Mobile operator O2 (VMO2) has announced that they’ve chosen cloud-provider VMware to help modernise their network and enable the continued progress of its 5G (mobile broadband) rollout across the United Kingdom. This builds on an existing collaboration, which has underpinned the deployment for the past 16 months.
The deal will see VMO2 adopt VMware’s Telco Cloud Infrastructure to help design, build, test and implement virtualised network functions. The goal is to deliver new services, boost mobile broadband speeds, further improve network reliability and to also simplify its network.
The operator said they would also adopt the company’s Tanzu for Telco’s Kubernetes cluster capabilities to build Containers as a Service (CaaS) proficiency (i.e. container-based virtualization), which they said would expand the network’s cloud-based ability to support multi-vendor solutions.
Sanjay Uppal, Senior VP and GM of Service Provider & Edge at VMware, said:
“As the rollout of 5G networks comes close to completion, service providers need to be able to modernise their network infrastructure quickly, simply, and economically. The best way to do this is through a single platform that can automate and streamline delivery of multi-vendor network functions.
Through its work with VMware, Virgin Media O2 is able to deploy a network infrastructure that enables the successful roll out of its 5G services without limitations, by harnessing the agility, flexibility, and consistency of a common platform.”
Chris Buggie, Director of VMO2’s Infrastructure & Cloud Engineering & Delivery, added that virtualising and modernising their network is seen as “essential if we are to cement our position as the leading telco provider across UK and EU,” although a number of other operators might well claim to be the “leading telco” in the UK.