Telco Cloud: Why it matters, how to make it happen, and how to measure success
If NFV/SDN, cloud native and cloud business practices are areas of interest or challenge, our insight and support can help.
Does telco cloud still matter?
Telco cloud technology was supposed to change the face of telecoms networks. Network functions virtualisation (NFV) and software-defined networking (SDN) were sold as a platform for operators to operate faster, cheaper and more effectively than ever before. But deployments to date have unlocked limited business value, and the industry has grown weary.
Yet telco cloud matters more than ever. Operators are investing heavily in 5G, whose use-cases depend on cloudification of network and IT infrastructure. In other words, if we don’t figure out telco cloud, 5G will never pay off.
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Telco cloud tools and insight
STL Partners has been working with operators and technology companies since 2012 to help them understand and unlock value from telco cloud. These insights are drawn from our extensive research into what’s going on, and where the industry is headed next.
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Overview
What is telco cloud and why does it matter?
This overview explains the essentials about telco cloud, including virtualisation, NFV and SDN.
Article
Cloud Native Telecoms: Are CNFs the future?
Unpicking the claim that “cloud native” is the future of telecoms, disentangling the reality of deployments from marketing spin. What does this mean for NFV?
Article
NFV Vendor Landscape tool
An interactive tool that shows the offerings from different players in the NFV ecosystem,segmented based on the categories defined in the ETSI NFV architectural framework. It is a broad view of current and future offerings.
Article
Will open RAN help telcos reduce their physical infrastructure footprint
Open RAN will have serious consequences for the physical distribution of the mobile network. What strategies are operators adopting and how will this affect operations?
Article
Latest NFV News & Announcements
A selection of what we consider to be some of the most exciting recent developments in NFV & SDN, all of which have real potential to transform the current landscape.
Article
Who cares about Telco Cloud?
Telco cloud, NFV, SDN… Many dismiss it as over-technical, over-hyped, or just plain boring. Deployments to date haven’t delivered much. Yet it is a fundamental enabler for 5G growth opportunities, so now is the time to get it right.
Article
Rakuten’s network: is it really cloud-native, multi-vendor and fully-virtualised?
Japanese new-entrant operator Rakuten claims to have built a fully-virtualised, cloud-native, multi-vendor network, which is a world’s first. We evaluate the nature of Rakuten’s employment, breaking it down based on what each factor means and the extent to which these claims are true.
Article
What is end-to-end network automation and why do we need it?
Network automation is not new but one area that that is ripe for telecoms operators. We explore the different perspectives and definitions of end-to-end automation and why operators have been prioritising network automation in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Article
NFV Architectural Framework
NFV architecture needs to establish the virtualisation of diverse sets of network functions, and encourage the standardisation of NFV by addressing interoperability and enable VNFs to be used in a way that is independent of the vendor supplying them. This article explores the NFV architectural framework established by ETSI
Article
Introduction to SD-WAN
This guide provides an introduction to SD-WAN. Covers use cases, benefits for businesses and the future of the technology
Article
15 NFV Solution Providers to Watch
We have been following developments and deployments in the Telco Cloud space for several years. In this article, we highlight fifteen different companies that offer NFV solutions, from traditional Network Equipment Providers to start-ups you may not have heard of.
Article
vRAN and edge computing: networking use cases will be key to investment and rollout
vRAN, or virtualised radio access network, could be one of the largest drivers for more distributed compute in the next five years. This has significant implications for how and where edge infrastructure will be deployed. There are several considerations edge application providers must take note of.
Data chart
Proprietary vendors still dominate NFV
NFV promised to deliver truly open hardware and software platforms. Yet the space is still dominated by proprietary vendor solutions. We look at the data around this
Published: January 2019
Article
Benefits of SD-WAN: SD-WAN benefits over a traditional environment
SD-WAN brings with it several benefits over a traditional environment. Here, we explore the core benefits of SD-WAN and explain some of the nuance surrounding these.
Article
What is SD-WAN as a service?
SD-WAN does not have to be delivered in a hardware-centric way. Enter SD-WAN as a Service. SD-WAN as a Service is about applying the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model to SD-WAN
Article
SD-WAN vs MPLS: Will SD-WAN lead to the demise of MPLS?
When SD-WAN first came along, there was a lot of hype surrounding it; many said it was far superior to MPLS and that its rise would lead to the ‘death’ of MPLS. We look at the difference is between the two, and if one is in fact better than the other.
Article
Private LTE: new business model opportunity for vRAN
Our research predicts that the most significant and earliest use cases for edge sites will to be support vRAN for opex reduction but also to enable next-generation network services. Private LTE networks are one key example of this, and represent a significant opportunity for operators to create new business models and revenues.
Article
The second cloud-native wave of NFV is being driven by 5G
2020 has been a strong year for telco cloud deployments so far, and while deployments in Europe are still dominated by the major players, smaller players are catching up. The main driver of this growth has been deployments of non-standalone 5G cores, used to support either completed or upcoming 5G network launches. We see telco cloud as entering a potentially bigger, second phase, based on cloud-native technology and serving as an integral behaviour of 5G network sand services.
Article
CDN: what is edge CDN and virtual CDN (vCDN)?
