Vodafone, which operates mobile and fixed networks globally, is bringing uniformity to its operations and management with a software-defined cloud infrastructure. This software-defined approach streamlines cost and increases agility for deployment and management of services. With 5G on the horizon, Vodafone has focused on building an underlying cloud infrastructure foundation that speeds up deployment of current 4G services while introducing 5G readiness, without requiring disruptive and expensive re-platforming.
“The ability to be flexible and agile as we continue to automate our network operations and management could only be achieved through a software defined infrastructure,” said Johan Wibergh, Chief Technology Officer, Vodafone Group. “We have been pleased with the accelerated time-to-market and associated economic benefits of our transition to NFV and, increasingly, a telco cloud infrastructure. We’ve teamed up with VMware based not only on its technology leadership and innovation, but the ability to get operational deployments up and running within our requirements.”
VMware’s telco cloud infrastructure provides a hybrid cloud architecture, openness of APIs, Open Stack and Kubernetes compatibility, network-based microsegmentation and service assurance. With a certification program that is designed to help VNF vendors simplify onboarding to the telco cloud platform, VMware’s ecosystem of VNF partners assists in the speed of operationalizing new service deployments.
“We are delighted to see this rapid progress in our engagement with Vodafone as we continue to expand our impact with the global telco market,” said Shekar Ayyar, executive vice president, strategy and corporate development and general manager, Telco NFV group, VMWare. “Our expertise lies in serving up the benefits of virtualization—simplification, reliability, cost efficiency and agility—in even the most complex telco environments. Multi-cloud is the future of telco, and Vodafone is an innovator when it comes to leveraging the telco cloud for next-generation networks.”