A transformation is brewing in the telecom world that mimics what happened in the computing space, where servers got covered with a cloud stack layer.

For enhanced digitalization, synchronization, hardware acceleration and time-sensitive solutions on its network, Telefónica S.A. is taking the cloud and software route with the help of Dell Technologies Inc., according to Juan Carlos Garcia (pictured, left), senior vice president of technology and ecosystem at Telefónica.

“New technologies you are getting into the network need to come with a detail shape, so being cloud-native, working by software,” Carlos Garcia stated. “I think you need to have with you companies that know about the processors, that know about the hardware, the server, that know about how to make an abstraction of that hardware layer. In fact, in Spain, we are going to switch off the copper network in two years.”

Carlos Garcia and Ihab Tarazi (right), senior vice president and chief technology officer of Dell, spoke with theCUBE industry analysts Lisa Martin and David Nicholson at MWC 2023, during an exclusive broadcast on theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s livestreaming studio. They discussed how telcos are digitalizing their networks through open standards, the cloud and software, as well as how Dell is helping Telefónica in its digital journey. (* Disclosure below.)

Embracing an open gateway

The move to an open system from a legacy, proprietary and an all-inclusive one is evolving in the telecom space. This is based on digitalization, efficiency, profitability and growth, according to Carlos Garcia.

“We are trained to abstract the network services and capabilities and be able to offer them digitally to our customers,” he stated. “And this is a process that we are ongoing with many initiatives in the market … the announcement we made yesterday of the Open Gateway initiative here at Mobile World Congress, where all telecom operators have agreed to launch in this year a set of service APIs that are common worldwide.”

The need for real-time data has become more vital for telcos based on certain demands, such as a more personalized experience by users. This results in data needing to be more usable and persistent, according to Tarazi.

“What all the operators are talking about here between new applications, think metaverse, think video streaming, going all the way to the edge. Think all the automation of factories and everything that’s happening,” he noted. “It’s not only requiring a whole new model for delivery and for building networks, but it’s throwing out enormous amount of data, and the data needs to be acted on to get the value of it.”

Here’s the complete video interview, part of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of the MWC 2023 event:

 (* Disclosure: TheCUBE is a paid media partner for MWC 2023. Neither Dell Technologies Inc., the primary sponsor for theCUBE’s event coverage, nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: SiliconANGLE