In order to speed up the rollout of 5G applications and services, Duetsche Telekom and Aricent have teamed up to build an edge compute platform.
The open source, edge software framework was built for use in software-defined data centers in decentralized locations. It also uses cloud-native multiaccess edge computing (MEC) technologies.
The edge compute platform includes a software framework that features key capabilities for developers that are delivered as platform-as-a-service (PaaS).
By tapping into open source technologies and virtualized networking at the edge, communications service providers can ramp up new services at a faster rate while also gaining operational efficiencies that will allow them to monetize 5G in its early stages ahead of next year's broader rollouts. According to Grand View Research, the global edge computing market is projected to surpass $3 billion by 2025.
Deutsche Telekom and Aricent trialed the software framework by supporting developers at Deutsche Telekom’s incubator in Germany, hub:raum.
“We believe that edge computing will be a critical success factor to achieve the full benefits of 5G for our customers,” said Deutsche Telekom's Tomasz Gerszberg, senior vice president, edge computing in a prepared statement, “and we believe in joining forces with our ecosystem partners to accelerate innovation and the adoption of new technology.”
Over the next three years, the two companies will work on additional projects. Deutsche Telekom will leverage Aricent's consultancy, design and R&D services to help it build out products and services.
Aricent and Deutsche Telekom didn't say which open source technologies they were using for their edge compute platform.
RELATED: Industry needs to build use cases and ecosystem for edge compute
While edge computing isn't a new concept, it has been gaining a lot of momentum this year. Last month, the Linux Foundation's Akraino Edge Stack, which is an open source software stack that supports cloud services optimized for edge computing systems and applications, announced it had moved from formation into execution of its code.
Akraino also pairs nicely with another open source project, ONAP, and the Acumos AI project that was created late last year by AT&T and Tech Mahindra prior to it being put into open source in the Linux Foundation's LF Deep Learning Foundation.
Last week, OpenDaylight announced the ninth software release of its platform, Flourine, which included additional support for edge computing environments. The Open Networking Foundation is also taking a hard look at edge cloud and 5G initiatives.
Last month, Aricent announced an open-source project with CableLabs for a self-managed and optimized virtual infrastructure platform using the Kubernetes and Docker container model.