In September 2020, Microsoft announced its Azure for Operators initiative promising to offer core infrastructure to both fixed and mobile network operators.
Microsoft Azure for Operators is built on the company's recent acquisition of Affirmed Networks and Metaswitch, as well as on its development of Azure Edge Zones, which are local extensions of Azure, deployed with carriers or as private infrastructure.
In a blog post, Yousef Khalidi Corporate Vice President, Azure Networking, describes the engagement with operators as a partnership and a journey. Microsoft endeavors to work with providers of radio access network (RAN), core, cloud-native functions (CNFs), and operations support systems (OSS) or business support systems (BSS) to integrate and innovate.
Kalidi says Azure for Operators will grow to encompass the full service stack, including global transport, edge platforms, network functions, business intelligence, and cloud solutions. However, Azure for Operators will allow elements to be selected individually, including products and solutions from Microsoft and its ecosystem partners.
https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/futureproof-your-network-with-azure-for-operators/
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