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The move, the operator says, will provide customers with a more efficient, flexible, and resilient 5G network
Telefonica Germany is set to move 1 million 5G customers to the Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud later this month, according to company executives speaking to Reuters.
The company will move its 5G core network to AWS’s cloud infrastructure, becoming the first operator in the world to shift this sensitive part of the network to the public cloud.
The 5G core handles critical functions like authentication, session management, and data routing, all of which will now be hosted on AWS infrastructure.
The move is supported by Nokia, who will provide software related to 5G core network solutions. Nokia confirmed that the move will “provide O2 Telefónica with ultra-low latency to deliver advanced 5G services, like extended reality and network slicing, which require instant availability and greater bandwidth capacity.”
Telefonica Germany has 45 million customers in Germany, with CTIO Mallik Rao saying that 30– 40% of the customer base will be shifted to the AWS cloud by 2026, This shift will take place gradually, with initial focus being to shift “one to two quarters” of the network workload.
It is hoped that the move will bring benefits such as improved network experience, resource availability, service resilience, and faster software updates.
“By using Nokia 5G Core network on AWS, O2 Telefónica is redefining its operating model through full automation and elasticity at scale,” said Fabio Cerone, General Manager of Telecom EMEA at AWS in a press release.
“It will bring O2 Telefónica the ability to dynamically scale and allocate 5G network capabilities to meet customer needs, as well as the needs of the new applications that will run on top of the new core,” he continued.
The financial details of the deals have not been disclosed.
AWS Vice President confirmed to Reuters that the company wants to become “a business to run telco workloads”, saying AWS aims to complete similar deals with other operators in within the next year.
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