Mobile network operators are waking up to the fact that they must adopt Cloud Native architecture in order to transform themselves into digital service providers with the ability to deliver new software-based services as fast as their competitors.
Cloud Native is a long-practiced IT concept introduced to telecom cloud in the form of massive distributed network software.
The goal is to absorb the best practices of the IT industry while retaining the underlying telecom structure as operators advance from NFV to NFC (Network Functions Cloudification).
According to a just-released white paper from Analysys Mason commissioned by Huawei, the Cloud Native concept is critical for companies making full use of emerging market opportunities like smart homes or smart meters and related IoT services, not to mention AR/VR and the 5G network.
Cloud Native involves a series of key technologies and best practices such as stateless design through vertical decomposition, service modularity through vertical and horizontal decomposition and automated lifecycle management.
While adopting Cloud Native architecture, it is important to note that Cloud Native covers a spectrum of implementation approaches adapted to varying business requirements across different industry sectors. While there is no “one size fits all†application of Cloud Native computing appropriate for every telecom need, there are common principles which operators can adopt to achieve similar benefits to those enjoyed by web-scale companies.
The development industry understand that these technologies won’t be introduced via a single “big bang†upgrade. The commercial realities must be carefully considered in each case.
With an elastic, robust, agile model in mind, they will have to gradually evolve in response to the changing needs of the telecommunications industry and its end clients.