Verizon has added compute and storage into its 5G network infrastructure in Chicago, Houston, and Phoenix. Its project to build-out its multi-access edge compute (MEC) infrastructure, in partnership with AWS, has now reached 13 cities in the US. The rest of the country’s “top-20” metropolitan regions will be brought online through 2021/22. The 5G-MEC combo is being pitched to developers and businesses interested in lower latency data crunching over wireless.
The company is pitching the service, branded Verizon 5G Edge, as a “real-time cloud computing platform”. The combination of 5G connectivity from Verizon and local metro-area compute resources from AWS, embedded into the Verizon network infrastructure, minimizes the latency and network hops required to connect from a cloud-edge application to an end user’s device.
Lower-latency data processing over 5G-based mobile broadband is considered useful for machine learning, internet of things (IoT), and video and game streaming. Sundry other IoT-related use cases are relevant, also, including for industrial IoT, smart cities, asset tracking, autonomous driving, and smart traffic management. Verizon has launched a new ‘5G Edge Discovery Service’ for developers to identify MEC locations for Verizon mobile clients.
The service, alongside a broader suite of APIs, is available on its 5G edge developer portal. The service is now available in 13 locations in the US: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Las Vegas, Miami, New York City, Phoenix, the San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, and Washington DC. Verizon and AWS will add new MEC locations this year, they said.
Verizon took the opportunity to highlight work with Aetho, which makes the Beame augmented reality (AR) glasses, and is working with Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, to create an interactive 3D version of the university campus so prospective students can tour the campus with an experience that feels like it’s in-person without traveling to the school.
Sampath Sowmyanarayan, chief revenue officer at Verizon Business, said: “Companies in every industry are finding exciting ways to bring 5G and 5G Edge to life – leveraging the full capabilities of 5G from throughput and low latency to strong reliability. By unlocking the full power of 5G with edge cloud computing, developers can rapidly innovate and build apps and services that take advantage of 5G to improve performance, and create new revenue streams.”
George Elissaios, general manager of AWS Wavelength and director of product management at AWS, commented: “AWS Wavelength brings AWS services to the edge of 5G networks in any region so customers like Morehouse and Aetho can build ultra-low-latency applications and transform consumers’ experiences…. Even more developers can bring powerful cloud-based applications to the edge with extreme low latency and high performance.”
