Telstra Purple, the managed services division of Australia-based Telstra, is developing a 5G-enabled edge offering for enterprise customers.
Referred to as Branch Offload, the solution will be a managed service that utilises Microsoft Azure Stack Edge, 5G and fixed line connectivity, and SD-WAN capabilities.
The offering has been developed alongside Telstra’s major strategic partners – Microsoft and Ericsson.
Ericsson’s head of digital services Jan Karlsson said: “We’ve collaborated with Telstra to build 5G solutions that accelerate enterprise digitalisation.
“We’ve also contributed to Branch Offload and Telstra’s incoming 5G-enabled edge offerings by providing cloud native 5G Core, including cloud infrastructure for edge deployment, along with our end-to-end service orchestration solution.”
Chris Smith, executive at Telstra Purple, described the offering as having “the performance of on-premises, without having to put anything on premise”.
He added: “Many businesses have found it challenging to simplify their disparate networks and securely run temporary or permanent sites. Branch Offload – with 5G at its core – will be a game changer for many industries as it will deliver significant network optimisation and greater application performance.”
Microsoft vice president of 5G strategy Shawn Hakl said: “Microsoft’s cloud capabilities and Azure ecosystem enables a cloud-to-edge continuum, supporting enterprises to digitise its operations. Branch Offload is a leading example of how to innovate and utilise powerful compute and storage at the edge of customers’ networks.”
The infrastructure as a service package is expected for deployment by July 2022.
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