Telenor and Amazon team up to deliver 5G and edge services

Telenor is looking to build on its cloud-based strategy by co-investing with Amazon Web Services (AWS) in 5G and edge services for enterprise verticals, including manufacturing, supply chain and logistics, and automotive.

The aim is to develop new 5G and edge enterprise services “that use a combination of the most advanced and secure cloud technologies from AWS,” according to Telenor in a statement.

Combining a cloud core and edge with industry vertical-specific service models in manufacturing, logistics and automotive “is the point we’ve been waiting for with 5G, where the super low latency at the edge combined with the programmable cloud core unlocks the next phase of business diversification for CSPs,” says Dean Ramsay, Principal Analyst, TM Forum.

“The appetite for diversification has been there for years,” says Ramsay, “but waiting for the technology to catch up has delayed any wave of disruption we’ve been looking for. Announcements like this are signals that we’re moving into the true 5G era.”

It’s not the first time Telenor has worked with AWS: other initiatives include partnering to implement an entire cloud-based mobile core for Vimla, Telenor’s Swedish MVNO.

Vimla uses a cloud-based mobile core developed and provided as a service by Working Group Two (WG2). Launched originally by Telenor and Cisco, WG2 is now an AWS Advanced Technology Partner.

Telenor says it plans to expand its work at Vimla to other areas in the company’s worldwide network.

AWS and Telenor have developed a “network on wheels (NOW)” prototype, which enables enterprises to set up an autonomous private 5G network. It is currently being used by the Norwegian defense material agency for critical communications and by the Norwegian Public Service broadcaster. And in Thailand, Telenor’s mobile brand dtac has launched a 5G private network proof-of-concept for Thai enterprises based on edge computing and the AWS Snow Family.

Meanwhile in Japan WG2 has signed a memorandum of understanding with ICT services company Mitsui Knowledge Industry to provide WG2’s fully-managed Mobile Core NW SaaS product to create private networks. Separately AWS also offers enterprises its own turnkey mobile private networks.

Describing Telenor as a frontrunner in cloud deployment, Ramsay expects more communications service providers (CSPs) will strike similar agreements around cloud-enabled 5G vertical services in 2022.

“I think we’re going to see a lot of similar announcements to this in 2022, but it’s no great surprise that Telenor are out in front as they have been pushing their cloud strategy investments for a couple of years now,” he says. “The next thing I’d like to see is what the service operations IT ecosystem looks like over that cloud-based network. Getting that right is the key to scale and monetization for new 5G service models.”