By Peter Cohen
Ericsson and VMware said this week that work has begun to validate Ericsson’s 5G Core to run on VMware’s Telco Cloud Platform. The validation will confirm that VMware’s platform can onboard and host Ericsson’s 5G Core Cloud Native Functions (CNFs). The effort will yield more flexible and lower-cost 5G Core deployments for Communication Service Providers (CSPs), the companies said.
Image via Ericsson
The companies are validating three different infrastructure and orchestration options for CSPs leveraging Ericsson’s dual-mode 5G Core, which concurrently operates 4G LTE and 5G networks. Customers can go all-in on Telco Cloud Platform as the infrastructure for Ericsson’s network function execution, using VMware Telco Cloud Automation to manage network function orchestration and lifecycle management.
A second option lets CSPs manage CNFs using Ericsson orchestration running on Telco Cloud Platform. This option enables the creation, lifecycle management and configuration of Tanzu Kubernetes Grid (TKG) worker nodes, said Ericsson. Ericsson Orchestrator Cloud Manager NFVO and Ericsson Orchestrator Evolved VNF Manager handle CNF lifecycle management. A third option combines Ericsson orchestration tools integrated directly on Telco Cloud Infrastructure.
“CSPs leveraging these Ericsson and VMware offerings will be able to plan their migration path to a fully cloud-native dual-mode 5G Core operations over time. The result is a flexible migration path allowing for a smooth evolution from a legacy to a 5G Core,” they said.
Ericsson emphasizes its 5G Core’s dual-mode flexibility to run alongside existing 4G LTE deployments. Validating VMware Telco Cloud Platform for deployment helps make a smooth evolution for CSPs looking for flexible 5G migration, said Ericsson.
“Onboarding and system validation is a continuous joint effort which takes place at both VMware and Ericsson labs to ensure engineering support and alignment on these reference configurations and platform versions,” they said.
Telco Cloud Platform makes inroads to CSPs
VMware continues to forge ahead into the telecom space with partnerships. In March, Virgin Media O2 is it had selected VMware for the modernization of its network and to enable the continued rollout of its 5G network. Virgin Media O2 said it will leverage VMware Telco Cloud Infrastructure to rapidly design, build, test and implement virtualized network functions, boosting innovation across its network and the delivery of new services.
Last November Vodafone announced VMWare’s Telco Cloud Platform as the basis for its cloud-native Standalone 5G (SA) network in Europe. Vodafone has deployed the platform already across Europe in eight of its 11 markets. Vodafone plans to expand the platform to all of its European markets over time.
VMware announced a collaboration in March with German research institutes to develop the technology needed for 6G. VMware noted that TU Dresden, the Centre for Tactile Internet with Human-in-the-Loop (CeTI) and the 6G-life hub in Germany 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. The company said that enabling this type of interaction will promote equitable access to remote environments for people of different genders, ages, cultural backgrounds, or physical limitations.
