Transforming CSP Network Architecture – The Key to Capitalizing on Opportunities at the Edge

By Christina Perfetto, Senior Consultant, Marketing, Telecom Systems Business, Dell Technologies

Brief: As data consumption and computing functions increasingly move closer to the network’s edge, CSPs, with their ubiquitous points of presence, are ideally positioned to provide innovative edge services, but to be successful they need solutions that are more agile, flexible, and efficient than current systems. Specifically, they need solutions that support a broad range of applications and services to serve them well into the future. This article will describe how Dell Telecom Infrastructure Blocks and PowerEdge XR8000 servers can help CSPs capitalize on opportunities at the edge.

Communications service providers (CSPs) know they need robust, agile network infrastructure to unlock new opportunities, including the potential AI use cases made possible at the edge. To this end, many CSPs are beginning their transformation away from vertically integrated legacy infrastructure to a cloud-native horizontal architecture that leverages flexible hardware based on open standards and supports a broad range of applications and services. This strategic shift represents a new frontier, and as with any transformational undertaking, change can create uncertainties within an organization, underscoring the importance of CSPs in choosing proven solutions that help mitigate risks and move boldly forward.

The logical place for CSPs to begin their transformation journey is to streamline the design, configuration, and delivery of cloud infrastructure to efficiently accelerate the deployment of new services. Co-engineered with telecom cloud leaders on industry standard hardware and featuring automated management and orchestration, these factory-integrated systems eliminate many of the complex integration, deployment, and support tasks associated with transformation to provide the simplest and most efficient path to a telco cloud.

Infrastructure Blocks are available for 5G core and radio access network (RAN) workloads and can reduce OpEX by up to 40% and CapEx by up to 10% over a five-year period. ¹ They are available with cloud platform software from Red Hat and Wind River, enabling CSPs to choose the most cost-effective cloud platform for their specific workload requirements. Infrastructure Blocks are available with a variety of Dell servers, with the most flexible option being the Dell PowerEdge XR8000.

The PowerEdge XR8000 features an innovative, open modular design and is the lowest-TCO compute platform for a modern telecom operator looking to deploy, operate, and evolve their network services. Built with a modular design that holds four different server sleds in a single chassis, the XR8000 enables you to:

• Match multiple workloads to silicon for maximum flexibility
• Easily upgrade to the latest silicon (just swap a sled)
• Simplify operations with fast and affordable upgrades and lifecycle management across massively distributed telecom networks
• Achieve the lowest total cost of operations over the lifecycle of the network platform

The XR8000’s ruggedized design makes it edge-ready, and it can complement baseband units all the way out to the cell site, replacing legacy proprietary platforms with a cloud-based and open solution. CSPs can choose from multiple sled configurations with up to four nodes per chassis to meet the needs of growing and changing workloads, including CU/DU and UPF.

With the XR8000, CSPs can seamlessly swap out server components to take advantage of more powerful and cost-effective chipsets without disrupting operations. The XR8000 also significantly reduces the long-term total cost of operation by requiring only a single upfront chassis investment for up to 10 years, and its use of power supplies that are isolated from compute sleds, simplifying installation and serviceability.

Network cloud transformation is complex, but achievable. Dell Technologies empowers CSPs to transform with confidence by providing modern solutions, services, and technologies that are backed by more than a decade of cloud transformation experience with many of the world’s largest companies. Because of this experience, we are uniquely positioned to provide solutions that are more agile, flexible, and efficient – enabling CSPs to deliver innovative edge services that will fuel growth opportunities well into the future. Let’s start the conversation.

¹The TCO Benefits of the Dell Telecom Infrastructure Blocks in a 5G Core Network Deployment, ACG Research, February 2023