LAS VEGAS – Amazon Web Services (AWS) has become a player in the 5G telecom space backed by its deep cloud platform that can support 5G-specific applications and its data center footprint that allows it to drive mobile edge computing (MEC) services.

“Our goal is I want to make AWS the best place to run 5G networks,” Jan Hofmeyr, VP for AWS’ EC2 said during an interview at this week’s re:Invent show. “That is the overarching objective. How can I make AWS, whether we are running it in the region, in a Local Zone, on an Outposts, on a Snow device, how do we make it the best place to run a 5G network, and then provide that infrastructure.”

As Hofmeyr noted, AWS’ 5G network efforts include a cloud architecture that can support an operator’s core network and applications, similar to what AWS is doing with greenfield U.S. operator Dish Network.

Sidd Chenumolu, VP of technology development and network services at Dish Wireless, recently explained that the carrier’s 5G core was using three of AWS’ four public regions, was deployed in “multiple availability zones and almost all the Local Zones, but most were deployed with Nokia applications across AWS around the country.”

AWS is also working with Verizon to support a part of that carrier’s public MEC system. This includes use of AWS’ Outposts and Wavelengths, the latter of which AWS recently expanded in the United Kingdom with telecom giant Vodafone.

Hofmeyr explained that AWS’ level of support runs deep in its Outposts platform.

“It’s a fully managed infrastructure as we as AWS monitor it,” Hofmeyr said. “If anything goes wrong, we will let the customer know. We will send somebody out, we will say ‘hey, I'm seeing memory corruption errors on the memory card, in the server.’ So I monitor, I detect that no different than what we do in the region. And I will notify the customer to move the workloads and another Outposts instance or come in replace that. All of that is run by me.”

AWS drives visibility toward comfort at the edge

AWS also provides visibility into those network operations, “so they know exactly what’s going on,” Hofmeyr added. This is important because operators are all over the map when it comes to the cloud.

“I think you have a spectrum, from the total greenfields like what we did with Dish to the large tier-ones,” Hofmeyr said. “The one thing that's common across the board is the desire to modernize and become more cloud-like. That is common. Everyone wants that. Each one has a very unique job. There's not one way that they all are executing in the same way. They're taking this one workload and then building, so all of them are focusing on different workloads in the network and put it in the cloud.”

AT&T, for instance, recently made a push to emphasize that despite deep integration with Microsoft Azure, “AT&T’s 5G mobility core runs on AT&T hardware in the AT&T data centers and operated by AT&T,” SVP and Network CTO Igal Elbaz told SDxCentral.

This highlights the ongoing push-pull between established telecom operators and hyperscalers in terms of how far each wants to move into the other's domain.

During the same interview, Elbaz said he does not think hyperscalers want to make the full jump to being a network operator. “I don’t think they want to be operators. They just want operators to use their services,” he said.

Hofmeyr expressed a similar sentiment, noting that AWS wanted to be the best partner for operators on their 5G and edge journeys.

“I think we have a very healthy ecosystem of partners that provide technology solutions,” Hofmeyr said. “We listen to our customers and our customers today all bring to us and say here's a technology partner we want you to work with, and we will work closely to support them in that migration.”

Red Hat Chief Strategist Ian Hood during a recent webinar noted that operators are indeed working through their edge deployment and utilization plans. He explained that in most cases where telcos have a certain set of requirements, they pick one or more hyperscalers to deliver those services, or “potentially deliver it in partnership with them over the edge and deliver that extended distributed picture processor secure network. This is really the direction that we’re headed.”

Hood tied this to real-world economics, noting telcos should look at what the cloud provider‘s costs are in contrast with how fast “I can go spin it up to do my first thing.”

That speed and ability is something AWS wants to continue to exploit.

“I think all over the edge we find these use cases for which purpose-built systems were designed to handle that,” Hofmeyr said. “And our goal is how do you make that available in the cloud.”