Sylvain Cazard and Paul Turner of Broadcom discuss key trends that shape the future of telecommunications, including the critical role of AI, cloud strategies and 5G transition. While operators are faced with the challenges of complex infrastructure management and cost minimization, Broadcom’s VCF platform offers a unified approach to rationalize operations, by supporting both traditional and IA workloads.
The conversation is also looking at the importance of collaboration and partnerships to stimulate telecommunications innovation. With the AI defined to revolutionize both network operations and customer services, the role of telecommunications operators in the provision of secure and sovereign services is becoming a key objective. While operators work to adapt to these changes, Broadcom solutions offer the agility necessary to prosper on an increasingly competitive market.
Diana Goovaerts:
Paul and Sylvain, it’s great to be with you here at the MWC lounge. So Sylvain, maybe we start with you. Talk to me a little about what seems to you here at the show.
Sylvain Cazard:
Of course, very impressed by the crowd, in particular the presence of sellers and players from Asia-Pacific. They are really at the forefront of innovation in the telecommunications industry. Of course, the classic 4G subject, 5G, monetization, cloud and of course AI, still in an early stage, determining the right platforms and good use cases.
Diana Goovaerts:
So, I heard that you mentioned 5G and AI, and I know that it is not an easy transition for operators. So tell me a bit about the type of support that Paul Do operators need when they make this transition.
Paul Turner:
So search for operators, of course, it all depends on how they can do the most effective costs of their possible infrastructure. This 5G transition was incredibly difficult. It is actually a very expensive transition. It is a complex transition, because they have really moved what is, they have vnF network functions and virtual machine, they have network function environments based on containers, CNFS as we call them. They have their OSS BSS applications. Really, what they need is a common way to manage this infrastructure. They need a way to manage it. It needs a way to generate a much more effective cost for them.
And what we also see is how to provide more common operations. Thus, both their IT operations, which we have learned for many years as VMware on how we can implement a better IT operation that we bring to the part of network operations. You can get the common operational battery with our VCF battery on your network operations and computer operations. You get the advantages of CNFS and VNFS on the same platform, your OSS BSS applications on the same platforms. It involves saving money for these operators and suppliers who are very concerned with costs at the moment.
Diana Goovaerts:
Awesome. So Sylvain, I heard it mentioned a lot of different vertical silos within different organizations, and I know that telecommunications are moving away from it. So what do they need to move and keep this transition from vertical silos and how Broadcom helps make this transition gently?
Sylvain Cazard:
I think Paul explained a lot of this, and we had key meetings with many of our big customers during the show. So, for sure they look at their platform that they can optimize. We believe that there is a trend for the horizontal platform instead of vertical platforms. As Paul said, they take place there as a virtualization platform, now in telecommunications. Of course, they must now capture a new platform, which is the AI platform. So they give even more justification to go horizontal. So it will be a trip to the way (inaudible 00:02:50). But that was most of the conversation we had with customers. And with our main VCF virtualization platform for telecommunications workloads and IT workloads, as well as AI workloads, as well as the Edge platform. I think we have a good conversation with customers.
Diana Goovaerts:
So one of the things I saw a lot of operators to do around AI is a partner. But, AI is not the only thing they need to associate. So tell me about standardized APIs and how partnerships can change the game for telecommunications on this front, Paul.
Paul Turner:
Look, the partners are essential for us and they are essential for our customers. As a telecommunications operator, you expect the network’s functions to be supported on these platforms. So, we work with our Nokia partners, with Ericsson, with NEC, with Samsung, with MAVERT, all these partner ecosystems, they leave the box with certified trust platforms from us. We have implemented this in some of the main customers of the world, Vodafone, Telia, T-Mobile, BT, Softbank and the list. What they need and all these customers need is a guaranteed, reliable and qualified platform that supports all their applications, and we provide this. And that’s what we hear from customers here, it’s really encouraging to come to a show like this.
Diana Goovaerts:
So one of the things I hear you say is that there are many big changes in progress. And AI is certainly one of those that grows. So Sylvain, tell me a little about how Cloud Cloud and Telco strategies must adapt to this AI transformation.
Sylvain Cazard:
Yeah, first, as I said, I think we are still at the start of the stadium. When you see what arose here during the event, it’s one. Our observation also at VMware is perhaps the telecommunications operators and operators, they missed the opportunity of the Cloud 10 years ago where they had a lot in their hands to capture more what they captured. So, I think AI is an opportunity for this industry to catch up. To catch up. And, I think, they have a lot to say. Sovereignty is a large driver. Things that happen by the AI are also a big subject.
Thus, they really have the capacity to recover part of the monetization that they may not have captured in the cloud. And once again, it’s a platform game. If they define the right platform and the right commercial model, and this is where we help them in this space. Yes, I think they can recover what they may have lost, once again, a little in the world of the cloud.
Paul Turner:
They are in A-
Sylvain Cazard:
And also, there is an interesting discussion here, is AI for a network and a network for AI, because will not be a new package, a new capacity passing through the telecommunications operator, which is also a traffic of AI. It is therefore a very interesting subject, but again, an early stage. I am sure next year at MWC, we will see much more and I hope that with collaboration, we do with these guys.
Paul Turner:
Yes, they are in a unique position because they have the type of network and they have a kind of capacity of sovereign cloud because they work in the region. And it is a unique place where they can really play with a private AI, a sovereign AI, which, I think, will be the next thing that we will really see in each of these cloud operators.
Diana Goovaerts:
Very well, Paul, I come to you for the last question. In 30 seconds or less lightning. Talk to me a bit about AI and automation and how telecommunications operators think in terms of operations, network security. What does this process of reflection look like?
Paul Turner:
Yes, so they look at both sides as Sylvain said. One is that it is a commercial opportunity for them. And for there, while you are looking at sovereign private AI, they can actually perform a trusted and secure environment for their customers without data passing through the borders and borders where you may have challenges of certain governments. And the second is AI to improve their internal operations to create more effective operations. And that’s what we look at. This is what we are building with our telecommunications cloud platform. It is based on VCF. We give you the opportunity to execute a private AI infrastructure, but to also optimize your network, your storage, your calculation performance so that you can create the most efficient platform as possible.
Diana Goovaerts:
All right. Thank you both for your time today.
Paul Turner:
Of course.
Sylvain Cazard:
THANKS.
Paul Turner:
Thank you so much.