Google Cloud is collaborating with Intel to develop reference architectures and integrated solutions for communications service providers to accelerate their deployment of 5G and edge network solutions.
Google Cloud VP and GM Networking, Shailesh Shukla, said in a blog post, "Under this partnership, we’ll work closely with Intel in three main areas: accelerating the ability of communications service providers to deploy their Virtualized RAN (vRAN) and Open Radio Access Network (ORAN) solutions by providing next-generation infrastructure and hardware, launching new lab environments to help communications service providers innovate on cloud-native 5G, and making it easier for them to deliver business applications to the network edge.
With the industry’s transition to 5G and growth in edge services, Google Cloud and Intel will also collaborate on vRAN solutions. vRAN can bring significant benefits for operators, including improved network performance and spectral efficiency, cost efficiencies, and flexible deployment models. At the same time, these solutions present communications service providers with stringent network, timing, and processing demands. The ability to deploy, manage, and upgrade network functions is critical to enable 5G vRAN deployments at scale.
To help communications service providers streamline the rollout of vRAN, and therefore 5G, we will leverage Google Cloud’s global infrastructure and capabilities alongside solutions from Intel.
In addition, Google Cloud will jointly launch a Network Functions Validation lab and collaborate with Intel to support vendors in testing, optimizing, and validating their core network functions running on Google Cloud’s Anthos for Telecom platform. This lab environment will expand to help customers conceive, plan, and validate their 5G and edge application strategies.
In addition to network functions, to make it even easier for communications service providers to deliver applications to the edge, Google Cloud will collaborate with Intel to develop edge solutions with Intel compute-optimized technology. Google Cloud also work closely with Intel to create blueprints and solutions to accelerate edge transformation in key industries, such as manufacturing or retail.
Dan Rodriguez, Intel Corporate VP and GM of the Network Platforms Group
As communications service providers build out their 5G network infrastructure, our efforts with Google Cloud and the broader ecosystem will help them deliver agile, scalable solutions for emerging 5G and edge use cases.
