AWS and Verizon to offer 5G network edge computing

Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg

AWS today announced partnership with Verizon Communications to offer 5G network edge computing using AWS Wavelength.

The service will provide developers with the ability to deploy applications that require ultra-low latency to mobile devices using 5G.

The companies are running pilot project on Verizon’s edge compute platform, 5G Edge, in Chicago for a select group of customers, including video game publisher Bethesda Softworks and the National Football League (NFL).

Additional deployments are planned in other locations across the U.S. in 2020, the company said.

The first company to offer 5G network edge computing, Verizon will use its 5G Ultra Wideband network to deliver a wide range of latency-sensitive applications like machine learning inference at the edge, autonomous industrial equipment, smart cars and cities, Internet of Things (IoT), and augmented and virtual reality.

AWS Wavelength lets customers deploy the parts of an application that require ultra-low latency to the edge of the network and then seamlessly connect back to the full range of cloud services running in AWS.

Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband technology enables a wide range of new capabilities and diverse use cases with download speeds many times faster than typical 4G networks.

By bringing AWS compute and storage services at the edge of Verizon’s 5G edge network, the companies bring the processing power and storage physically closer to 5G mobile users and wireless devices.

The service will enable developers to build applications that can deliver enhanced user experiences like near real-time analytics for instant decision-making, immersive game streaming, and automated robotic systems in manufacturing facilities.

“We are first in the world to launch Mobile Edge Compute — deeply integrating Verizon’s 5G Edge platform with Wavelength to allow developers to build new categories of applications and network cloud experiences built in ways we can’t even imagine yet,” said Hans Vestberg, CEO and Chairman of Verizon.

“Bringing together the full capabilities of Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband and AWS, the world’s leading cloud with the broadest and deepest services portfolio, we unlock the full potential of our 5G services for customers to create applications and solutions with the fastest speeds, improved security, and ultra-low latency,” Vestberg added.