In a blog post, Microsoft says its ongoing interest in telecommunications stems from an increasing integration of cloud and communication tools. Azure is well positioned in the market and recently announced the acquisition of vendor-based communications specialist Affirmed Networks. Microsoft will combine the talents and technology from both Affirmed Networks and Metaswitch Networks. The goal is to extend Azure’s reach: “As the industry moves to 5G, operators will have opportunities to advance the virtualization of their core networks and move forward on a path to an increasingly cloud-native future. Microsoft will continue to meet customers where they are, working together with the industry as operators and network equipment providers evolve their own operations. We will continue to support hybrid and multi-cloud models to create a more diverse telecom ecosystem and spur faster innovation…”
Telecommunications Interest
Microsoft has increasingly been showing its interest in 5G, at least as a provider of underpinning technology driven by Azure. Back in November, Microsoft and AT&T entered into a partnership centered on 5G technology. Specifically, Microsoft Azure became integrated with AT&T’s Network Cloud 5G tools. In January, the two companies extended the partnership to include bring developers closer to edge computing. Through the new Network Edge Compute (NEC) platform, Microsoft Azure and Edge computing solutions can now be brought to 5G customers by leveraging AT&T 5G networks.
