Stockholm-based service provider Tele2 joins AT&T, Verizon, and other carriers in embracing OpenStack.

Tele2 will deploy network functions virtualization (NFV) as a stepping stone to 5G. The company said it plans to have its virtual evolved packet core (vEPC) in the cloud by the third quarter.

Tele2 will use OpenStack managed by Canonical’s generic VNF manager Juju to deploy NFV. The company also will use Huawei’s rackmount services and Cisco’s ACI.

Tele2 isn’t the only operator using OpenStack for NFV. Others include AT&T, Verizon, Deutsche Telekom, NTT Group, and SK Telecom. AT&T said earlier this year that it plans to have 50 percent of its software built on open source.

Tele2 will use NFV to migrate its network and IT functions to the cloud in preparation for 5G. The company hasn’t said when it plans to deploy 5G, but it is a member of the Next-Generation Mobile Networks (NGMN) Alliance and is participating in 5G standards development.

Tele2 also said its data center network will be built on a spine/leaf network with 25- and 100-GB/s connectivity.

Tele2’s decision to deploy NFV may also be prompted by the carrier’s Challenger Program, a project it embarked upon last year to deliver productivity savings of around $120 million per year from 2018.