Using edge computing to transform networks in a 5G world

As global networks continue to evolve and become more distributed, and customer demand for fast, low-latency network services continues to grow, service providers are increasingly evaluating and investing in edge computing technologies that enable them to move data processing from the center of the network to the edge.

The rollout of 5G networks is one of the drivers of service providers’ growing interest in edge computing. 5G’s faster speeds enable new high-resolution cloud gaming, industrial IoT process control, augmented reality (AR) guidance within enterprises, and other new applications that will transform the market. However, in order for these new 5G applications to reach their full potential, edge computing is needed to provide the low latency required by these applications.

The advent of 5G and greater demand for network services as people work and play from home means service providers are no longer asking if they need more edge computing capabilities, but rather how quickly they can bring those new edge computing capabilities online.

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5G drives the need for edge computing

Over the past year, service providers have invested heavily in expanding their 5G network coverage and capacity. However, if they want their networks to support new low-latency applications, they need more than just 5G. In particular, they need edge computing capabilities that remove network bottlenecks by moving data processing from the network core to the edge.

Service providers can use edge data centers to process low-latency application data close to the edge devices that generate and use that data. By not sending this data back and forth from edge devices to remote data centers, they can significantly reduce latency, encouraging greater adoption of new, low-latency 5G applications - and customer interest in their 5G network services.

What to consider when building edge computing capabilities

However, service providers must consider multiple factors when deciding when, where, and how to build new edge computing capabilities. For example, one of the key ways service providers can increase their edge computing capabilities is with edge data centers.

When building edge data centers, they need to ensure that they are close enough to the target edge devices to provide the lower latency these edge data centers are designed to provide. They also need to ensure that their edge data centers have enough square footage to accommodate the racks and cabinets required to process data at the edge. In addition, they should consider how these edge data centers may need to be expanded in the future as demand for low-latency applications increases.

In addition to the physical location and design of their edge data centers, service providers also need to consider how to integrate the management of these edge data centers into the management of their entire network. For example, the new unified management platform enables service provider IT teams to manage their LANs and WLANs from a single dashboard, giving them better visibility into the performance of their edge data centers and other network infrastructure. In addition, with unified visibility across wired and wireless domains, service provider IT teams can optimize edge data centers and other aspects of network infrastructure to meet current business needs and better predict network growth, helping them make the investments needed for edge computing to meet their future business needs.

Unified management platforms also support converged edge networks, where many routine network tasks can be automated. For example, using these platforms, network profiles and configurations can be predefined and then pushed to new switches and access points (APs) as they are deployed on the network. By automating routine tasks, these platforms also free up IT staff to focus on more strategic and high-priority tasks.

Service providers must also consider how their edge data centers and other network infrastructure will prioritize and route network traffic if they want to ensure their networks meet critical SLAs even when using other service providers’ networks. This may require service providers to standardize more of their network infrastructure to support virtual network slicing. This type of standardization will also help drive the development of new off-the-shelf modular network components that service providers can use to reduce the time and cost spent maintaining network infrastructure while also reducing mean time to repair.

By developing plans to expand and integrate new edge computing capabilities into their networks, service providers can use 5G and edge computing to change the way we use communications technology. As 5G networks expand and edge computing technology matures, expect to soon see ultra-fast, low-latency networks power new cloud gaming, industrial IoT, augmented reality, and other applications that fundamentally change the way we work and play.