5G deployment strategies split mobile operators globally —Report

Mobile operators are split on their 5G deployment strategies to manage subscriber data but agree on key factors such as Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), data ownership and edge services.

These are some of the key findings from a new Enea survey, conducted independently by the Technology Innovation Council, which interviewed mobile operators globally.

Enea is a world-leading specialist in software for telecoms and cybersecurity.

The company’s cloud-native solutions connect, optimise and secure services for mobile subscribers, enterprises, and the Internet of Things (IoT).

According to Enea’s report, 42 per cent of operators are looking to deploy multi-vendor 5G cores, yet, in response to a different question, 1 in 3 (33 per cent) want to stay with their incumbent vendor to manage subscribers’ data.

Some operators are turning to new frameworks for managing their 4G and 5G cores, however, others decide on strategies on a use case basis.

Most operators interviewed recognised the benefits of open, multivendor architecture – but revealed that their concerns were no single point of contact and support (36 per cent), interoperability (30 per cent) and a lack of operational tools (19 per cent).

Unsurprisingly, cost worries loomed large for many operators taking part in the study.

Total Cost of Ownership is the key consideration when it came to selecting 5G subscribers’ data management (SDM) technology, especially, for operators sticking with an incumbent vendor.

And 39 per cent of these mobile operators had experienced rising costs along with vendor lock-ins and inflexibility because of the existing vendor. Yet, while 5G gives operators the freedom to use multiple vendors, 83 per cent were concerned about interoperability in multi-vendor architecture.

Interoperability is a key attribute of 5G multivendor architectures, but operators are currently divided on this.

What’s more, when it comes to interoperability, both those opting for multivendor and those staying with incumbent vendors place a higher priority on open standard interfaces than full 3GPP compliance.

The mixed picture with 5G strategies was also reflected in cloud migration timelines which showed another split result.

66 per cent of operators that are migrating to multivendor environments have also begun to move to the cloud. By comparison, 41 per cent of those using their incumbent vendor have one foot in the cloud – revealing that nearly half of operators with incumbent vendors are not utilising the benefits of cloud technology.

Despite the stark contrasts in deployment and cloud strategies, there is a clearer picture of utilising the edge.