Microsoft has announced details of its new Azure platform, which it says will bring the cloud and the edge closer together with the power of 5G.
Speaking at the MWC 2023 launch, Microsoft says it’s time to move away from legacy systems as 5G development continues to accelerate, citing improved throughput, reliability and reduced latency as some of the key advantages of 5G connections.
The latest version of Azure for Operators will allow companies to modernize their networks, which will translate into improved cost efficiency and the introduction of new services.
Microsoft Azure for Operators
For Azure for Operators, Microsoft has moved engineering and program organization from AT&T’s Network Cloud 2.7 software technology (which the company acquired in June 2021) to Azure for Operators.
Microsoft says Azure Operator Distributed Services combines the best of AT&T and Azure, such as security, monitoring, analytics, artificial intelligence and machine learning.
“Imagine the benefits to communities and organizations that have access to improved bandwidth, reliability and reduced latency while leveraging the rich capabilities of cloud-to-edge technology without compromising on security, critical services or mission-critical workloads” recorded (opens in a new tab) Jason Zander, Microsoft EVP, Strategic Missions and Technologies.
“With the industry’s most complete offering for the telecommunications industry, Microsoft is the ideal cloud provider to help operators on their journey to digital transformation and enable them to deliver these innovative services to individual, enterprise and public sector customers.”
“We are pleased with Microsoft’s plan to evolve the network cloud and integrate it with Azure technologies to create telecommunications-grade hybrid Azure Operator Distributed Services,” noted Andre Fuetsch, AT&T’s executive vice president and CTO of network services.
“This will enable AT&T and other carriers to host network functions in telecom premises and public clouds, and will help us leverage the many advantages of cloud-native approaches and Azure innovations, including additional speed, resiliency, security, cost, and operational improvements.” “.
At the same time, Microsoft announced the Azure Operator 5G Core Private Preview and the Azure Private 5G Core Public Preview, designed to securely deploy private 4G and 5G networks. With Industry 4.0 and IoT in mind, use cases could include smart cities and autonomous vehicles.