Content and gaming providers face increasing competition to offer users the best quality of experience in the face of increasing demand for fast and high-quality streaming. The COVID-19 environment has put new strains on the network that means it is much more difficult to ensure delivery of content in a way that optimises user experience. There are two key trends emerging in CDN that could address this challenge: edge CDN and vCDN.
Article
Zeetta Networks Q+A: network slicing and splicing with private 5G networks
Zeetta Networks is providing innovative capabilities in the provision of integrated 5G/Wi-Fi network management solutions, in their active work in the 5G-ENCODE project in manufacturing. We spoke to their CEO and Co-Founder Vassilis Seferidis about the work that Zeetta Networks is doing on network slicing and splicing in the context of enterprise private 5G networks.
Article
What is 5G network slicing?
Network slicing has been touted as one of the key opportunities enabled by 5G. One that poses a unique proposition – the ability to run multiple logical end-to-end networks on common shared infrastructure, with greater flexibility than before. But where are we today in realising the vision for 5G dynamic network slicing?
Telco Cloud
Unlocking the core and enabling growth
Research stream, including around 8 reports a year
Our dedicated research stream covers why telco cloud matters in the 5G era, how to make it happen, and how to measure success. NFV SDN, and beyond. It also includes access to the NFV Deployment Tracker, our industry-leading database of deployments.
The data intelligence you can expect from our NFV tracker
Telco Cloud
Unlocking the core and enabling growth
Research stream, including around 8 reports a year
Our dedicated research stream covers why telco cloud matters in the 5G era, how to make it happen, and how to measure success. NFV SDN, and beyond. It also includes access to the NFV Deployment Tracker, our industry-leading database of deployments.
The data intelligence you can expect from our NFV tracker
Research
NFV Deployment Tracker: Asia-Pacific points to the future
Asia-Pacific is the leading region in the global NFV/SDN market: highest volume of deployments and consistent record of innovation. The region points the way ahead for the global market.
Published: November 2019
Research
NFV Deployment Tracker
Access our unique database of live commercial deployments of NFV and SDN by leading telcos worldwide. The latest update contains details on 572 deployments made up of 1100+ sub-components
Latest update: June 2020
Research
5G core and NFV: Different sides of the same coin?
The 5G network core is supposed to be fully virtualised and cloud-native. But formulation of the 5G standards has not been harmonised with the broader NFV project. What impact will this have on service innovation? Includes Rakuten case study.
Published: October 2019
Research
Open RAN: What should telcos do?
Alongside the roll-out of 5G cores and radios, the Radio Access Network (RAN) is evolving to a more open, virtualised and distributed architecture. What are the opportunities and risks for telcos?
Published: April 2020
Research
NFV goes mainstream: How cloud native is contributing to growth
The number of deployments of NFV and SDN continues to grow – but while some markets are moving on to the next phase, others are just getting going.
Research
Telco Cloud: Why it hasn’t delivered, and what must change for 5G
Telco cloud made big promises for the transformation of telecoms. It is a fundamental enabler for 5G and the exciting opportunities ahead. Why hasn’t it delivered yet – and what needs to change?
Published: February 2020
Research
3 telco business models: Soft-net, compute-net, cloud-net
Telcos must adapt to virtualisation and changing customer needs in the Coordination Age. Our three models offer a realistic agenda for telcos to build up the stack into the IT layer – either by themselves or through partnerships
Published: March 2019
Research
NFV Deployment Tracker: North America update
New deployments in N America are increasingly driven by 5G, with a striking role for open source and telco self-builds. N American deployments account for around 24% of the global total
Published: June 2019
Research
SD-WAN: enterprise challenges, flavours and future pathways
A three-part mini-series exploring SD-WAN technology from an enterprise perspective. How can SD-WAN help with enterprises’ challenges, what flavours are on offer and how do they work, and where will it go next?
Published: June 2019
Webinar
5G Telco Clouds: Where we are and where we are headed
In this webinar, we will argue that 5G will only pay if telcos find a way to make telco clouds work.
Webinar
Telco SD-WAN: What’s happening, and how to do it?
In this webinar, hosted by Juniper Networks, we share our independent view on why SD-WAN should be an operator’s first VNF-based service. We also discuss models for deployment
Recorded: March 2019
Webinar
Virtualisation: Reaching tipping point
A webinar on NFV and SDN. What operators are deploying, what this means, and how 5G is likely to accelerate progress. Based on our unique data on NFV deployments
Live event: May 2019
Case Study
Identifying and evaluating viable NFV partnerships
STL Partners was tasked to identify and evaluate potential “big-bet” partnership opportunities to help the client scale and accelerate traction with T2 and T3 operators.
Case study
Juniper: understanding how to achieve telco cloud success
STL Partners helped Juniper to build an insights-led campaign focused on telco cloud, turning insights from an extensive global interview programme into tools that Juniper could use to engage with telcos.
Case study
Dell Technologies: quantifying ROI for advanced analytics
STL Partners helped Dell Technologies to qualify and quantify the impact of their advanced analytics solution on telco operations through ROI modelling and customer interviews.
Meet the telco cloud team
Yesmean Luk
Consultant
Miran Gilmore
Consultant
David Martin
Associate Senior Analyst
Philip Laidler
Consulting Director
Matt Bamforth
Strategy Consultant