Google LLC today launched a new version of its Anthos application development platform for telecommunications providers, part of a comprehensive new “Global Mobile Edge Cloud” strategy aimed at helping telcos digitally transform themselves.

Google said it’s focused on delivering three key business outcomes for telecommunications firms. Its goals include helping telcos to monetize 5G as a business services platform, engage with customers better with more data-driven experiences and improve their operational efficiency.

Anthos for Telecom is a key part of Google’s telco strategy, since it will bring the Anthos cloud platform to the network edge and enable telecommunications firms to run applications from any location.

Launched last year, Google Anthos runs atop the open-source Kubernetes container orchestration software. The service is designed to host applications that can run unmodified on both existing on-premises hardware and public clouds, giving companies the option to choose the most suitable infrastructure for each one.

Anthos apps are deployed in software containers, which are used to host the individual components of each app and make them easier to work with. The main benefit is that developers get to use a single set of tools to build and deploy their apps, and push through updates as necessary, regardless of the actual infrastructure on which those apps are hosted. Kubernetes comes into play by making it easier to manage large clusters of those containerized apps.

Just as Anthos provides a platform for mobile-centric applications, Anthos for Telecom is intended to provide a similar platform network-centric apps, Eyal Manor, general manager and vice president of engineering for Anthos and developer products and tools at Google Cloud, said in an interview with SiliconANGLE. He added that he believes it will open up a new wave of innovation for its telco partners since it means they’ll be able to host their apps at the network edge and benefit from reduced costs on data, better security and lower latency.

“About 90% of new development is containerized and we’re trying to provide that capability for telecom partners,” Manor said.

The new capabilities should enable telco firms to make some significant advancements in applications relating to navigation, augmented and virtual reality, and gaming, he said.

“The goal is to push the latest, most modern application development tools to run anywhere,” Manor said. “There’s lots of rigid legacy infrastructure at the edge, and that slows down innovation.”

As part of Google’s Global Mobile Edge Cloud, the company is also teaming up with AT&T Inc. to help customers take advantage of its cloud technologies via AT&T’s superior edge network connectivity. The companies are currently testing a range of 5G edge solutions that leverage technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning and Kubernetes, for specific industries including retail, manufacturing and transportation.

The idea is to encourage telcos to transform key information technology systems by migrating them to Google’s cloud. They include operations support systems, business support systems and network functions that traditionally reside in on-premises telecom environments. That should enable telcos to virtualize many of the key functions within their core communications networks.

Some of Google’s telco partners have already taken advantage of this. For example, Amdocs Group, which provides software and services for communications, media and financial services providers, has agreed to run its customer experience platform on Google’s Cloud. The partnership will enable it to deliver better analytics, superior reliability engineering and new 5G edge solutions to customers, Google said.

“Service providers worldwide are embarking on transformation journeys centered on the cloud in order to drive new services, revenue opportunities and experiences,” said Gary Miles, chief marketing officer at Amdocs. “By combining our cloud-native, open and modular solutions with the fully managed, high performing Google Cloud, we can accelerate this journey.”

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