Google, Deutsche Telekom Trial 5G, Edge Features

Google Cloud expanded its work with German telecom giant Deutsche Telekom that will drive Google’s cloud expertise into the depth and toward the edge of DT’s various 5G network operations around Europe. Google Cloud expanded its work with German telecom giant Deutsche Telekom that will drive Google’s cloud expertise into the depth and toward the edge of DT’s various 5G network operations around Europe. The expansion will see the two firms trial a handful of Google features, including a 5G standalone (SA) service on DT’s Austria operations that will allow the operator to untether its 5G network from its legacy 4G LTE core. This is crucial for operators to take full advantage of 5G technology. DT is also testing Google Cloud and its Distributed Cloud Edge (GDC Edge) platform to support infrastructure and services closer to the end user. The Google platform is a managed service targeted at telecom providers wanting to run 5G core and radio access network assets at the edge. It includes hardware and software components. Verizon and Bell Canada are two operators that are already running the service. Google is also supplying its Kubernetes-based data analytics services to provide insight of network operations and help with planning, optimization, and customer experience management. DT will be using this to trial anomaly detection, performance measurements, and trace data. DT is also trialing Google’s data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning (ML) features to try and improve actionable insights into customer needs and to service offerings. The work builds on Google’s deal with DT’s T-Systems division that was struck late last year. That agreement has the two developing sovereign cloud services for German public sector, enterprise, and healthcare organizations. The deal also builds on Google’s ongoing push into the telecommunications space. Those efforts coalesced in early 2020 when the cloud giant laid out a three-part strategy to help operators drive revenues from 5G business services, provide data-driven experiences, and improve operations in core network infrastructure. That work has continued under Google’s Anthos for Telecom platform and the Distributed Cloud initiatives, both of which have helped the cloud provider gain carrier traction. Google earlier this year grabbed a deal with Vodafone that used Google Cloud’s smart analytics portfolio, AI, and ML tools with Cardinality.io’s cloud-native DataOps and analytics platform to update Vodafone’s pan-European networks more quickly and efficiently via hybrid cloud architecture.