As telcos across the globe adopt 5G technology to roll out a vast number of new services for consumers and enterprises, realizing the full potential of 5G services hinges on the successful adoption of cloud-native technology and distributed cloud infrastructure.
In the last decade, the ETSI NFVi framework and virtualization technologies have been adopted by most CSPs. The telecommunications industry is transitioning from a fully integrated technology stack to a disaggregated stack with open APIs. In many instances, however, NFVi infrastructure and VNFs are built in a vertically integrated manner, and despite this technology transition, interoperability between workloads and platforms remains a challenge in a vertically integrated model.
Looking ahead, we see that CSPs would like to embrace cloud-native infrastructure and build a horizontal platform that would eliminate silos of vertically integrated stacks. Cloud-native infrastructure provides a modular approach for the deployment, interoperability, reversibility, scalability, and evolution of software components. By using containers as a service, or CaaS, operators can deploy containerized network functions (CNFs) consistently across regions. CSPs gain the following benefits by using CaaS for telco and IT workloads:
- Optimize the TCO of infrastructure by having a common resource pool instead of using dedicated capacity for each of the domains and vendor-
- Achieve efficiency in operations by having one operations and management team for common infrastructure and CNFs.
- Address the time-to-market of services by improving the time to deploy CNFs with a fully automated, common CaaS environment.
- Address the scalability, availability, and resilience requirements of workload deployments seamlessly with a common CaaS environment.
Cloud-Native Telco Architecture by VMware and Wipro
Wipro, a leading technology services and consulting company, are using VMware products to provide CSPs with solutions that transform networks built on vertical silos to a cloud native architecture. An architecture based on cloud-layer convergence with common CaaS layers across multiple cloud instances reduces fragmentation and improves operational efficiency. Wipro’s BoundaryLess Container Platform (BLCP) is a solution that uses VMware’s Telco Cloud Platform to enable network-wide container orchestration and management in multi-cloud paradigm. It is built upon Wipro’s BoundaryLess Enterprise (BLE) solution, which consists of a suite of VMware products for IaaS, PaaS, Containers, cloud- and edge-native services, that can speed up release cycles by a factor of 10. Many leading network function vendors have certified their virtualized or containerized products on the platform which dramatically shortens the time to market for a new deployment.The following figure depicts a high-level architecture of a cloud-native network built by Wipro for Telcos using VMware products.
This architecture is based on multi-cluster Kubernetes automated deployments. The solution addresses the features and functionality needed by an operator to manage a cloud-native environment, including:
- Multi-cluster support
- Enhanced performance support with, for example, DPDK and SRV-IO
- Synchronization support
- Service mesh support
- Energy efficiency through automated resource scaling in response to fluctuating demands
- Automated provisioning of resources
- Artificial intelligence for IT operations (AIOps)
The VMware and Wipro Combined Solution
Wipro offers two solutions to the market that are built with VMware products: Wipro Fullstride BoundaryLess Enterprise (BLE) and Wipro Fullstride BoundaryLess Container Platform (BLCP).
- Wipro Fullstride BoundaryLess Enterprises (BLE), powered by VMware Cloud Foundation, is a ready to use, plug and play platform to deliver services across PaaS, IaaS, and hybrid telecom
- Wipro’s Fullstride BoundaryLess Container Platform (BLCP) uses VMware Tanzu Kubernetes Grid to help enterprises run their business applications as scalable containerized workloads that can operate across hybrid clouds. The platform provides the necessary services to modernize applications in a cloud-native manner.
Partnership between VMware and Wipro
Both leaders in cloud transformation, VMware and Wipro have been partners for 15 years, working with global enterprises to unlock the promise of the cloud as an innovative growth platform to deliver business value.
Wipro is a Master Services Competency Partner in VMware Cloud on AWS, Data Center Virtualization and Network Virtualization, and was recognized by VMware with its 2022 Partner Lifecycle Services Award.
In 2022, Wipro launched a new dedicated VMware-focused business unit, the goal of which is to streamline VMware implementations and accelerate deployment of applications, leading to better, faster ROI for customers. The two companies are now working together to bring the benefits of their partnership to telcos.
End-to-End System Integration Services Delivered by Wipro as a Global Systems Integrator
As a global systems integrator (GSI), Wipro helps telcos in all aspects of solution design, deployment, and management.
- BLCP solution integration and validation
- Wipro designs and builds the architecture specified by the customer across multiple deployments with CNF and VNF certification on BLCP.
Wipro provides certification services covering all aspects of expected behavior, including scaling, resilience, performance, and loud balancing.
- Optimization: Wipro ensures that the final deployment is fully optimized, and that telco workloads deliver high performance and throughput while minimizing the need for hardware and software licenses.
- Interoperability testing and integration: Wipro takes responsibility for performing interoperability and integration testing of a complex system built on hardware, software, and open-source technologies from multiple vendors.
- Lifecycle management: Wipro delivers a state-of-the-art digital operations centre as part of the solution, and integrates the BCLP framework with cloud management tools to implement a fully automated, infrastructure-as-code environment.
VMware and Wipro are helping CSPs around the world to develop and implement their strategies for cloud-native networks. For more information on how VMware and Wipro are working together, see Wipro invests in new dedicated VMware Business Unit or contact the VMware sales team
Find Out More About How VMware and Wipro Can Help You Implement Cloud-Native Telco
VMware and Wipro are helping CSPs around the world to develop and implement their strategies for cloud-native networks. For more information on how VMware and Wipro are working together, see Wipro invests in new dedicated VMware Business Unit or contact the VMware sales team
