Amazon Web Services (AWS) is partnering with some of the world’s leading mobile operators to deliver a service that promises to allow developers to create applications with single-digit millisecond latencies.
Many of the most revolutionary 5G applications, such as connected cars, the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), and Augmented and Virtual Reality (AR/VR) require almost real time functionality.
However traditional architecture is incapable of ultra-low latency because the amount of time it takes to collect and process data is too long. Edge computing helps reduce this time by bringing core network functions closer to the point of collection and is one of the key characteristics of 5G.
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AWS Wavelength
AWS Wavelength offers compute and storage capabilities at the edge of partner operators’ 5G infrastructure, meaning latency-sensitive elements of an application don’t need to be sent to a data centre. This significantly reduces the amount of time data spends travelling around a network.
Developers can use the same APIs and tools as usual, with non-latency sensitive elements of an application processed at one of Amazon’s 22 regions around the world.
“With Wavelength, we bring 5G and cloud together to give our customers the powerful new capability to run cloud services consistently within a few milliseconds of mobile end-users,” said Matt Garman, Vice President Compute Services, AWS.
“This is a game changer for developers that is going to unlock a whole new generation of applications and services. We are really excited to see our customers innovate with these unique new capabilities that they did not have access to before.”
Amazon has already signed up Verizon in the US, Vodafone in Europe, KDDI in Japan, and SK Telecom in South Korea, and expects to secure more partners in 2020. The UK and Germany will be the first countries able to access Wavelength on Vodafone, with the service expanding to other territories at a later date.
“With Europe’s largest 5G network across 58 cities and as a global leader in the Internet of Things (IoT) with over 90 million connections, Vodafone is pleased to be the first telco to introduce AWS Wavelength in Europe,” added Vinod Kumar, CEO of Vodafone Business. “Faster speeds and lower latencies have the potential to revolutionize how our customers do business, and they can rely on Vodafone’s existing capabilities and security layers within our own network.”
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