TELECOMS AND EDGE COMPUTING
Opening the network: programmability and exposure Blessing is enthusiastic about the shift toward network exposure and the ability to open up network capabilities to external developers.“ With 5G SA, we can expose parameters like quality of service to developers. That enables new services we haven’ t even imagined,” he explains.
A good example is drone delivery, he adds:“ To ensure drones navigate safely and deliver packages reliably, developers need access to real-time network metrics. Network exposure makes that possible.”
It marks a dramatic evolution from closed telecom systems to open platforms. Ericsson’ s acquisition of Vonage and the formation of the Fauna consortium are central to the shift.
“ Fauna brings operators together – Vodafone, EE, Three, Virgin Media O2 – to standardise how networks expose capabilities,” Blessing explains.“ It ensures developers, whether they’ re from Uber or DHL, have a consistent experience across networks.”
He sees enormous societal potential in these kinds of innovations.“ We could verify someone’ s location before authorising a bank withdrawal or confirm identity before a cross-border transfer. Such fraudprevention and security use cases weren’ t possible before.”
Blessing is adamant that more needs to be done to accelerate the 5G SA rollout.“ Data demand isn’ t going to shrink. 5G SA provides the performance, efficiency and coverage we need. With government support, we can close the digital divide and unlock economic growth.”
Ultimately, he believes collaboration is key:“ By harmonising how we expose network capabilities, we empower developers to create extraordinary services that will shape the digital landscape.” telcomagazine. com 59