The Petasus 5G MEC solution combines SK Telecom’s 5G MEC solution and Dell PowerEdge servers
Korean operator SK Telecom, along with partner Dell Technologies, announced that it has launched an enterprise 5G mobile edge computing (MEC) solution named “Petasus”.
The Asian carrier noted that MEC enables ultra-low latency communication by significantly reducing the distance of data transmission through the deployment of small-scale data centers at the base station located in close proximity to users. MEC is being highlighted as an essential technology for specialized 5G services such as smart factories, autonomous driving and immersive media, SK Telecom said.
The carrier added that by setting up 5G MEC within a factory, data that travels to and from the factory can be processed on-site instead of having to go through the central data center located hundreds of kilometers away, which leads to reduced data transmission latency and errors, improved network efficiency and stability.
The Petasus 5G MEC solution combines SK Telecom’s 5G MEC solution and Dell PowerEdge servers. The new offering provides network virtualization features specialized for MEC and operational tools. SK Telecom also said that the solution will support integration with MEC solutions of other telcos and provide an app store-like feature for MEC services applications.
The two companies plan to provide the Petasus solution not only to global telcos, but also to businesses and public institutions throughout the globe that plan to adopt private 5G networks. In particular, the two partners will strengthen their cooperation in 5G end-to-end business, which includes consulting, infrastructure deployment and maintenance services.
“Our collaboration with SK Telecom gives enterprises the capability to quickly act on data at where it resides, at the edge, to deliver better business outcomes,” said Dennis Hoffman, SVP and general manager, Dell Technologies Telecom Systems Business. “By combining the power of edge computing with private 5G, businesses can develop new revenue-generating services and better customer experiences.”
“Our 5G MEC technology has a huge potential as it can help boost the adoption of 5G services across the globe,” said Jihn-woo Kim, VP and head of global business at SKT. “We will make accelerated efforts to enrich the global 5G MEC ecosystem by working closely with Dell Technologies to develop industry-leading technologies and introduce diverse products, and expanding into the software-as-a-service business in partnership with many Korean and overseas companies.”
SK Telecom ended 2021 with a total of 9.87 million subscribers in the 5G segment, after a net addition of 4.4 million customers during the year, the carrier said in its latest earnings statement. In the last quarter of 2021, SK Telecom added 1.22 million 5G subscribers.
The Asian carrier noted that its 5G customer base accounted for 41.6% of total mobile subscribers, up from 36.2% at the end of the previous quarter and 22.8% at the end of 2020.
