SK Telecom has chosen to work on mobile edge compute with Dell Technologies and VMware (which is majority-owned by Dell Technologies).
The companies are creating a technology called OneBox MEC, which will combine private wireless capabilities together with an edge computing platform, all in a single box.
The companies are stressing the technology’s ability to crunch lots of data. "With this collaboration, we will deliver 5G-enabled edge computing solutions to give enterprises new options to quickly act on data where it resides," said David Trigg, VP of market development at Dell Technologies, in a statement.
The partnership makes explicit a phenomenon that others have already noticed: edge compute and private wireless go together as well as peanut butter and chocolate.
For instance, Vodafone Business offers its enterprise customers a dedicated private edge network, using software from Microsoft Azure. Jennifer Didoni, Vodafone Business’ head of cloud portfolio management, said on a recent FierceTelecom virtual event, “We give them the cloud computing experience, but it’s on a hardware stack and on a mobile network that is dedicated to that customer.”
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Similarly, Verizon offers a 5G mobile edge compute solution for enterprises where a private network is built for dedicated and confined areas. Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg has said this system is ideal for environments like a factory, distribution center or large retail store.
For the solution from SK Telecom, Dell and VMware, the OneBox MEC will use the Dell EMC PowerEdge XE2420 server coupled with the VMware Telco Cloud Platform and SK Telecom's existing 5GX MEC Platform.
"The edge is the new frontier for innovation. The platform we are building with Dell Technologies and SKT will help enterprises innovate at the edge with velocity," said Lakshmi Mandyam, VMware’s VP of product management for telco and edge cloud, in a statement.