The dedicated MEC platform is fully integrated with AWS cloud services and Verizon’s 5G private network
Enterprise customers interested in a dedicated, on-premises edge compute infrastructure can now look to Verizon Business and Amazon Web Services (AWS). The companies are expanding their 5G collaboration in the U.S. to deliver private mobile edge computing (MEC) to enable ultra-low latency, higher levels of security and deeper customization.
Verizon and AWS first launched MEC services, which shortens the round trip which data needs to travel by moving processing closer to the end user, in Boston and the Bay Area in August 2020. By moving AWS compute and storage services to the edge of Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband network, the companies said, innovators can develop applications with ultra-low latencies that will support next generation use cases ranging from self-driving cars to autonomous industrial equipment. Since then, Verizon and AWS have made 5G mobile edge computing via Wavelength Zones available in 10 cities across the U.S.
“Private MEC is a natural expansion of our collaboration with Verizon,” commented Dave Brown, VP elastic compute cloud (EC2) at AWS in a press release. “Customers are already leveraging AWS Wavelength’s ability to provide ultra-low latency access to end users for use cases like video distribution, inference at the edge, AR/VR and connected vehicles.”
Now, the managed private MEC solution can support additional applications in the industrial space such as autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), predictive maintenance, quality assurance and near real-time monitoring and hazard alerts. Users of the platform can deploy real-time enterprise applications like intelligent logistics, predictive maintenance, robotics, factory automation and more to lower costs and improve safety, precision and efficiency.
Corning will be the first enterprise to test out the private MEC solution, and according to Michael A. Bell, senior vice president and general manager of Corning’s Optical Communications business, the company will use the private MEC solution to support autonomous mobile robots to “demonstrate how manufacturers can increase efficiency.”
“We believe 5G will revolutionize the way people and companies interact with technology, and we’re excited to advance these developments in our own plant, where we manufacture the optical cable needed to support the networks,” said Bell.
According to Tami Erwin, CEO of Verizon Business, technology innovators are already using the Verizon/AWS public MEC service to develop new revenue streams and improve performance.
“Our private MEC offering will unlock that same potential for enterprise customers who need to maintain a secure, closed environment in factories, warehouses and other facilities,” she stated.
