> > Be careful not to confuse vendors pumping stuff with whats actually > deployed. > Well yes, there's always the hype factor to discount. The reason why I'm asking this forum is to separate hype from hope.
Also, AT&T has been doing virtualization for nearly 10 years now, so > perhaps you were just not paying attention But the point is just that: how serious is this progression towards cloud-native, if so much effort was put in to virtualization? Incidentally, AT&T's Brian Bearden was present here <https://intelvs.on24.com/vshow/inteldcgevents/#content/2393080>: just listen to how he defended Intel's containerization drive @24:56. > > On Sat, Aug 1, 2020 at 4:33 PM Ca By <cb.li...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > On Sat, Aug 1, 2020 at 7:21 AM Etienne-Victor Depasquale <ed...@ieee.org> > wrote: > >> The surprise for me regards Intel's (and the entire Cloud Native >> Computing Foundation's?) readiness to move past network functions run on >> VMs >> and towards network functions run as microservices in containers. >> >> See, for example, Azhar Sayeed's (Red Hat) contribution here >> <https://www.lightreading.com/webinar.asp?webinar_id=1608>@15:33. >> > > Be careful not to confuse vendors pumping stuff with whats actually > deployed. > > Also, AT&T has been doing virtualization for nearly 10 years now, so > perhaps you were just not paying attention > > > https://www.fiercetelecom.com/telecom/at-t-target-for-virtualizing-75-its-network-by-2020 > > Not sure it has helped ATT in any meaningful way, their stock price is > the same it was in 2015. > > >> Cheers, >> >> Etienne >> >> On Sat, Aug 1, 2020 at 2:35 PM Mark Tinka <mark.ti...@seacom.com> wrote: >> >>> >>> >>> On 1/Aug/20 11:23, Etienne-Victor Depasquale wrote: >>> >>> Over the past few weeks, I've attended webinars and watched videos >>> organized by Intel. >>> These activities have centred on 5G and examined applications (like >>> "visual cloud" and "gaming"), >>> as well as segment-oriented aspects (like edge networks, 5G RAN and 5G >>> Core). >>> >>> I am stunned (no hyperbole) by the emphasis on Kubernetes in particular, >>> and cloud-native computing in general. >>> Equally stunning (for me), public telecommunications networks have been >>> portrayed >>> as having a history that moved from integrated software and hardware, >>> to virtualization and now to cloud-native computing. >>> See, for example Alex Quach, here >>> <https://www.telecomtv.com/content/intel-vsummit-5g-ran-5g-core/the-5g-core-is-vital-to-deliver-the-promise-of-5g-39164/> >>> @10:30). >>> I reason that Intel's implication is that virtualization is becoming >>> obsolete. >>> >>> Would anyone care to let me know his thoughts on this prediction? >>> >>> >>> In the early dawn of SDN, where it was cool to have the RP's in Beirut >>> and the line cards in Lagos, the industry quickly realized that was not >>> entirely feasible. >>> >>> If you are looking at over-the-top services, so-called cloud-native >>> computing makes sense in order to deliver that value accordingly, and with >>> agility. But as it pertains to actual network transport, I'm not yet sure >>> the industry is at the stage where we are confident enough to decompose >>> packet forwarding through a cloud. >>> >>> Network operators are more likely to keep using kit that integrates >>> forwarding hardware as well as a NOS, as no amount of cloud architecting is >>> going to rival a 100Gbps purpose-built port, for example. >>> >>> Suffice it to say, there was a time when folk were considering running >>> their critical infrastructure (such as your route reflectors) in AWS or >>> similar. I'm not quite sure public clouds are at that level of confidence >>> yet. So if some kind of cloud-native infrastructure is to be considered for >>> critical infrastructure, I highly suspect it will be in-house. >>> >>> On the other hand, for any new budding entrepreneurs that want to get >>> into the mobile game with as little cost as possible, there is a huge >>> opportunity to do so by building all that infrastructure in an on-prem >>> cloud-native architecture, and offer packet forwarding using >>> general-purpose hardware provided they don't exceed their expectations. >>> This way, they wouldn't have to deal with the high costs traditional >>> vendors (Ericsson, Nokia, Huawei, Siemens, ZTE, e.t.c.) impose. Granted, it >>> would be small scale, but maybe that is the business model. And in an >>> industry where capex is fast out-pacing revenue, it would be the mobile >>> network equivalent of low-cost carrier airlines. >>> >>> I very well could be talking out the side of my neck, but my prediction >>> is mobile operators will be optimistic but cautious. I reckon a healthy mix >>> between cloud-native and tried & tested practices. >>> >>> Mark. >>> >> >> >> -- >> Ing. Etienne-Victor Depasquale >> Assistant Lecturer >> Department of Communications & Computer Engineering >> Faculty of Information & Communication Technology >> University of Malta >> Web. https://www.um.edu.mt/profile/etiennedepasquale >> > -- Ing. Etienne-Victor Depasquale Assistant Lecturer Department of Communications & Computer Engineering Faculty of Information & Communication Technology University of Malta Web. https://www.um.edu.mt/profile/etiennedepasquale