Communication service providers (CSPs) have long prioritized carrier-class reliability as a differentiator as well as a regulatory requirement. But as networks have evolved, the way CSPs think about reliability and risk must evolve too.

Too heavy an emphasis on infrastructural reliability can lead to rising costs and dependency on outdated platforms, often at the expense of service reliability. Or to put it another way — a host failing or a data center experiencing disruption is less important than ensuring that customers can still make calls, send texts, stream video and access business applications.

CSPs can make major gains in efficiency and reliability by adopting a modern cloud approach to resiliency and fast recovery similar to the model used by hyperscale data centers. For example, most CSPs maintain 30% to 40% core utilization today — largely because that has been the norm in hardware-centric networks. Virtualized, cloud-native architectures can run at double that level of efficiency while using far less power, and without sacrificing service availability. A new relationship with risk: rethinking infrastructure Historically, communication service providers have been reluctant to take on more risk. Instead, they’ve attempted to remove risk by throwing money and resources at it.

A traditional solution might be to increase capacity or deploy more hosts. However, this heightens infrastructural complexity and raises operational costs without necessarily minimizing risk. Further, it calls for larger teams with a deeper understanding of the latest technology, product or protection approach.

However, current assumptions concerning the best way to architect networks may no longer apply broadly to modern cloud-based environments. It may be time to reevaluate ongoing risk aversion strategies and identify the real costs in both energy and dollars. There may even be some myths that need busting — myths may be holdover relics from the days of legacy networks.

By taking a step back and reassessing network strategies in terms of actual costs, communication service providers can make more informed choices about future directions. That requires a new relationship with risk. For the sake of innovation, it’s time to evolve from yesterday’s risk-averse mindset. By doing so, early wins in power efficiency and cost reduction will soon become apparent.

Evolving towards a cloud-driven philosophy In a software-driven, virtualized and cloud-native world, communication service providers can learn a few tricks from hyperscalers.

The hyperscaler approach to risk is that failures are inevitable. Instead of spending a fortune in a vain attempt to eliminate failures, they emphasized ultra-fast prediction and prevention of failures as well as swift recovery procedures. In effect, they have adopted a cloud-driven philosophy of failures as a way to minimize risk.

Carrier-class reliability as a be-all and end-all has probably had its day. The way to win is via innovation, not by a fixation on infrastructure reliability. Failures are inevitable, so the focus should be on rapid detection and prevention of potential issues as well as ultra-fast recovery within a framework of operational flexibility. The right architectural approaches and technology shifts can lead to operational shifts that pay major dividends.

RAN and 5G risk: a new approach The game has changed with 5G. In the past, it may have made sense to have completely separate mobile core and radio access network (RAN). But as 5G rolls out broadly, there’s more risk in business as usual than there is in championing a new approach.

The capital and operating costs in building enough dedicated RAN sites are causing some to reconsider their architectural preferences. For example, more truck rolls may be required to manage new RAN sites. That adds cost, as does the quantity of real estate and power required. Remember that 5G isn’t just about towers. It is being deployed in parking garages, on the sides of tall buildings and in other non-traditional locations due to the limits of 5G signals carrying higher frequency bands. This all adds risk and introduces many more potential points of failure for communication service providers to manage.

Rethinking risk doesn’t mean sacrificing performance Rethinking how you assess risk doesn’t have to mean sacrificing 99.999% availability. It is now possible to assure five-nines reliability at the application stack level — where it matters most to customers — without necessarily building that level of reliability into the underlying infrastructure stack too. How?

The VMware Telco Cloud Platform RAN is the best way to minimize risk and speed recovery. Powered by field-proven compute and telco-grade distribution, it’s coupled with service management and orchestration (SMO) to provide telecom-specific automation and service assurance.

The result is a consistent horizontal infrastructure, the ability to dynamically adjust the configuration of underlying resources, automated lifecycle management of infrastructure and services, a centralized, cross-domain view, rapid remediation and web-scale speed and agility to accelerate the rollout of 5G and telecommunication services. This empowers you to modernize your network so you can rapidly deploy and efficiently operate multi-vendor virtual networks.