The value of MVNO (mobile virtual network operator) services for wireline incumbents has always been a question mark, given that many cable operators who tried the notion out didn’t get what they’d hoped for. Still, as this Light Reading piece says, there have also been MVNO success stories among at least some of the larger … Continue reading 5G Slicing, MVNOs, and Acquisition and Retention
There is a lot of 5G that is real. There is a lot that is almost surely a pipe dream, and there’s some in between. Network slicing is one of the latter. The assumption for network slicing is that a 5G network can be divided into separate, parallel, virtual slices that act as independent networks. … Continue reading Does Nokia’s Wireline Slicing Change the Game?
One of the 5G features that gets lots of attention is network slicing. Most of the press on the topic has been at least positive if not gushing, but operators have some specific questions about the business case, and more about technology issues. The big question on the technology side is how network slicing might … Continue reading Network Slicing and its SDN/NFV Impact: A Real Issue or the Raising of Old Ones?
Every network operator I’ve surveyed has some sort of wholesale/retail relationship with other operators. Most fit into two categories—a relationship that extends geographic scope or one that incorporates one operator’s service inside another (like backhaul or MVNO). Given this, it is natural to assume that services built on SDN and/or NFV would have to be … Continue reading Federation, Virtual Network Operators, and 5G Slicing, and Their Relationship to SDN/NFV
Tech news, like political news, often tries to cover all the bases, so it would be reasonable for me to be cynical about Light Reading’s recent story on 5G “standalone”. 5G’s “next big flop” sure sounds negative, but in truth LR has shown a healthy level of 5G skepticism in the past. The reason this … Continue reading 5G Standalone: Does It Really Change Anything?
What do enterprises, vendors, and service/cloud providers think about cloud computing, networking, 5G, the edge, and other stuff? How do they see the future of these technologies? I’ve been trying to get those questions answered, and what I’ve found could justify calling the effort a “qualified success”. It tells us a lot about enterprises, but … Continue reading Contrasting Supplier and Buyer Views of New Technologies
In a single day last week, I saw six news items that demonstrate the market, business, and technology challenge that’s posed by 5G. None of this tumult means that 5G isn’t going to happen, but it seems to me to demonstrate that we’re not yet really sure how it’s going to happen. The who-wins and … Continue reading Six Data Points on O-RAN
Most operators I talk with agree that some sort of network transformation is essential to both managing costs and creating new revenue-generating services. The challenge for them is figuring out how to go about it, not only in terms of technology options but in terms of making a business case for changes. Promised savings in … Continue reading 5G and the Network Transformation Opportunity
Fusions of networking and cloud aren’t new, but it’s at least novel for such a fusion to be proposed by a network equipment vendor rather than a cloud software vendor. Similarly, it’s not news that the metro portion of the networking is the key to the network overall, but it’s at least novel to combine … Continue reading Assessing Juniper’s Cloud Metro Strategy
Verizon seems to be recognizing that the path to 5G success isn’t fantasy services, but the symbiosis between 5G, mobile services, and home broadband. It’s hard to overstate the importance of that, not only for Verizon but also for 5G and the networking industry. Of course, that fact that even a giant Tier One can … Continue reading Verizon Faces Reality on the Best 5G Mission
