Is cloud native enough? Five reasons why monetizing 5G calls for public cloud

The rollout of 5G networks will transform CSPs from the inside out. It will impact their core network and BSS. It will also impact their cloud journey. While many CSPs are already in the initial stages of exploring or using the public cloud to manage some of their enterprise applications, the rollout of 5G services will force them to take the leap and adopt the public cloud to fully monetize the potential of 5G for their core applications. They can't afford not to!

5G business opportunities are commonly classified as follows:

• Increase in revenue potential from a consumer base


• Elevate position in the enterprise value chain


• Expand to additional business domains such as IoT


• Reduce overall costs

Those who have already started implementing 5G are experiencing a slower than expected adoption. However, cloud-native applications deployed on the public cloud can accelerate expansion into additional business domains and deliver cost savings TODAY. They can also help prepare and position CSPs to increase revenue potential from their consumer base and elevate the CSP’s enterprise value chain position. Don’t wait for 5G to reach full maturity — the time to prepare yourself is now.

Let’s explore the value offered by the public cloud and why it’s critical to CSPs’ success when launching 5G.

1. Managed cloud products

When embedded into BSS offerings, public cloud products bring innovation and equip CSPs with enhanced, game-changing features. An example of this is the Google Cloud Spanner managed database that replaces traditional databases. It’s proven to scale horizontally and across multiple regions. It can empower CSPs to handle the anticipated explosion of 5G traffic and the number of concurrently connected devices while ensuring the low latency needed for core services such as charging.

Another example is AI and analytics managed services. Over the public cloud, you can apply advanced models to support 5G monetization. Here are just a few examples:

• Insights and optimization of offerings with dynamic pricing based on available network capacity and expected demand


• Real-time service-level agreement (SLA) fulfillment monitoring and assurance


• Network performance optimization


• Usage pattern-based personalization


• Network slicing inventory management and optimization

By applying an open architecture, cloud products, such as Google Cloud Platform’s (GCP) Recommendations AI engine, can easily consume BSS data and optimize product recommendation models. GCP’s AutoML Vision Edge can also help telecoms develop and deploy ML models on mobile devices with zero technical knowledge and expertise for enhancing customer experience.

2. Edge computing and distributed charging

The variety of 5G use cases require new BSS capabilities. Specifically, charging will require ultra-low latency capabilities to ensure customer experiences in gaming, health, automotive use cases, and more. These differentiated requirements will be supported via the use of public cloud-enabled edge computing management as the underlying technology.

AWS Wavelength, Google Anthos, and Azure Edge Zones are all recent rollouts of public cloud products that allow CSPs to handle core applications on the edge and support deployment on the device or at the edge of the telecom network.

Using these products allows CSPs to support new use cases and optimize resources while complying with the full range of charging requirements—from the core to the far edge of on-device and offline charging management.

3. Software agility

5G requires enhanced functionalities from online charging, such as:

• Registration management


• Connection and location management and reporting


• Session management enhanced policy and control for complex and large hierarchies


• Flexible convergence charging based on any existing and new attribute


• Network slice management

CSPs are searching for software flexibility and fast rollout of functionalities while aiming to reduce the traditional lifecycle management, including upgrades, heavy customizations, and the burden of backward compatibility. By adopting a software management model that is common on the public cloud and leveraging automated CI/CD cloud tools, CSPs can eliminate the hurdles that slow them down to achieve agility through:

• A centrally managed product with a common automated CI/CD pipeline from the vendor to customers


• Frequent rollout of new functionalities every 1-3 months to allow CSPs a “test fast-fail fast” approach through experimentation with new ideas, which can also help quick onboarding of partners for new 5G use cases

4. Scalability

While the expectation of growing 5G traffic and the number of connected devices are in the process of materializing, they will most certainly grow as new use cases are rolled out and consumer and enterprise confidence increases. In preparation, CSPs should choose an approach that requires reduced compute power investment today and that has the flexibility to meet future capacity increases.

That approach is the public cloud.

5. Reduced total cost of ownership

A large investment is being made in the 5G network. Meanwhile, 5G-related revenues are not yet increasing as projected. So, CSPs are eager to reduce their total cost of ownership (TCO) wherever they can, including their enterprise applications.

The public cloud provides a proven opportunity to save on costs and, at the same time, increase operational flexibility and business agility. CSPs pay only for the actual capacity they use with the public cloud—without the need to secure it in advance.

About Optiva

Optiva provides cloud-native revenue management products that are available on a private or public cloud. We have more than 20 years of experience in the telecom industry and more than 100 customers worldwide. Optiva has fully rearchitected its portfolio, leveraging the public cloud beyond compute power for a full suite of software and solutions. The company’s products can be delivered in a SaaS model, enabling CSPs to reduce costs, improve commercial flexibility and time to market, and enjoy seamless updates and upgrades.

Optiva Charging Engine includes productized and configurable capabilities of converged charging, policy, and user experience ready for 5G. Utilized by some of the largest telcos in the world, it enables CSPs to support new services, capture new revenue streams, and monetize core telecom and partner services. Optiva Charging Engine ensures immediate scalability for 5G traffic at the lowest total cost of ownership.

Contact us today to learn how we can help you fully realize new revenue streams like 5G

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