IT Infrastructure Round-Up: Emerging Trends in Infrastructure and Connectivity (Nov 2024)
November was a busy month of announcements in infrastructure and connectivity, revealing a convergence of innovation to meet the stringent demands of AI-driven workloads, scalability, and cost efficiency.
MWC Las Vegas 2024: 5G Needs the Enterprise
Reflecting on the 2023 MWC Las Vegas convention, where AI was the central theme, it’s clear that enterprise 5G has now taken center stage. This shift builds on the momentum created by AI’s integration into various technologies. It underscores the importance of low latency, highly managed private 5G networks in successful AI at the edge deployments.
Amdocs Survey Says: Telecom Slow to Embrace Generative AI
Amdocs, one of the giants in the telecommunications industry, together with analytics company Analysys Mason, released the results of a global survey of communications service providers to understand how generative AI impacts those CSPs. The results were surprising.
While the IT industry rapidly embraces generative AI to understand and manage infrastructure, telecom is moving much more slowly. The Amdocs survey showed that less than a quarter of CSPs use GenAI today. The surprising statistic is that nearly half of the respondents haven’t even begun exploring the technology.
Quick Take: Dell Technologies New 5G Solutions
Dell Technologies introduced several new offerings designed to simplify the deployment of advanced 5G solutions by communication service providers.
The new offerings center around the Dell Telecom Infrastructure Automation Suite, which automates the management and orchestration of a CSP’s network infrastructure. The new suite also sits at the center of Dell’s Telecom Infrastructure Blocks for Red Hat update.
Research Note: Lenovo’s MWC 2024 Telco Edge Announcements
Lenovo unveiled its latest Edge AI Solutions for the telecom industry at the 2024 MWC in Barcelo, which is aimed at enhancing AI applications across networks. The new solutions are designed to deliver efficient AI computing at scale, supporting the industry’s shift towards 5G and AI innovations.
Lenovo also announced collaborations with key telecom partners like Deutsche Telekom, Orange, and Telefonica to deploy AI use cases and achieve faster insights through Lenovo’s AI-ready infrastructure.
The Breakthrough Verification of vRAN by SoftBank, NEC, and VMware
SoftBank Corp., NEC Corporation, and VMware (recently acquired by Broadcom Inc.) have jointly verified the virtualization of the Radio Access Network (RAN), demonstrating a significant step towards RAN modernization through the convergence of O-RAN architecture and Telco Cloud.
Research Note: Microsoft Updates Azure for Operators
At the recent MWC 2024 in Barcelona, Microsoft shared updates on its Azure for Operators portfolio, demonstrating significant advancements in generative AI and its application in telecommunications.
This Research Note takes an in-depth look at what Microsoft announced.
Quick Take: IBM & the GSMA’s Collaboration for GenAI Adoption in Telecom
The GSMA and IBM recently announced a significant new collaboration to promote the adoption and development of generative artificial intelligence (AI) skills within the telecom industry.
This partnership launches through two main initiatives: the GSMA Advance’s AI Training program and the GSMA Foundry Generative AI program.
Research Note: Intel Edge & AI/RAN MWC Announcements
Intel announced a new edge platform and highlighted its momentum in AI-assisted vRAN/O-RAN acceleration at the recent MWC conference in Barcelona.
Research Note: NEC & Partners Demonstrate Breakthrough in Open vRAN Technology
NEC Corporation, along with Arm, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., Red Hat, and Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) recently showcased a successful demonstration of Open Virtual Radio Access Network (vRAN) and 5G Core Virtual User Plane Function (vUPF) technology in Tokyo.
Quick Take: AI-RAN Alliance launch at MWC Barcelona 2024
The AI-RAN Alliance is a collaborative initiative focused on the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into cellular technologies to enhance radio access network (RAN) technology and mobile networks.
Research Note: Dell Telecom Infrastructure Blocks for Red Hat 2.0
Dell Technologies has updated its Dell Telecom Infrastructure Blocks for Red Hat, which is a strategic solution offered by Dell Technologies, specifically designed to aid telecommunications operators in deploying and scaling out modern telecom networks, particularly for 5G. These blocks are critical components in simplifying the implementation of cloud-native network infrastructures.
Research Note: Dell Telecom Infrastructure Automation Suite
Dell Technologies introduced its new Dell Telecom Infrastructure Automation Suite to help CSPs navigate this terrain by delivering a groundbreaking solution to streamline the transition to modern, cloud-based telecom networks.
Quick Take: Microsoft & Vodafone’s Strategic Engagement
Vodafone and Microsoft announced a significant 10-year strategic partnership aimed at driving digital transformation for businesses and consumers across Europe and Africa, leveraging their combined strengths in technology and connectivity.
The collaboration will focus on enhancing Vodafone’s customer experience through Microsoft’s AI, expanding Vodafone’s managed IoT connectivity platform, developing new digital and financial services for SMEs, and revamping Vodafone’s global data center strategy.
NVIDIA, Wind River & NTT DOCOMO Deliver First GPU-Accelerated 5G vRAN Solution
NVIDIA, along with Japanese telecom provider NTT DOCOMO, recently announced a pioneering GPU-accelerated commercial Open RAN 5G built on NVIDIA, Fujitsu, and Wind River technology. This marks the world’s first deployment of a GPU-accelerated commercial 5G network by a telecom provider.