In May, Dell and Ericsson announced a partnership for tailored network cloud infrastructure support for CSPs
During the DTW Ignite conference in Copenhagen, Dell Technologies and Ericsson highlighted the importance of a strategic partnership the pair announced in May, which will support communications service providers (CSPs) as they embark on their digital transformation journeys.
According to recent Dell-sponsored study, a majority of CSPs recognize the critical importance of network transformation for their survival; however, 96% of them report lagging efforts due to budget constraints, time limitations and concerns about reliability and security. The Dell and Ericsson partnership is expected to address some of these challenges.
The collaboration involves Dell’s PowerEdge servers and Ericsson’s cloud RAN software and services, and according to Dell Telecom Systems Business Director of Marketing, Sandro Tavares, this combination will help CSPs “advance the adoption of a digitally transformed network architecture.” He added that the integration of the Dell and Ericsson products, as well as the service support the pair will provide, will make it easier for customers to adopt cloud RAN and open RAN architectures, as well as deploy network slicing use cases. “It is all about removing adoption barriers and making sure our CSP customers can make the most of the transformation towards a cloud arch in their networks,” he said.
Further, Ericsson and Dell will jointly explore how comprehensive service orchestration and assurance of Enterprise Edge and differentiated connectivity services can reduce implementation and operational cost and risk for CSP’s through certified interoperability between Ericsson Service Orchestration and Assurance and Dell Telecom Infrastructure Automation Suite.
Specifically, the solutions developed as part of the agreement will enable things like the orchestration and assurance of distributed cloud Infrastructure, on-demand automation and orchestration of network slicing, the exposure of service and network capabilities that enable new business models and the optimization of CapEx and OpEx cost in the operationalization of edge services.
However, not only will the partnership lead to accelerated digitalization and operational efficiencies, but Joakim Sorelius, head of Ericsson Global Network Platform, Product and Engineering, shared that it will also make their networks “more programmable, more cloud-native,” enabling them to introduce services more quickly.
“This is just the beginning,” Sorelius said. “Dell and Ericsson will continue to collaborate in this area, providing joint roadmaps and improvements and enhancements to the portfolio that we’re launching together.”
“Absolutely,” confirmed Tavares.
