Globe Telecom advances telco cloud deployment and operational efficiency

Leading Philippines telecommunications company, Globe Telecom, is on a mission to enhance its customers’ digital lifestyle. But advancing this mission when managing a cloud-native core network across a disaggregated cloud proved challenging. To address this, Globe chose Dell Telecom Infrastructure Blocks for Red Hat to improve the time to deploy and enhance network operations efficiency. The fully integrated and engineered system includes Dell PowerEdge Servers and Dell Telecom Infrastructure Automation Suite with Red Hat OpenShift and Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management for Kubernetes to simplify its telco cloud design, deployment, and lifecycle management. The Dell Telecom Infrastructure Blocks for Red Hat solution will also provide faster validation of hardware, platform, and application software compatibility.

Benefits:

• Cut deployment times for new networks
• Enhanced network operations efficiency
• Simplified lifecycle management for the entire cloud

Globe Telecom is a leading full-service telecommunications company in the Philippines that provides telecommunications and technology services to businesses and consumers. Its products and services include mobile, fixed, broadband, data connectivity, internet, and managed services. It hopes to see a Philippines where families’ dreams come true, businesses flourish, and the nation is admired. Its mission is to create wonderful experiences for its customers to enhance their digital lifestyle.

Globe began building a cloud-native network with multiple vendors to deliver the best network experience for its customers. However, deploying and managing an open yet disaggregated telecom cloud across a multi-vendor network was difficult. “Keeping stock and alignment of compatibility across the hardware and software versions, between the infrastructure and the middleware, and all the way to the application software was challenging,” said James Lim, Vice President of Core Network Planning, Engineering, and Implementation at Globe Telecom.

Globe’s long-term partner, Dell Technologies (Dell), offered its solutions allowing better interoperability. “The challenges Globe was facing were disruptive on the needed service expansions and operations,” said Chol Caldito, Account Director at Dell. “We wanted to relieve Globe of the headache of managing the disaggregation and the incompatibilities between the hardware and the software. We wanted to take ownership of the validations.”

When Dell suggested its Dell Telecom Infrastructure Blocks for Red Hat solution, the team at Globe was keen to learn more. “I saw Dell Telecom Infrastructure Blocks for Red Hat as an opportunity to reduce the time we spend deploying new networks and to enhance the efficiency of our network operations,” said Lim.

Dell and Red Hat had co-designed Dell Telecom Infrastructure Blocks for Red Hat to help Communication Service Providers (CSPs) like Globe build and scale out their cloud-native 5G core network, backed by one call and carrier grade support by Dell. The solution includes Dell PowerEdge Servers and Dell Telecom Infrastructure Automation Suite with Red Hat OpenShift and Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management for Kubernetes to simplify telecom cloud design, deployment, and lifecycle management. Purpose-built building blocks simplify the design, deployment, and maintenance of modern telco networks—whether deploying virtual network functions in the core network, modernizing the network with OpenRAN, or deploying new 5G applications.

Globe partnered with Dell, using Dell Telecom Infrastructure Blocks for Red Hat to shorten deployment time, increase the efficiency of network operations, and provide faster validation of hardware and software compatibility. The solution ensures that all layers—the network, the hardware, the containers, and the applications running in the containers—are continually tuned to work and scale together, with automation and CICD ensuring they stay aligned.

Cut deployment times for new networks

The Dell Telecom Infrastructure Blocks for Red Hat ‘shift left’ approach—in which Red Hat and Dell worked closely together to do all the integration and validation upfront—provides a speedy path to value by shortening the preparation and validation phase for new network deployments. The solution built on Red Hat OpenShift and Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management for Kubernetes means Globe is able to build an open, cloud-native network with multiple vendors much faster and easier.

“Testing and integrating various vendors used to demand too much of our time and budget,” said Lim. “With Dell Telecom Infrastructure Blocks for Red Hat doing the validation and testing for us, we can focus on how we can use our modern network to deliver services that benefit our customers.”

Enhanced the efficiency of network operations

The Infrastructure Blocks integrate Dell PowerEdge Servers and Dell Telecom Infrastructure Automation Suite software with Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management for Kubernetes and Red Hat OpenShift. Together, they deliver a fully integrated cloud stack with automated deployment and lifecycle management across tens of thousands of servers.

“The integrations and automation will allow us to accelerate software deployment and scale up our Red Hat OpenShift clusters to respond to evolving capacity demands,” said Lim.

The solution also improves the job satisfaction for Globe’s engineers. “Our engineers do not have to do all the technical elements that need to be done just to make sure everything works together,” said Yoke Kong Seow, Chief Technology Advisor at Globe. “Focusing on more strategic tasks makes their jobs more interesting.”

Committed to resolving challenges

Partnering with Dell has enabled Globe to utilize OpenShift and Advanced Cluster Management for Kubernetes to deploy a telecom cloud across a multi-vendor network. The Red Hat technologies have helped the telco cut deployment times and improve efficiency and, thus, the productivity of network operations.

“I’m impressed with Dell’s and Red Hat’s commitment to helping operators like us resolve the challenges we face,” said Lim. “They are helping us validate the hardware and software compatibility faster.”

Globe expects its open telco cloud to go live during the second half of 2024. In the meantime, Globe will continue to focus on onboarding more applications.

The Dell solution has helped Globe bring its Chief Technology Advisor’s vision for the future to life. “Dell Telecom Infrastructure Blocks for Red Hat aligned with the vision that Globe’s Chief Technology Advisor had for establishing a common horizontal cloud platform, leveraging automation to manage Globe’s many digital silos,” said Sudipto Deb, Account Executive, Networks Telecom Systems Business at Dell.

“Telcos need to embrace open systems, which is not easy,” said Kong. “What I love about this solution is it shows our partners working together to pre-certify the platform. I don’t have to worry because my partners are ensuring everything is pre-integrated and certified and working together.”