Dell Technologies telecoms solutions simplify, accelerate modern, open network deployments

News summary

• Dell Telecom Multi-Cloud Foundation is a modern network infrastructure solution with telecoms cloud software integration that helps speed deployments of cloud-native networks.
• Dell Open RAN Accelerator offers an open architecture approach to scale high performing 5G Open RAN networks.
• Dell Validated Designs for telecommunications edge and core offer more choice and speed for network modernisation.
• Expanded Dell telecoms services and lab capabilities put CSPs on the fast track to operationalise network infrastructure and deliver new business opportunities.

Dell Technologies (NYSE:DELL) introduces new telecommunications solutions and services to bolster the open telecoms ecosystem and help communications service providers (CSPs) affordably ramp their transformation to open, cloud-native networks.

The telecommunications industry’s growing open ecosystem gives CSPs more choice in their technologies and partners as they modernise to cloud-native networks. CSPs need the various technologies of this open ecosystem to work together seamlessly to offer differentiated edge services and reduce costs. Dell aims to remove complexity and speed modern network deployments with its Dell Telecom Cloud Foundation, Dell Open RAN Accelerator and new telecoms solutions and lab capabilities. 

“Communications service providers are changing how they build and deploy open networks, establishing the foundation on which they can develop and deliver innovative services to capture the edge opportunity,” said Dennis Hoffman, senior vice-president and general manager, Dell Technologies Telecom Systems Business. “Our expanded telecoms solutions portfolio brings the open ecosystem together for network operators, giving them the simplicity and reliability they need to modernise their networks and monetise new services.”

Dell Telecom Multi-Cloud Foundation speeds network modernisation, business growth

The Dell Telecom Multi-Cloud Foundation is a turnkey, end-to-end, modern network infrastructure solution that helps CSPs build and deploy open, cloud-native networks faster with lower cost and complexity. The Telecom Multi-Cloud Foundation includes Dell hardware, Dell Bare Metal Orchestrator management software and CSPs’ choice of integrated telecoms cloud software platforms, including Red Hat, VMware and Wind River.

Dell is adding new Dell Bare Metal Orchestrator Modules to its software, giving CSPs the ability to deploy and life cycle manage the entire cloud foundation stack. Once implemented, CSPs will have a scalable cloud foundation spanning core, edge and RAN for their open hardware and software environment with the flexibility to design and deploy open network functions and differentiated edge services. ACG Research estimates an up to 39% opex savings for CSPs deploying the Telecom Multi-Cloud Foundation in their networks. ACG Research found CSPs also save time on testing and certification, manual processes, server provisioning, software upgrades and cloud stack integration and testing.

Dell and Marvell collaborate on new hardware to accelerate Open RAN

With the introduction of virtualised and Open RAN architectures, 5G networks are undergoing a transformation that brings cloud scalability to the RAN. Existing virtualised and Open RAN alternatives have previously lacked the performance of established networks, hindering the ability for CSPs to implement cloud-native 5G.

Developed in collaboration with Marvell, the Dell Open RAN Accelerator Card is a new inline 5G Layer 1 processing card for vRAN and Open RAN solutions. Designed for Dell PowerEdge and other x86-based servers, the PCIe accelerator card brings the same Marvell OCTEON Fusion technology and performance of today’s leading 5G radio networks to the Open RAN ecosystem. CSPs can have better performing systems that lower cost and power consumption, allowing them to affordably scale high performing, modern radio access networks with an open architecture approach.

“Marvell is delighted to partner with Dell Technologies to enable an open, virtualised 5G RAN architecture that delivers advanced features and performance built on our proven OCTEON Fusion platform,” said Raj Singh, executive vice-president, Processors Business Unit at Marvell. “The new Dell Open RAN Accelerator Card is an innovative no-compromise, cloud-native, in-line, Open RAN Layer 1 acceleration solution that addresses the shortcomings of existing vRAN alternatives.”

"We’re pleased to see Dell Technologies and Marvell come together to innovate and create technologies that will enhance Open RAN platform capability and vendor diversity for operators,” said Andy Dunkin, Open RAN RF and digital platform development manager at Vodafone. “The promise of virtualised Open RAN platforms will be enhanced with the Dell Open Ran Accelerator Card that should offer network operators like Vodafone a less costly and more efficient path to Open RAN."

