5G Opens Big Windows for Cisco, Juniper, and VMware

Efforts to virtualize and introduce cloud-native technologies to mobile networks is opening new opportunities for vendors to emerge from the shadows and play a starring role in the 5G era. Cisco, Juniper, and VMware are stalwarts in the networking space and have deep interests in telecom, but 5G and a confluence of transformational shifts in mobile networks is fostering a more favorable environment for widespread use of their technologies.5G is opening big windows for growth and influence from these companies and others. Prior to 5G, network operators primarily targeted consumers and were generally viewed as network and plumbing providers, explains Shekar Ayyar, executive vice president and general manager of telco and edge cloud at VMware. They have historically missed the boat on being a cloud provider or having any benefits from the transformation of enterprises in consuming the cloud,” Ayyar said. “To us, 5G represents both a technical inflection point as well to some extent a fortuitous coming together of things that leads to a new opportunity landscape for telecom operators globally.