to give enterprises new options to quickly act on data where it resides.”
Lakshmi Mandyam, vice president of product management for telco and edge cloud at VMware, said: “The edge is the new frontier for innovation. [This] platform… will help enterprises innovate at the edge with velocity and bring new and exciting experiences to their customers.”
Lee Dong-kee, vice president and head of 5GX MEC at SK Telecom, said: “Our enterprise customers will be able to launch MEC-based services in a speedy manner. Through continuous collaboration with Dell and VMware, we will… support ultra-low latency services by combining the strengths of 5G and MEC to accelerate innovations for companies in diverse areas including healthcare, retail, and construction.”
