Communication service providers (CSPs) have invested billions of dollars in 5G spectrum and infrastructure upgrades to unlock new revenue streams – but the benefits have been slow to materialize without collaborative partnerships.
Often, internal CSP experts can’t transform networks alone. Despite their best efforts, their networks remain complex, resulting in sluggish performance and higher operational costs.
CSPs need to find partners with the right level of cloud expertise who are already serving industry vertical customers for solution design and go-to-market efforts. These collaborative partnerships are what drives network transformations that deliver results. Collaborative network transformation starts with leadership There are many facets to collaboration, all of which are essential to the success of network modernization and monetization efforts. However, collaboration begins at the top.
Senior management must be committed to transformation and willing to champion the cause. They must align the entire CSP around a cloud foundation designed for business growth and solicit buy-in across the organization for cross-functional collaboration.
This is especially important where legacy infrastructure has dominated and network and operations teams have operated largely independently without much cooperation. True transformation can only occur when collaboration is not only encouraged but is mandated. This may entail positioning the right people in certain positions who understand the need for a cloud-based approach to bring radio access network (RAN) design, operations, and services teams closer together.
Develop your ecosystem with the right partners Major 5G monetization opportunities lie ahead for whoever can build custom enterprise and edge solutions for industries like manufacturing, financial services, health care, and others. CSPs are in a unique position to revolutionize the enterprise operations of these customers.
Choosing the right partners is all about selecting those who are both technologically and philosophically aligned with the CSP's vision for the future. For example, many CSPs favor an open RAN model with an ecosystem of application partners continually bringing software innovations to the network. The RAN network equipment provider they choose should share a similar vision.
Promote collaboration with 5G’s cloud-native capabilities 5G improves data rates and also helps to disaggregate legacy architectures by introducing cloud-native capabilities such as microservices, container orchestration, and infrastructure-as-code (IAC). It facilitates the introduction of agile software methodologies that support dynamic, multi-vendor networks and continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD) toolchains.
In addition, 5G architectures provide a framework for zero-touch provisioning, artificial intelligence (AI)-based closed-loop remediation, customer-centricity, and CI/CD-based automation. Custom network slices and services can be tuned for specialized customer needs. It makes sense that 5G should be accompanied by a platform that facilitates its inherent capabilities — and that platform is the VMware Telco Cloud RAN.
Maximize returns with a cloud partner ecosystem The VMware Telco Cloud Partner Ecosystem offers CSPs a way to maximize returns from network transformation efforts. Through advancements that enable network programmability, optimize network performance, and transform RAN and the mobile core, VMware by Broadcom provides CSPs with a software-defined and cloud-based infrastructure that helps differentiate their services in a competitive marketplace.
The VMware Telco Cloud portfolio has been carefully constructed based on the experience of our app ecosystem partners. It helps the CSP to put the customer – rather than the network – at the center of everything. The technology stack and operational approach is geared toward delivering differentiated customer experiences and exceeding expectations. It provides a common platform for the bulk of workloads and CSP operations.
VMware RAN intelligent controllers (RICs), for example, puts business and operational intelligence in the control of CSPs, customers, and their trusted application partners. They modernize RAN networks by making them programmable, modular, and built with best-of-breed solutions from an ecosystem of partners. The VMware RAN intelligent controller (RIC) was designed to insert new apps from any vendor at the point where those devices connect. Everything operates within the VMware Telco Cloud solutions and the RAN intelligence assures that all RAN elements dovetail harmoniously.
This eliminates the operational silos that cripple modernization and monetization efforts. It transforms inflexible, complex RAN infrastructures to make monitoring and maintenance flexible and simple through APIs. Adding new features and delivering value-added services becomes simple, rather than taking weeks or months.
Consistency creates a foundation for growth By introducing consistency across all applications and vendors, CSPs can achieve major operational savings, faster time to market, and satisfied customers. Cloud RAN creates consistency that allows CSPs to:
- Host a variety of multi-vendor applications
- SImplify RAN operations with CI/CD-based automation
- Achieve always-on networks with multi-layer and multi-vendor visibility
- Inject intelligence into the RAN for programmability
To get started as a partner, visit the Technology Alliance Partner Program (TAP).