到边缘的比赛：电信与超级评分者

经过Jinu Koshy,Shashank Narain Mathur，查德·瓦特（Chad Watt），哈里·基尔·休斯（Harry Keir Hughes）， October 2020 | POV | 14 min read |通过电子邮件发送这篇文章|下载

在移动和计算机网络的边缘，大众和电信公司之间正在进行一场比赛。这种“边缘”通过将处理能力和存储容量更接近最终用户来提供更快，更可靠的服务。谁首先为5G建立边缘计算功能的人都将控制需要低延迟，高安全性和数据移动性的各种服务。获胜者将成为下一代5G的数字生态系统的看门人。

边缘不是新的，但价值正在增长。内容交付网络一直在使用Edge Computing来缓存内容并为运营商节省运输成本。但是，随着5G启动和运行，新的用例正在出现，这使得优势变得更加重要。竞争性在线游戏（称为电子竞技）是1380亿美元的视频游戏行业的越来越多的部分¹毫秒延迟会导致损失。使用游戏作为服务（GAAS），5G和EDGE将支持增强现实（AR）/虚拟现实（VR）环境中游戏爱好者所需的超低延迟吞吐量。在智能城市，Edge系统可以处理从设备（包括智能摄像机和无人机）收集的数据，以使领导者能够更快地对流量，紧急情况或其他意外更改做出更快的反应。就智能工厂而言，除了减少延迟外，Edge可以通过将数据保留在工厂的范围内，从而成为数据隐私和安全性的推动者。总的来说，跨行业的现金是巨大的。到2023年，5G和Edge将在工业制造业，互联医疗保健，智能运输，环境监测和游戏中提供5170亿美元的收入。²

但是，谁将首先到达那里并控制这个生态系统？大型大规模的云业务和电信公司都在赢得这场比赛的良好位置。对于电信公司而言，获胜创造了一个机会，可以超越他们作为连接提供商的形象。为了获胜，他们必须为企业和最终客户提供理想的应用程序，位于高度可编程和自动化的网络之上。

大型标准正在迅速前进

高度标准从Alphabet，Amazon和Microsoft等现金丰富的组织中成长。他们在人工智能（AI）和自动化方面领先，并具有实现巨大运营效率的全球规模。就全球连通性而言，它们在制定战略性洲际海底电缆方面发挥了重要作用。实际上，在过去的两年中，Google和其他互联网公司落后于跨大西洋有线投资的四分之一。³

这些高度标准的自信和饥饿者的目标是使用边缘计算来为众多的AI和5G服务供电。微软于3月推出了Azure Edge区域 - 边缘播放延迟敏感和吞吐量密集型应用程序可以接近最终用户。⁴他们还在2020年上半年购买了两个边缘平台提供商 - 三月肯定的网络⁵and Metaswitch Networks in May⁶— in a bid to move closer to the source of data. To do more and get closer to the gatekeeper role, hyperscalers need government licenses and approvals for last-mile connectivity, which is not their core business. One way around this is to join hands with local telcos, something many hyperscalers are now considering. In July 2020, Glenn Gore, director of solutions architecture at Amazon Web Services (AWS), told Light Reading that it aimed to be a partner to the telecommunications industry, not its replacement.⁷

电信公司向上移动5G和Edge的价值链

电信公司在网络创新方面具有很强的记录。他们在2G（语音和SMS），3G（移动互联网）和4G（视频）的演变中发挥了作用。但是他们的肩膀上已经有很多东西。政府对使用频谱的艰难限制只是一个例子。网络设备和客户服务质量的法规另外两项。许多人会认为这使他们变得更好。他们还拥有到最后一英里的资产，并且在网络运营方面拥有丰富的经验。今年强调了这种专业知识。即使由于COVID-19的网络流量增长在3月的3月黯然失色，大多数人也可以使用互联网。⁸但是，就像任何英雄故事一样，对手永远不会遥不可及。电信公司由于成本增加和持续五年的收入预测而承受着巨大压力。实际上，如果可以相信一个来源，电信公司的收入将达到2025年的1％。⁹

Telcos of differing sizes and structures are pursuing different paths to reach the edge and become a gatekeeper. Smaller telcos are considering partnerships with hyperscalers as a strategy for managing costs. They argue that they don’t have the human or financial capital to compete and will do better to just hold tight to those that do. In this way, they aim to finish the race second, without completely giving up their margins. On the other side, leading telcos are strengthening their capabilities to go it alone, win the race, and make more money. Bigger telco giants are coming together in clubs such as the 5G Future Forum and Global System for Mobile Communications (GSMA) to explore ways they can partner and drive the 5G and edge ecosystem while defining the role hyperscalers will play in their business model. The implication here is that both telcos and hyperscalers can play a role in gatekeeping a new generation of digital applications.

The edge in focus: infra, ops, and apps

Examining the main aspects of the edge — infrastructure, operations, and applications — will shed more light on how hyperscalers and telcos can gain ground in their race.

Telcos are good at infrastructure, making this part of the race easier for them. Edge servers — supplied by either a third party or a hyperscaler — can be housed along with other site infrastructure and associated equipment, including the racks, cabinets, and power, that are needed to make the edge work. They also own the telco-grade backhaul and fiber, which is imperative if edge is to comply with stringent service-level agreements with their customers. Large tower companies — businesses that rent tower space to mobile carriers — are also active in pursuing new revenue streams on the infrastructure side.

