Ericsson and VMware deliver another milestone.
In our previous blog post, we emphasized the continued innovation between Ericsson and VMware that has resulted from our technical collaboration partnership. Today, we are excited to bring you an update on the significant progress made in this partnership and how together we are accelerating implementation in CSPs’ networks and minimizing the need for local system integration.
System Validation of Ericsson Dual-Mode 5G Core on VMware Telco Cloud Platform 3.0
On September 26, 2023, our engineering teams completed the VMware Telco Cloud Platform 3.0 system validation testing for Ericsson’s cloud-native 5G Core. The agreed test scope was executed, and the Reference Design was confirmed.
Published Reference Design
The collaboration ensures that a jointly agreed Reference Design of Ericsson 5G Dual-Mode Core on VMware Telco Cloud Platform 3.0 meets cloud-native requirements. The Reference Design also supports the prerequisite test cases of Ericsson 5G Dual-Mode Core Cloud-Native Network Functions (CNFs).
A joint Reference Design is the foundation upon which system validation is executed. Once defined, this Reference Design is deployed in joint Ericsson-VMware engineering labs, where exhaustive testing then begins. The teams progress through a set of well-defined test cases spanning onboarding, stability, performance, robustness, and resiliency. Where necessary, the teams will adjust to the Reference Design to ensure the optimal result. Upon successful completion of this process, and in addition to publishing the Reference Design, the following deliverables are also created:
- Software baseline
- System validation test scope and outcome
- Deployment and configuration guidelines
By adhering to the Reference Design and by using these deliverables, CSPs can reduce complexity in their deployments, increase installation velocity, and limit the need for additional system integration tasks.
Accelerating CSP 5G Deployments
Our technical collaboration projects begin by outlining the needs of the Ericsson network functions on the underlying VMware platform, taking requirements such as networking, compute, and load balancing into account. This work ensures that the Ericsson applications can deploy and run on the VMware platforms at our mutual customers’ sites.
“In today’s business environment, success is not solely determined by what we can achieve within our own walls. It’s about our ability to create and maintain strong partnerships and collaboration and keep a focused customer approach. These principles are not just the keys to faster time to market, superior quality, and exceptional performance; they are the very foundation for success for our joint customers,” says Mats Karlsson, VP & Head of Solution Area Business & Operations Support Systems, Ericsson.
“Through comprehensive pre-testing and detailed documentation of Ericsson network functions and VMware platforms, we’re enabling communication service providers to accelerate their 5G network deployments. This strategic partnership between Ericsson and VMware underscores our joint commitment to delivering innovative solutions that drive operational efficiency and performance for our CSP customers,” says Lakshmi Mandyam, VP Product Management and Partner Ecosystems, VMware.
We strongly recommend that our mutual CSP customers discuss this latest development, and the deployment of Ericsson 5G Core on the VMware Telco Cloud Platform, with their respective Ericsson and VMware account representatives.
Commitment to Collaboration and Innovation
Since inking our alliance in 2019, we have now been engaged in more than 20-plus technical collaboration projects spanning Core networks, network management, and operations and business support systems (OSS/BSS).
As part of our continued collaboration, VMware, with support from Ericsson, expects to continue to develop and expand the CSAR packages for VMware Telco Cloud Automation to include additional lifecycle management use cases for Ericsson CNFs on VMware Telco Cloud Platform.
We continue to support the ongoing technical collaboration to validate the onboarding, automation, and hosting of Ericsson’s 5G Core CNFs on VMware Telco Cloud Platform.
Stay tuned for more announcements from our technical collaboration projects.
