5G Factor: MWC24 Preview – P5G and API Alliances Flourishing

An Assessment of Key 5G-IoT Alliance Developments Including Dell Nokia P5G Use Case Focus, Intel Enlisting P5G Partners, and Vonage AWS Network API Push 

In this episode of The 5G Factor, our series that focuses on all things 5G, the IoT, and the ecosystem as a whole, we look at the major 5G ecosystem moves and what's going on that caught my eye in the lead up to Mobile World Congress 2024. Key alliance developments include Dell and Nokia teaming up to advance private 5G network use cases and network cloud transformation, Intel enlisting an array of major partners, such as Cisco, NTT Data, AWS, Ericsson, and , to accelerated private 5G network adoption by businesses, and Ericsson's Vonage and AWS bringing together Vonage's platform - based on communications Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) and network APIs - Ericsson's 5G network capabilities and AWS services to catalyze the availability of new solutions to millions of AWS developers through AWS Marketplace.

My analytical review highlighted:

Dell and Nokia Commit to Advancing Network Cloud Transformation and P5G Use Cases. Dell Technologies and Nokia announced the extension of a strategic partnership to use each company's expertise and solutions, including infrastructure solutions from Dell and private wireless connectivity from Nokia, to advance open network architectures in the telecom ecosystem and private 5G use cases among businesses. As part of the agreement, Nokia will adopt Dell as its preferred infrastructure partner for existing Nokia AirFrame customers, offering Dell's technology as the infrastructure of choice for telecom cloud deployments. I delve into why the extend alliance is a sales and marketing boost for both companies as Dell gains valuable mind share and presence during the early stages of private 5G adoption and Nokia taps into Dell's extensive hybrid cloud channels as Nokia Digital Automation Cloud private wireless solution becomes Dell's preferred private wireless platform for enterprise customers' edge use cases.

Intel Ready to Power Private 5G with Partners. Intel is teaming with partners to further enable and grow the private network market. Intel-powered private 5G solutions are deployed globally with major partners such as Cisco, NTT Data, AWS, Ericsson, and Nokia. Key partnerships include Cisco and NTT Data collaborating to transform RAI Amsterdam into the first smart venue in Europe, Aramco Digital, part of the world's largest energy company Aramco, in collaboration with Intel, is developing private 5G for the industrial sector, powered by Intel-based open RAN technology, and the addition of Amdocs as a system integrator for the Integrated Private Wireless (IPW) on AWS program. Through the program, AWS customers can access Amdocs Mobile Private Network (MPN) services, and the infrastructure, built on AWS Outposts servers, which is powered by Intel Xeon processors. I examine why Private 5G networks are in high demand in 2024 and how Intel and partners are well-positioned as enterprises look for scalable compute solutions to power the next wave of AI applications running at the edge that drive their digital transformation missions and improvement of business outcomes.

Ericsson and AWS Ready to Unleash Communications and Network APIs. The collaboration between Ericsson-owned Vonage and Amazon Web Services (AWS) will bring together Vonage's platform - based on communications APIs and network APIs - Ericsson's 5G network capabilities and AWS services. The collaboration aims to accelerate the availability of new solutions to millions of AWS developers through AWS Marketplace. I assess why network APIs are essential for exposing new capabilities from within the 5G network that have never been available before, allowing existing applications to be enhanced with network information and enabling the development of a new class of applications. The alliance also aligns with the recently released Ericsson Mobility Report Business Review 2024 that cites programmable networks (network APIs) as integral to driving innovation and ecosystem growth by offering access to new value opportunities, allowing application developers to innovate on a large scale.