Dell Technologies is adding Red Hat’s OpenShift software and management on top of its telecom-focused server equipment to support the roll out of 5G services. And, to prime that pump, it’s also releasing a multi-access edge computing (MEC) reference architecture targeted at private 5G network deployments.

The Dell Technologies Red Hat OpenShift Reference Architecture for Telecom platform provides an open source product that allows operators and their vendor partners to build cloud-native applications and functions on top of the Kubernetes-based OpenShift. Dell is providing its Dell EMC PowerEdge servers and can also throw in its PowerSwitch open networking products.

“This is a fully validated reference architecture, focused at providing an open, cloud-native architecture for the telecom service provider so it's specifically developed for telecom providers and it really helps them build that open, cloud data network with telco-grade resiliency,” explained Kevin Gray, director of solutions marketing and telecom systems business at Dell Technologies, in an interview.

Gray noted that the underlying platform is similar to what Dell provides for other software platforms running on top of its equipment like OpenStack and VMware’s 5G Telco Cloud Platform, but focused on the cloud-native container and Kubernetes ecosystem. This is significant as VMware, which Dell is set to spin off, has its own Tanzu platform that has a similar containerized focus to OpenShift.

“One of the things Dell is looking to do is support a broad range of customer requirements and there are folks that are very much focused on the VMware platform and we build solutions specifically to VMware,” Gray said. “And we also build solutions with Red Hat as well as it’s a leading provider of containerized architecture, containerized infrastructure, so we're looking to partner with Red Hat to serve the entire telecom market.”

Red Hat, which this week updated its OpenShift platform, is also spreading its efforts around, layering its OpenShift platform on hardware from its parent company IBM.

To get the ball rolling, the Dell MEC reference architecture includes the OpenShift Container Platform and Intel’s Smart Edge systems. This will allow service providers to use artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and analytics to support edge services like private 5G networks.

Gray explained that the architecture uses a controller node that handles the central functions tied to managing, configuring, and deploying the edge nodes. Those nodes are then based on the Smart Edge stack running on the Dell infrastructure.

“The controller nodes can run in the data center or at the edge, but they sit on Red Hat OpenShift so it's a completely containerized platform,” Gray said.

The Dell move also continues what is a growing push by the vendor into the telecom and 5G space. Dell executives recently noted that the company was well positioned for growing opportunities in 5G, cloud-based IT services, and edge computing.

“Dell Technologies is in the middle of the edge and telecom transformation,” COO Jeff Clarke said during the company’s fourth-quarter fiscal 2021 earnings call. “We are on the cusp of widespread 5G connectivity driving real-time, automated, and intelligent outcomes at the edge. This will drive an estimated $700 billion in cumulative spend on the edge, on edge IT infrastructure, and data centers within the next decade.”