Glad to feature a project my team has been very involved in driving. O2 Telefónica Germany has taken a significant step in telecom innovation by deploying Nokia’s 5G Standalone (SA) core on Amazon Web Services (AWS). This move marks one of the first large-scale deployments of a 5G core on public cloud for an established telecommunications provider, signaling a shift in the industry’s approach to network infrastructure. The public announcement can be found here –https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/amazon-breaks-into-europe-5g-networks-with-telefonica-cloud-deal-2024-05-08/?es_id=f89b69e1a4
Key takeaways from the Free White Paper (Courtesy AWS):
https://appledoreresearch.com/report/o2-telefonica-germany-aws-and-nokia-5g-core/
- Scale: O2 is migrating 1 million wireless subscribers to the AWS-based Nokia 5G SA core.
- Architecture: The solution uses AWS Region and Availability Zones for resilience, with plans to incorporate AWS Outposts for user plane functions (UPF) to optimize latency.
- AWS Services: The deployment leverages multiple AWS services, including Amazon EKS, EC2, VPC, Direct Connect, EBS, EFS, KMS, and Control Tower.
- Benefits: O2 aims to simplify operations, improve customer experience, increase network agility, and accelerate innovation in 5G applications.
- Security and Sovereignty: AWS’s Nitro system and data sovereignty commitments were crucial in addressing Germany’s strict data protection requirements.
- Automation: Nokia’s Cloud Operations Manager (NCOM) automates the lifecycle of containerized network functions (CNFs) and network services.
- Partnership: The project showcases a three-way collaboration between O2 Telefónica, Nokia, and AWS, highlighting the evolving relationships in the telecom ecosystem.
This deployment demonstrates that cloud-native architectures are becoming a viable and attractive option for brownfield operators, not just greenfield players. It represents a significant shift in the telecom industry, potentially paving the way for more widespread adoption of public cloud infrastructure for critical network functions.
Conclusion
This strategic move by Telefonica stresses a key theme I have covered in my blog – it underscores the increasing importance of partnerships between telecom operators, network equipment providers, and cloud hyperscalers in driving innovation and transformation in the industry. As telecom networks continue to evolve, this deployment by O2 Telefónica Germany could serve as a blueprint for other operators looking to leverage public cloud infrastructure to enhance agility, reduce costs, and accelerate service innovation in the 5G era.
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