Deutsche Telekom rolls out Kubernetes optimized for cloud native 5G deployments with its partner Weaveworks.
This disruptive enhancement to the 5G telco cloud follows the $36M investment in Weaveworks by Telekom Innovation Pool (Deutsche Telekom’s strategic investment fund) together with other regional and global telcos; cloud providers AWS and Google Ventures; and private VCs to optimize Kubernetes for cloud native 5G deployments.
5G brings a new level of integrated infrastructure and services to the cloud. Mobile operators like Deutsche Telekom are using Kubernetes and GitOps for faster and more flexible network deployment while overcoming the hurdles delaying 5G deployments.
Kubernetes Cluster-as-a-Service (CaaS)
Deutsche Telekom is the first global telco running Kubernetes across both its core and edge sites to deliver multiple use cases through a single telco-grade platform. Deutsche Telekom and Weaveworks collaborated to achieve a fully open, GitOps-enabled, distributed Kubernetes Cluster-as-a-Service (CaaS) platform at massive scale, allowing 1000’s of application owners and vendors to securely deploy workloads and other services on-prem and on top of Virtual Machines (VM) or bare-metal servers.
Built using Weaveworks’ automated application and platform management solution, Weave GitOps Enterprise (among others) makes possible cost-effective innovation though continuous application delivery and operations with full control and transparency.
5G workloads demand continuous patches, upgrades, and updates to match fast-changing market needs. Weaveworks together with cloud native network software provider Mavenir and Deutsche Telekom have designed and implemented the industry’s first 5G application lifecycle management in a cloud native environment. This enables Deutsche Telekom to push out updates on demand in a fully automated way, with high availability, auditability, and security.
Abdu Mudesir, SVP Technology at Deutsche Telekom
In 2019 we saw that Kubernetes and containers would transform how we deliver software inside telcos. By using best of breed open source and selected leading contributors to cloud native technology as partners, we could enable a rapid 5G rollout. As soon as we empowered our internal Kubernetes platform team to move forward with Weaveworks’ support, they shipped a working system into production in a matter of months, and onto 5G in 2021. All this has been possible through the GitOps model.
Alexis Richardson, Weaveworks CEO and Co-founder
Kubernetes has become the rock-solid foundation of modern cloud infrastructures and the time is right for telcos to adopt cloud native. Cloud native Kubernetes can offer significant capital and operational cost reduction while speeding deployments to operators like Deutsche Telekom as they roll out 5G. By replacing legacy delivery tools that have long upgrade cycles with an open, layered software stack, Deutsche Telekom enjoys full control.
