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Swedish IT power player Ericsson revealed Feb. 27 that it is extending its partnership with data center owner/operator Equinix to offer IT managed services using the Equinix Performance Hub and 5G connectivity when it becomes widely available in 2019 or 2020.
Equinix’s efficient new data management hub provides a new-gen, high-speed approach to improving network and application performance while reducing bandwidth costs—in some cases by up to 40 percent, Ericsson said.
Ericsson said it will add a full range of managed services for network transformation and optimization purposes to meet network operators’ constantly changing requirements.
A key data point here is this: Network operators won’t have to change out any of their hardware, at least off the top. By using Equinix’s global reach into 48 world markets and Ericsson’s expertise in managed services, operators can work in their legacy environments while moving to modern IT architectures at their own pace with the hands-on and remote support they require, Ericsson said.
5G Broadband Subscriptions Expected to Number 1 Billion by 2023
According to the latest Ericsson Mobility Report, in 2023, the number of 5G subscriptions for enhanced mobile broadband is forecast to reach 1 billion and mobile data traffic will increase by a factor of eight. As a result, network operators are struggling to keep up with demands to support this massive increase in data and are looking to improve network and application performance, often as an extension of their overall IT transformation strategy.
This deal offers a potential head start for companies as the 5G era draws closer.
With its expertise in network and IT management, Ericsson will be responsible for products and services driven via its Integrated Operations Center, including Business Process Operations, Application Development and Management, cloud/hybrid services, managed SDN/NFV operations, data center build and management, IT infrastructure management and managed enterprise Wi-Fi. Ericsson also will provide additional “as-a-service” offerings as extensions of its managed services capabilities.
The announcement follows the previous collaboration between the companies to deploy Ericsson’s Unified Delivery Network (UDN) solution and Ericsson as-a-service offerings in Equinix data centers in more than 20 markets, which provides access to a mature business ecosystem of 9,800 businesses. Ericsson has also joined the Equinix Channel Partner Program as a reseller to fully handle this growing business ecosystem.
Hubs Are Based on Vendor-Agnostic Hardware
Equinix Performance Hub is based on a core set of vendor-agnostic components—a router, firewall, VPN terminator and load balancer—and provides access to major network and cloud service providers to deliver a globally consistent quality of experience. Connectivity solutions include:
- WANs (wide-area networks) connecting Performance Hub solutions to corporate data centers and branch offices;
- mobile networks and ISPs (internet service providers) for delivering applications and web services to end users; and
- direct connections to cloud services, including AWS, Oracle Cloud or Microsoft Azure.
Ericsson said that using the Performance Hub enables operators to:
- smoothly move to the cloud, accelerating global expansion and reach anywhere in the world;
- boost network/application quality of experience with higher throughput, low latency and seamless deployment;
- increase control with the agility, security and visibility needed with best-in class service levels; and
- test and measure the impact of Performance Hub designs on applications and workloads in an Equinix Solution Validation Center.
For more information, go here.