We’ve all heard the phrase “change is the only constant.” But what we don’t often hear is the other constant: Change is always accelerating. Today, communications service providers (CSPs) compete in a world where change is happening faster than ever, as 5G takes hold and customers in enterprise organizations look for ways to connect and act on data being generated literally everywhere so they can make faster, more accurate business decisions. In fact, the opportunity at the edge – all the places outside of the data center where data is generated and consumed – has been estimated to be worth $700 billion¹ by 2030. With their global networks and points of presence, CSPs are poised to seize this edge opportunity with innovative new services, but first they need to address their network flexibility challenges.
Transformational Services Require Network Transformation
For decades, CSPs have relied on networks built with vertically integrated systems comprising tightly aggregated hardware and software. Updating and upgrading these systems have been historically slow and costly. While not optimal, CSPs have tolerated the rigid nature of telecom networks for mission-critical reasons, but the demand for agility is growing fast. With more and more data being generated and consumed everywhere – hospitals, factories, energy plants, retail stores – enterprise organizations want to capture and act on this data, often in real time, to create new value. CSPs are aware of this opportunity and know they need to launch new services, but their current networks lack the flexibility required to rapidly power up and deliver innovative new capabilities. The solution is clear: Networks need to transform from vertically integrated systems to open, disaggregated architectures that enable the flexibility and agility CSPs need to keep pace with emerging use cases and customer demands.
Where the Action is: Catalyzing the Open Telecom Ecosystem
CSPs know that open, disaggregated networks are critical to their growth, but an open network is only half the story. What’s also required is an open telecom ecosystem where CSPs can find the kinds of technologies they need to enable innovative, differentiated digital services. This ecosystem is already forming, but it’s still nascent and somewhat chaotic, making it hard for CSPs to consume the solutions emerging from it. At Dell Technologies, we’re fully committed to helping the open telecom ecosystem gain traction and become a comprehensive, practical resource that not only provides our CSP customers with the innovations they need, but also simplifies and accelerates the integration of new technologies into their network environments.
Collaborate. Create. Activate. Grow.
As we help catalyze the open telecom ecosystem, we have four areas of focus. First, we’ve launched the Open Telecom Ecosystem Community (OTEC) to foster collaboration among innovative telecom thinkers. Through this community, telecom partners and CSPs can come together to drive innovation and actionable outcomes and make the open ecosystem a reality.
Second, we’ll enable the creation of new offerings via the Dell Open Telecom Ecosystem Lab (OTEL), a secure environment where new products and solutions can be integrated, built, tested and certified, leveraging ideas from the community, as well as from across the telecom landscape. In addition, we offer self-certification through OTEL, as well as our Lab Validation Services, which leverage OTEL and enable CSPs to embrace the open telecom ecosystem with confidence and rapidly develop 5G solutions.
Third, building on our collaboration and creation efforts, we’re committed to activating new products and solutions across core, edge and RAN to enable greater choice and flexibility in network architectures so CSPs can operate with more agility and efficiency. Learn more about our portfolio here.
Finally, we’re laser-focused on helping CSPs identify and capitalize on new revenue opportunities in enterprise organizations. By partnering with Dell Technologies, CSPs will be able to integrate, deploy and leverage the latest technologies at market speed to fully capitalize on the massive opportunities emerging at the edge. Our extensive enterprise expertise enables us to help CSPs identify use cases ripe for new services. Further, we offer Solution Co-creation Services so CSPs can work directly with Dell on quickly developing innovative solutions for the enterprise market, including connected laptops, cyber recovery, private wireless and edge security.
The Future is Wide Open
Since March 10, 1876, when Alexander Graham Bell said to his assistant Thomas Watson over the very first telephone line, “Mr. Watson, come here, I want to see you,” telecommunications networks have changed and evolved from a single wire carrying a modulated voice signal to global fiber and 4G/5G wireless networks carrying terabytes of packet data to virtually everywhere on the planet. Change has been relentless but so has progress. And today, with the advent of the open telecom ecosystem and the innovation it will unleash, progress is poised to make a giant leap forward and enable CSPs to transform not only their networks, but also their role in the human network.
To learn more about how we’re catalyzing the open telecom ecosystem click here.
1 Source: Arthur D Little: The 5G for Business: a 2030 Market Compass
