Google Cloud has announced three new products aimed at communications service providers (CSPs) to help them transform their networks with hybrid cloud technology.
At MWC 2023, the tech giant unveiled Telecom Network Automation, Telecom Data Fabric and Telecom Subscriber Insights, which it says will provide telecom operators with an end-to-end cloud solution to build and operate a hybrid cloud network.
The cloud storage provider also promises that the products will help them “collect and manage network data and improve customer experiences through artificial intelligence (AI) and analytics.”
Insight and development
Google Cloud is also updating its own Google Distributed Cloud Edge (opens in a new tab) (GDC Edge) to enable CSPs to move the cloud to more parts of their Radio Access Network (RAN) and 5G networks and introduce Network function optimizer (opens in a new tab) for Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE), allowing CSPs to run their web functions in any Google Cloud region.
With over 70% of CSPs expected to move to the cloud for network functions by the end of the year, Google believes the new telecommunications network automation will accelerate network and edge deployments by leveraging cloud automation tools.
It is an open-source cloud version Nephi (opens in a new tab) a project Google developed last year in partnership with The Linux Foundation. Google says the new telecommunications network automation will help ISPs “improve time to market, multi-vendor interoperability, reduce error-prone configurations and lower operational costs.”
It is now available in private preview worldwide, although Bell Canada had access to an early version and is currently using it to “automate Google Distributed Cloud Edge implementation”.
“Our partnership with Google Cloud brings our goal of fully automating our hybrid 5G core implementation with control capabilities through Google Kubernetes (GKE) and Google Distributed Cloud Edge,” said Petri Lyytikainen, vice president, Bell Canada.
The second of Google’s newly announced products, Telecom Data Fabric, is also available in private preview worldwide. This is to simplify CSP data collection and gain insights faster.
The BigQuery and DataPlex data grid architecture is used to unify data and improve reusability, as well as meet data governance and sovereignty requirements. It also leverages Vertex AI, allowing CSPs to build AI applications “to address cross-domain network operations, energy efficiency, subscriber experiences, and monetization.”
The third and final product offered by Google, Telecom Subscriber Insights, also uses artificial intelligence and aims to help telecom operators implement the best strategies for increasing customer engagement, while promising to do so in a “privacy-protected manner”. Google believes it will help CSP “understand subscriber behavior, cross-sell and up-sell, manage churn, and acquire new customers more effectively.” Again, this is now available globally in private preview.
As network costs for telecom operators continue to rise, Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian believes that “by applying cloud-native principles to network architectures and accelerating subscriber growth with end-to-end data governance, CSPs have the opportunity to bridge the gap between connectivity today and the connectivity of the future.