Ericsson claims that the way their operator customers are deploying cloud-native systems is slowly but steadily shifting to a bare metal paradigm.
The vendor told Silverlinings the original method to deploy cloud-native services, be it 5G standalone (SA) or an IoT edge application, was to use an NFVi (network functions virtualization infrastructure) stack with a Kubernetes layer on top.
This is still the most popular way for operators to deploy cloud-native infrastructure. “So far, I think the majority of the 5G core are deployed on the classic NFVi virtualization stack with a Kubernetes layer on top,” Staffan Henriksson, head of sales for cloud infrastructure at Ericsson said.
Ericsson already had a lot of customers using a virtualization stack that wanted to go cloud-native. “It’s faster time-to-market to just add a Kubernetes layer on top,” he explained.
However, many new customers, as well as some existing ones, are opting to go the bare metal route. He estimates that approximately two-thirds of their operators are following in the NFVi stack with the Kubernetes lane, while the other third are putting their foot to the bare metal, which Ericsson refers to as Cloud Native Infrastructure (CNIS). This switch delivers better hardware utilization with minimum infrastructure overhead, according to the vendor.
“We see a pretty strong trend and a shift towards cloud native,” Henriksson said, referring to the bare metal CNIS stack.
Henriksson said Ericsson has 40 CNIS customers currently. “Many of them are with 5G core, of course, others are also with other applications.” the Swede said.
SA update
Ericsson gave us an update on its 5G Standalone (SA) core operator customers. “70 are contracted, 18 are live,” Mattias Johansson, VP and head of 5G cloud core sales at Ericsson, told us.
This is part of 140-plus 5G operator contracts all-told for Ericsson, which also includes non-standalone deals.
Dreaming of the day MWC is over? So are we. Register for our Cloud Cover virtual event from March 14-15 here.