HCL, IBM to offer modernised network solution to telco service providers

HCL Technologies (HCL) is opening a centre of excellence (CoE) with IBM to offer modernised network infrastructure to CSPs (communication service providers). The centre is a virtual hub to develop offerings designed to help telco clients transform their networks, including telco core, vRAN (virtualised radio access networks), ORAN (open radio access networks), private networks, edge modernisation and 5G labs, said the company.

HCL in a statement said that it will establish an IBM telco initiative practice team to develop network outsourcing and modernisation solutions using IBM’s open hybrid cloud approach. This includes the IBM Cloud for Telecommunications, an open, hybrid cloud architecture built on IBM Cloud Satellite and leveraging Red Hat OpenShift — to meet the requirements of the telco industry. 

“Our joint solutions will be designed to help telecom players accelerate the modernisation of their network infrastructure. This is not only about automation, CSPs can build their cloud platform and bring much-needed flexibility to their network functions,” said Kalyan Kumar, Chief Technology Officer and Head, Ecosystems, HCL Technologies. 

“Along with IBM, we are looking to help accelerate the transition to 5G, drawing on our service excellence and unmatched domain expertise to develop end-to-end transformation solutions,” he said. 

Both companies will also collaborate to integrate associated IBM Cloud technology such as IBM Cloud Pak for Network Automation, IBM Cloud Pak for Watson AIOps and IBM Edge Application Manager into HCL Telco offerings and industry solutions. 

“The centre of excellence for telecommunications aims to combine HCL Technologies’ deep industry experience and IBM’s open hybrid cloud approach to provide much-needed technical resources and support for clients in the industry,” said Inhi Cho Suh, General Manager, Strategic Partnerships, IBM. “By growing our alliances with ecosystem partners such as HCL, we are seeking to bring solutions for companies in regulated industries to help modernise their operations through accelerated cloud adoption.”