Telco cloud: A key enabler in the Coordination Age

What is telco cloud and why does it matter?

This overview explains the essentials about telco cloud, including virtualisation, NFV and SDN.

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.

Four key benefits of Open RAN and whether “open” matters

This article outlines 4 key benefits of three open RAN technologies (vRAN, C-RAN, open-RAN) and evaluates whether these benefits are contingent on operators deploying a fully disaggregated RAN – i.e., “open-RAN”, with an open, disaggregated interface between the BBU and the RRU.

What is open RAN and where are we at in 2021?

As industry projections suggest that proprietary vRAN provided by traditional vendors will continue to dominate the industry in the near term, this article highlights the key open RAN developments in 2020 and gives an overview of the current state of the industry on deploying open RAN.

Top ten tenets of Telco Cloud

Below, we outline our top 10 tenets in Telco Cloud, sharing our high-level view of where we see the telecoms industry moving and what we believe the future will be.

Private 5G vs Wi-Fi vs Private LTE

With the advent of (private) 5G solutions, there is a new alternative to Wi-Fi or private LTE for businesses looking at wireless networking solutions. This article breaks down each technology and compares their various strengths and weaknesses. 

10 RAN vendors: challengers, newcomers and heavyweights

As the RAN ecosystem evolves, it becomes increasingly difficult to track the different vendor deployments and their individual product offerings. In this article, we highlight ten different companies that offer RAN solutions.

3 key AI use cases in telco networks

5G is going to enhance the field of AI, but AI can also play a key role in the rollout of 5G itself. This article explores the different types of use cases for AI as applied to telco networks.

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?

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.

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.

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.

Introduction to SD-WAN

This guide provides an introduction to SD-WAN. Covers use cases, benefits for businesses and the future of the technology

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Microsoft, Affirmed and Metaswitch: What does it mean for telecoms?

Our in-depth analysis of Microsoft’s play in the telecoms market, why it acquired Affirmed Networks and Metaswitch, and what telcos should do about it.

Published: January 2021

Telco Cloud Europe update: Open RAN approaching tipping point

Telco cloud continues to be deployed worldwide. A wave of recent deployments has been driven by 5G launches, and multiple factors may soon drive large-scale open RAN deployments

Published: October 2020

ngena SD-WAN: scaling innovation through partnership

Born of a unique partnership between Deutsche Telekom and Cisco, ngena leverages the networks of partners worldwide to provide a global enterprise connectivity platform. How did it come about, how successful has it been, and what does it teach us about innovation in telecoms?

Published: July 2020

End-to-end network automation: Why and how to do it?

True E2E automation has not yet been achieved, but network automation is a reality now, and one which telcos must master to survive. What steps are telcos taking to implement network automation, what challenges must be overcome and what benefits can be expected?

Published: June 2020

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.

Published: June 2020

Telco edge computing: What’s the operator strategy?

Edge computing is a strategic opportunity for telcos. We examine the driving needs and applications for telco edge computing, describe the market and the options for telcos, discuss their partnerships with hyperscalers and recommend key actions.

Published: May 2020

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

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

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

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

Operator strategies in cloud-native networking

In this webinar, we will share STL’s latest research findings on the different operator strategies in approaching cloud native networking.

Live event: 24 February 2021

Open RAN: What should telcos do?

In this webinar STL Partners addressed the three most important sub-components of Open RAN (open-RAN, vRAN and C-RAN) and how they interact to enable a new, virtualized, less vendor-dominated RAN ecosystem.

Recorded: August 2020

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.

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.