电信公司在运营和理解方面还具有丰富的经验，可以管理提供基本服务的庞大网络。从历史上看，该领域涉及大型团队对利基工具的依赖。最近，运营变得越来越自动化，网络作为服务和“零接触操作”进入电信性白话。另一方面，大型体验者的自动化经验和能力使他们能够迅速发展高级，高效的操作能力。

云的应用方面不会边缘t be possible without infra and ops, but this is where the race will truly be decided. Applications are all the use cases that will work over the edge, such as our gaming example or an application for a private industrial network. The winning gatekeepers will achieve the full benefit of the ecosystem, first by monetizing the services and then by selling the data they generate to third parties, including application developers. The apps mainly come from new developers, startups, or established application development software companies. Both telcos and hyperscalers are trying to build an all-encompassing marketplace for these applications, often by conducting events, hackathons, and competitions. Savvy telcos can offer alternative applications and solutions for enterprises, and they also can leverage the native capabilities of hyperscalers, such as their AI engines or data lakes for their own edge efforts.

相反，一些大型大规模将电信公司本身视为其云/边缘业务的主要驱动力。实际上，这种策略已经在实现。亚马逊在波士顿和旧金山湾地区的Verizon数据中心都使用了AWS计算和存储服务，所有这些都位于5G网络边缘的服务接入点。这些“ AWS波长”区域意味着数据不必离开亚马逊的网络。¹⁰Amazon is using the same strategy across Europe, Japan, and South Korea, deploying edge servers in Vodafone’s (U.K. and Germany), SK Telecom’s, and KDDI’s networks.¹¹

Along with its acquisition of Affirmed Networks and Metaswitch, Microsoft has also formed partnerships with major telcos, including AT&T, CenturyLink, and SK Telecom.¹²As recently as August, AWS moved into India, partnering with Indian telco conglomerate Bharti Airtel to deliver edge computing to enterprises.¹³Google, Facebook, and others have invested in Reliance Jio, another Indian telco, in order to reach the growing number of internet users in India. These partnerships will give the hyperscalers added reach in the Indian edge ecosystem, while the Indian telco will see more growth in its non-wireless business, including IoT and Jio’s app suite.¹⁴

A race with room for competition and collaboration

From a customer perspective, the best result in this race to the edge would be for both players to finish the race together and each take a slice of the ecosystem. Telcos and hyperscalers working in concert would spawn growth across the global digital market. Telcos should provide orchestration capabilities (their forte) while offering flexibility of choice to customers. In this paradigm, automation and network as a service will play a starring role. The hyperscalers, which have made critical inroads in enterprise data ingestion, security, business analytics, and AI, can help telcos build an ecosystem of innovative applications, all offered from the same storefront.

但是电信公司应在合作时保持竞争精神。诸如AWS波长之类的倡议对超级标准有很大的作用，但对其合作伙伴的影响较小。例如，高端VR公司VARJO使用AWS波长进行超低潜伏期处理和亚马逊公共云中的渲染。¹⁵亚马逊可以保留所有数据，它可以用来培训有利可图的AI/机器学习模型。对于许多电信公司而言，不必这样。企业客户可能不想全力参与一个超级评分者的服务。许多最终客户希望选择一系列选择，以便他们可以比较价格并选择根据其特定需求量身定制的软件包。在这里，领先的电信公司可以在许多用例中提供精心设计的多云功能，以及电信级端到端服务的体验。这将需要工作，但是通过严格控制应用程序和开发人员生态系统，并使用HyperScalers提供的一些功能，这是可能的。较小的玩家可能会选择简单地提供连接性，但是让大型大规模进行繁重的工作。这样一来，他们仍然会掌握高标准的下一代能力，并可以准备进入全球应用程序。

电信公司和高标准人现在都必须努力工作，以最经济的方式将最具创新性的解决方案推向市场。这样一来，他们将使众多客户受益。仅当他们在未来五年内紧密合作时，才有可能利用各自的优势来推动全球采用5G/Edge服务，提高运营效率并赚取大量现金。

References

1. 移动收入在2018年达到1379亿美元，占全球游戏市场的50％以上，汤姆·维曼（Tom Wijman），2018年4月30日，newzoo.com。
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3. 海底电缆市场再次蓬勃发展，这次由大型技术资助, Thomas Seal, March 14, 2019, Bloomberg Businessweek.
4. Microsoft与该行业合作，通过Azure Edge区解锁新的5G场景，Yousef Khalidi，2020年3月31日，Microsoft Azure。
5. 微软宣布协议获得确认的网络，为全球5G生态系统提供新的机会, Yousef Khalidi, March 26, 2020, Microsoft.
6. 微软宣布确定获得元开关网络，扩展方法以授权运营商并与网络设备提供商合作，以实现5G的承诺，Yousef Khalidi，2020年5月14日，微软。
7. 亚马逊Web服务回答问题：电信公司的朋友或敌人？, Mike Dano, July 16, 2020, Light Reading.
8. COVID-19时期的网络流量见解：6月4日更新，Craig Labovitz，2020年6月9日，诺基亚。
9. The Mobile Economy 2020，GSMA智能。
10. Verizon和AWS向波士顿和湾区的客户提供移动边缘计算, Matt Garman & Tami Erwin, Aug. 6, 2020, AWS.
11. Announcing AWS Wavelength for delivering ultra-low latency applications for 5G，2019年12月3日，AWS。
12. How Amazon, Microsoft and Google are courting — and challenging — telcos,苏Marek,美联社ril 6, 2020, Light Reading.
13. 为什么印度成为亚马逊和微软的关键战场，Arjun Srinivas，2020年8月11日，现场薄荷。
14. Google在谈判中投资40亿美元在Jio平台上，2020年7月15日，ET电信。
15. Varjo chosen as Amazon Web Services partner for AWS Wavelength, Dec. 12, 2019, Auganix.

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