Verizon and Microsoft Azure have announced the launch of an on-premises, private Edge compute solution. Verizon 5G Edge with Microsoft Azure Stack is a cloud computing platform that extends compute and storage capabilities to the network’s edge at the customer site. The collaboration between the two companies was announced last year, and the service is now generally available.
“Through our partnership with Microsoft, we bring 5G Edge to enterprises, lowering latency at the edge and enabling mission-critical, performance-critical applications to respond more quickly and efficiently,” said Sampath Sowmyanarayan, Verizon Business’s chief revenue officer. “5G is ushering in a new generation of business applications, from core connectivity to real-time Edge computing, as well as new applications and solutions that leverage AI to transform nearly every industry.”
According to the companies, the 5G-enabled service enables low-latency and high-bandwidth connectivity for computer vision, augmented and virtual reality, and machine learning applications.
“Business innovation requires robust technology solutions, and at the heart of this is the intersection of the network and the edge,” Yousef Khalidi, corporate vice president Azure for Operators at Microsoft, said. “Through our partnership with Verizon, we are delivering powerful compute and storage services to customers at the edge of their networks, enabling robust application experiences with increased security.”
Verizon said Ice Mobility, a logistics and supply chain solutions company, was a customer. The company used the solution to assist with computer vision-assisted product packing in order to improve on-site quality assurance. According to reports, the company is now investigating “additional 5G applications” that leverage computer vision.
Additionally, Verizon has partnered with Amazon. AWS Wavelength Zones – which connect 5G networks to cloud services running in a nearby AWS Region – are available at a number of Verizon facilities across the United States.
