New on-demand core service from Ericsson and Google Cloud promises scale, speed and integrated AI
Ericsson has teamed up with Google Cloud to launch an on-demand network core service, meant to help communications service providers deploy bit-by-bit extensions of 5G and roll out new services faster.
The software-as-a-service offering will be managed by Ericsson teams with artificial intelligence assistance, and the partners emphasized the speed, scalablity and pay-as-you-go nature of the offering to enable private network deployments, support faster roll-outs of Fixed Wireless Access services and to test new markets and services.
The new Ericsson On-Demand core network service is a “true software-as-a-service platform” which was designed with Google Cloud to leverage both AI infrastructure and the Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE). It is managed by Ericsson’s Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) teams with assistance from AI on troubleshooting and lifecycle automation, the partners said, and is aimed at helping CSPs set up network services quickly and flexibly, while cutting operating costs.
“You’re basically deploying 5G in a pay-as-you-go model, and in a pay-as-you-grow model. It’ll scale with you,” said Angelo Libertucci, global head of industry for telecom at Google Cloud.
Ericsson acknowledged that CSPs are under pressure to manage more operational complexity and innovate faster. “The platform deploys full core in minutes, scales up or down as needed, and allows CSPs to only pay for what they use. Customers also don’t have to worry about managing the underlying infrastructure,” the vendor said in a release.
Ericsson is touting the fast provisioning, the ability to “instantaneously scale-up capacity” to meet peak demand “with no upfront capex or overprovisioning”, and consumption-based billing with no infrastructure or licensing fees.
According to Ericsson’s website, the service is “initially for smaller services” and to complement existing services with a SaaS-based 5G core. The NEM said that its Core On-Demand for Wide Area Enterprise is “coming soon,” with more use cases to follow.
The service will leverage Google Cloud’s global footprint, and GCP will work with Ericsson to make sure capacity is available where needed, Libertucci said.
However, it’s not pervasive yet across Google Cloud’s entire global footprint. Google Cloud says that its full-stack AI infrastructure is available across 42 cloud regions around the world, plus access to more than 2 million miles of terrestrial and subsea fiber. (Google Cloud defines a region as having at least three computing zones housed in at least three different data centers.)
According to Ericsson’s available information, the Ericsson On-Demand service is launching initially with support in Google Cloud regions in the United States, Canada, Europe and Australia, plus locations in South America and Asia. The next wave of availability will include Mexico, more of South America, South Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia. Google also provides information on the carbon intensity of the local grid and the availability of carbon-free energy in the regions, with some low-carbon options available.
In terms of security, deployments of the on-demand core can be supported with cloud-native firewalls and can be geo-restricted on the basis of identity and access management (IAM) policies in order to meet data sovereignty rules, the partners said.
Eric Parsons, VP head of emerging segments, cloud software and services at Ericsson, called the on-demand network core service “an enabler of ambition.”
“Today’s CTOs must move fast, scale smart, and lead their organizations into new commercial territory. On-Demand removes the risk and complexity holding them back,” Parsons said. “It gives them the agility to outpace market change, the confidence to innovate without compromise, and the clarity to seize opportunities that were previously just out of reach.”
Muninder Singh Sambi, VP and GM of networking and security at Google Cloud, said: “With Ericsson On-Demand on Google Cloud’s AI infrastructure, CSPs can rapidly deploy 5G core and tap into new revenue streams. This partnership with Ericsson isn’t just about technology; it’s about building the AI-driven telecom of tomorrow for our customers.”