Dell and ecosystem partners help speed deployment of edge and core solutions

Dell continues to grow its open partner ecosystem with new telecoms solutions for edge and core.

• Dell Validated Design for Services Edge 1.2 brings together edge compute resources with private wireless connectivity, enabling the ease of deployment, scalable operations and security capabilities required for large numbers of edge locations. Enterprises can place sensors and devices at the edge of mobile networks to capture and process data in near-real time, and use the data to generate insights, optimise operations and help increase productivity. The open standards-based design now supports Airspan 5G RAN for a fast deployment of enterprise private 5G networks.
• Dell Validated Design for the 5G Core with Oracle and VMware gives CSPs the choice to build a robust, scalable 5G core on industry standard infrastructure, in a more secure and reliable way. The solution can help reduce the time needed to design, test and integrate network components from multiple partners.

Dell expands telecoms services and lab capabilities to drive faster ecosystem innovation

Dell continues to grow its telecoms services capabilities to lead partner integration and accelerate CSPs’ deployment and adoption of telecoms solutions. CSPs can quickly operationalise network infrastructure with Dell ProDeploy for NFVI. The service combines Dell factory integration and field deployment options to flexibly build the optimal NFV infrastructure specific to each customer’s network. The service integrates compute, networking and telecoms cloud software platforms, helping CSPs deploy workloads faster and at scale, saving them time and cost. Dell’s proven processes enable 68% faster infrastructure deployment time with ProDeploy.

The Dell Open Telecom Ecosystem Lab Solution Integration Platform helps CSPs and partners securely connect their lab resources to the Dell lab and infrastructure to develop and bring 5G and telecoms edge services to market more quickly. With the labs interconnected to create a mini, open ecosystem, the Solution Integration Platform uses the latest DevOps techniques to conduct tests faster than manual testing, so services can be brought to market more quickly, with less risk and cost. CSPs and partners can use the new platform to conduct integrated testing and ongoing life cycle management of Open RAN, 5G and edge services and applications.

Additional quotes

“At Red Hat, we believe that an open ecosystem is critical to driving innovation, from the data centre out to the edge,” said Honore LaBourdette, vice-president, Telco Media & Edge Ecosystem, Red Hat. “By collaborating with other industry leaders such as Dell, we are able to offer service providers greater choice and scalability for their edge deployments, based on open principles and open standards for optimal flexibility.”

“A leader in the early 5G landscape, powering the majority of 5G RAN deployments, Wind River is delivering mature production-ready offerings on proven Wind River Studio technology that is live in deployment with operators such as Verizon and Vodafone,” said Avijit Sinha, chief product officer, Wind River. “Delivering a major component to the Dell Telecom Cloud Foundation and with our work on the Dell Open Telecom Ecosystem Lab Solution Integration Platform, Wind River is helping to address key operator challenges by providing fully cloud-native Kubernetes- and container-based architecture for the development, deployment, operations and servicing of distributed edge networks at scale.”

Lakshmi Mandyam, vice-president of product management and partner ecosystems, Service Provider & Edge, VMware, said: “5G network architectures prioritise openness and interoperability. Service providers have choice to work with more technology partners than ever before. But with more choice comes added complexity. Our work with Dell and Oracle aims to reduce this complexity by streamlining the testing and validation of partner solutions on top of our 5G Core validated design. We are providing the foundation on top of which 5G networks can rise.”

Availability

• Dell Bare Metal Orchestrator Module for VMware Telco Cloud Platform global availability in April 2022.
• Dell Bare Metal Orchestrator Modules for Red Hat OpenShift and for Wind River Studio global availability in July 2022.
• Dell Open RAN Accelerator Card planned global availability in late 2022.
• Dell Validated Design for Services Edge 1.2 global availability in March 2022.
• Dell Validated Design for 5G Core with Oracle and VMware global availability in June 2022.
• Dell ProDeploy for NFVI availability beginning in April 2022.
• The Dell Open Telecom Ecosystem Lab Solution Integration Platform global availability in July 2022.

Additional resources

• Learn more about the Dell Telecom Multi-Cloud Foundation.
• Read more about the Dell Open RAN Accelerator Card.
• Find more details on Dell’s expanded telecom solutions portfolio.
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