Telefónica and Pente join forces to simplify 5G Edge transformation for enterprises

Telefónica and Pente Networks, developer of a revolutionary enterprise cellular 4G/5G platform, are working on a managed 5G Cloud service to enable advanced transformation use cases for enterprises.

The convergence of IoT, Big Data and Artificial Intelligence is driving a new wave of transformation for industries that require exceptional capabilities, such as firm control over where data is stored and executed, high-performance and secure wireless connectivity, and millisecond-grade latency. The combination of 5G with Hyperscaler’s local edge computing enables these capabilities to facilitate business transformation for years to come.

The service follows a cloud-first approach to create a 5G Cloud service that leverages the full potential of the cloud to automate integration delivery, operations and integration with services on top – all wrapped with a simple digital view of the service for customers. The result is a more replicable end to end product that shortens the delivery time from weeks to just a few hours. At the same time this massive automation coupled with a simple user interface designed by Telefónica reduces the cost and complexity barriers for enterprises willing to embrace 5G and Edge computing services.

Current Private 5G Edge implementations are mostly based on a special project approach, requiring much engineering effort to integrate devices, connectivity, cloud and applications. Telefónica has developed a platform that uses CI/CD tolls to automate the integration of the different service components, including the core Pente network. This platform enables the generation of an operational model that maximises automation in the testing, deployment and operation of applications on top of the platform. Pente offers a perfect complement to the company’s “API First” approach, which provides a programmatic integration between the Pente Core and Telefónica’s platform for lifecycle control and to integrate with services on top. Activities cover the deployment of Pente Core on a hyperscaler infrastructure, integration with Telefónica’s platform and end-to-end service automation. The first customer PoCs will start this year.

Telefónica can combine 5G connectivity with a new generation of hyperscaler OnPremise and Edge platforms as a turnkey solution. This means enterprise customers can access the full range of hyperscaler services and benefit from the advantages of the cloud to build, manage and scale on-premise applications using familiar hyperscaler services and tools, which work in perfect harmony with the Pente connectivity platform.

David del Val, CEO of Telefónica I+D, said: “5G and Edge are bringing a new wave of transformation, in the same way as mibile broadband and the cloud did some years ago. Telefonica is in the perfect position to create services combining 5G Connectivity, cloud edge, business applications and devices. By using cloud-native principles we have transformed how the services are delivered to generate turnkey services. Now we can spin up private networks connected to apps on the cloud edge in hours or days, not weeks or months, and abstracting most of the underlying operational complexity of current 5G networks. This will enable us to reach more client segments and industries in the coming years.”

“The same fully secure and private 4G/5G network supports highly available, high-quality real-time communications, including voice, messaging, and video, to data networking at the edge, important to edge computing and Industry 4.0 solutions. Telefónica can now spin up private networks in hours or days, not weeks or years, and can manage them through a single pane of glass using Pente’s advanced administrative console with its intuitive, IT-friendly experience. An internal team effort that is being developed jointly by Telefónica’s Innovation team and the IoT and Big Data division of Telefónica Tech”.

The two companies have been developing products together, initially focusing on the industrial Telefónica can combine 5G connectivity with a new generation of hyperscaler OnPremise and Edge platforms as a turnkey solution. Enterprise customers can access the full range of hyperscaler services and benefiting from the benefits of the cloud to build, manage, and scale local applications using familiar hyperscaler services and tools, which work in perfect harmony with the Pente connectivity platform.