Google has announced its acquisition of MobiledgeX, with the intention of making the code open source and running it as part of Google Cloud. Founded in 2018, MobiledgeX was a Deutsche Telekom–backed company, which developed federated telco edge cloud solutions that complied with GSMA standards. At MWC22, in a world first, the company (in partnership with Bridge Alliance, Singtel and Telefónica) successfully achieved an interconnection between two heterogeneous multi-access edge computing (MEC) platforms as part of a GSMA Foundry Telco Edge Cloud trial.
GSMA Intelligence research highlights that 41% of operators view edge computing as their greatest strategic imperative with regard to new technology and initiatives, but 57% believe that edge computing will be the most difficult to implement. This highlights the value of partnering with specialist edge vendors, such as MobiledgeX, that have expertise in edge computing solutions and technologies to enable a faster time to market. Google’s acquisition does not represent the end for operator partnerships with MobiledgeX – there are already many high-profile edge computing partnerships between hyperscalers and telcos. However, it does raise questions about MobiledgeX’s previously announced plans to integrate various hyperscaler offerings.
Further work is being done to standardise federation and interoperability of telco edge clouds. For example, the GSMA’s Operator Platform Group brings together developers, operators, platform providers and the broader ecosystem to transform MEC services and create the level of commonality required to achieve global, interoperable scale. The Operator Platform Group is focused on further developing telco edge requirements while supporting Telco Edge Cloud Forum activities.