Hewlett Packard announces new as-a-Service 5G portfolio

Hewlett Packard Enterprise unveiled a new set of tools on Tuesday designed to help telecommunications companies build, deploy, and grow revenue from 5G services. All of these hardware and software tools are delivered with an elastic, as-a-service model built to reduce the costs and risks of rolling out 5G services.

The portfolio of as-a-service offerings created by Hewlett Packard will provide companies with ways to use 5G to build out their business with cloud-native software stacks designed for 5G cores, optimized telco cores, and edge infrastructure blueprints and Wi-Fi 6-enabled services.

SEE: 5G mobile networks: A cheat sheet (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

The services are constructed within open and interoperable platforms outfitted with carrier-grade infrastructures and modular software components, providing agility as well as increasing automation. 

“Openness is essential to the evolutionary nature of 5G and with HPE 5G Core Stack telcos can reduce operational costs, deploy features faster, and keep themselves open to multiple networks and technologies while avoiding being locked into a single vendor approach,” said Phil Mottram, vice president and general manager of the communications and media solutions business unit at Hewlett Packard Enterprise. 

“HPE has one of the broadest 5G portfolios in the market and is uniquely positioned to help telcos build an open multi-vendor 5G core, optimize the edge with vRAN, and deliver connectivity and new compute services to the enterprise using MEC and Wi-Fi 6.”

One of the key new tools is the HPE 5G Core Stack, which is an open, cloud-native, container-based software stack that gives companies the ability to offer a variety of 5G services to subscribers and customers.

The platform also comes with Aruba Central services, which include the company’s Air Pass Wi-Fi/5G roaming and Air Slice SLA management. Both are designed to give companies the maximum amount of 5G coverage so they can access Wi-Fi-connected users and IoT devices. 

SEE: Special report: How 5G will transform business (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

“Using Passpoint technology and the new Aruba Air Pass service, cellular subscribers can now securely and automatically roam onto participating Aruba enterprise customer Wi-Fi networks using their SIM credentials and be visible to mobile network operators. This technology extends the 5G footprint into the enterprise while allowing telcos access to Wi-Fi-connected users and IoT devices, and is essential for maintaining high service levels and the ability to create and monetize new services,” the company statement said.

5G networks and services have been rolling out slowly across the world over the past year and a half but telecommunication companies have had issues integrating legacy network infrastructures and getting higher frequencies of 5G to penetrate buildings. According to HPE, 5G cores must be merged with 5G radio access networks in order to enable holistic management and data sharing. Companies need to use both 5G RAN and Wi-Fi 6 networks in the enterprise in order to provide uninterrupted service to their customers as they enter shopping malls, campuses and office buildings. 

HPE is hoping its new tools will help solve some of the issues companies have faced deploying 5G systems so that more industries can take advantage of edge-to-cloud, 5G-ready technologies.

“With HPE GreenLake, telcos can grow and expand their network as new users come online and pay monthly based on measured utilization. Through HPE GreenLake, the entire stack can be operated on behalf of the customer to free up resources to focus on innovation at the network and enterprise edge,” HPE said in a statement.

SEE: 5G: What it means for IoT (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

“The promise of 5G will be unleashed through open, modern platforms, interoperable with existing networks to allow telcos to bring new 5G services to the market quickly while bridging from previous generation networks. HPE 5G Core Stack is a cloud-native, containerized 5G core network software stack that accelerates the journey to new 5G revenue streams, seamlessly integrates with previous generation networks and is future-ready for upcoming advancements in 5G standards.”

The Core Stack will be available to enterprises as both an integrated software platform and hardware platform while being delivered by HPE GreenLake in an as-a-service model. 

“5G has the potential to revolutionize our digital lives and the combination of 5G and Wi-Fi 6 presents telcos with an unlimited array of possibilities for offering subscribers new and compelling services that can transform the user experience,” said Keerti Melkote, founder of Aruba Networks and president of Intelligent Edge at Hewlett Packard Enterprise. 

“With a broad portfolio of innovations that span from the telco core to the enterprise edge, HPE is the only platform as-a-service company that can deliver the infrastructure, software solutions, and the technical expertise to support global telcos in their quest to fully realize the promise of 5G.”

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