At MWC 2023, VMware announced that Vodafone Qatar has selected its solutions to deliver new service offerings via the cloud.
The operator is implementing both VMware Telco Cloud Platform-5G Edition and VMware Cloud Foundation, with modular cloud platform Tanzu as the cornerstone of its modern cloud platform. Vodafone Qatar has provided telco services in Qatar since its launch in 2009 and now has more than two million mobile customers as of December 31, 2022.
The country’s government is pushing ahead with ambitious economic diversification plans, and Vodafone is aiming to accelerate its transition to modern applications and commercialize new 5G services while reducing complexity and cost in its IT and networks.
Ramy Boctor, Chief Technology Officer at Vodafone Qatar, said: “These solutions from VMware will support us in adopting modern infrastructures, speeding up our application development and bringing innovation to market faster. A reliable 5G network and modern suite of applications are the currency of a strong digital economy and are essential in establishing Qatar‘s long-term growth and prosperity. Our 5G network is at its most robust and extensive yet and this, as part of our work to develop Qatar’s national digital infrastructure, is continuously opening up opportunities to embrace and deploy other emerging technologies.”
Vodafone Qatar was one of the first operators in the world to introduce commercial 5G services following the rollout of its 5G network starting in August 2018. The VMware Telco Cloud Platform-5G Edition will allow the operator to containerize core network functions, empowering its new 5G network with a common Containers as a Service (CaaS) platform and thereby affording more flexibility and choice of 5G network function workloads.
By deploying VMware Cloud Foundation with Tanzu, Vodafone Qatar is evolving its existing SDDC environment to a more modern, automated and developer-ready IT infrastructure. The service provider will benefit from integrated cloud management capabilities spanning private and public clouds, with enhanced operational simplicity allowing it to run applications anywhere. The VMware solutions will serve as a multi-layer, multi-domain automation and orchestration platform with telco-grade intrinsic security.
Sanjay Uppal, senior vice president and general manager, Service Provider and Edge, VMware, said: “Through its work with VMware, Vodafone Qatar is building a more reliable, agile network and IT infrastructure that supports the roll-out of 5G services for the benefit of its customers.”