How Google Cloud plans to collaborate with telcos

Thomas Kurian (Google Cloud)

Google Cloud has revealed how it plans to work with telecommunication companies around the world and some of the major players it will collaborate with to do so.

Detail in a blog post by CEO Thomas Kurian, the cloud arm of the tech giant is focused on three areas to support telcos; the monetisation of 5G as a business services platform, improving core telco systems and providing data-driven insights.

Monetising 5G

To monetise 5G as a business services platform, Google Cloud revealed its global mobile edge cloud (GMEC) strategy, which contains 5G solutions built in conjunction with telecommunications companies, as well as plans to globally distribute these solutions.

As such, Google announced its collaboration with U.S. telco AT&T for enterprises to utilise Google technology, with 5G solutions targeted towards the retail, manufacturing and transportation industries.

The end result will combine AT&T’s network and Google’s artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), Kubernetes and edge computing technology, according to Mo Katibeh, executive vice president and chief marketing officer at AT&T business.

“We’re working with Google Cloud to deliver the next generation of cloud services,” said Katibeh. “Combining 5G with Google Cloud’s edge compute technologies can unlock the cloud’s true potential. This work is bringing us closer to a reality where cloud and edge technologies give businesses the tools to create a whole new world of experiences for their customers.”

Also included in Google Cloud’s 5G monetisation plans is Anthos for Telecom, bringing the cloud management platform to telcos.

Improving operational telco efficiency

in an attempt to improve efficiency with telco systems, Google Cloud's next partnership is with communications software developer Amdocs, with it running its software portfolio on Google Cloud to deliver data analytics, site reliability engineering and 5G edge solutions. While headquartered in the U.S., Amdocs has an Australian office, among many others worldwide.

Another new partnership is with Netcracker Technology, deploying its whole digital business support system, operation support system and orchestration stack on Google Cloud.

Data-driven insights

Kurian also said the tech giant was providing data- and AI-driven technologies to deliver insights to telcos.

“Our BigQuery platform provides a scalable data analytics solution—with machine learning built-in—so telecommunications companies can store, process, and analyse data in real time, and build personalisation models on top of this data,” Kurian wrote.

It was also supplying its Contact Center AI product, giving telcos access to AI-powered customer service.