DT brings in Mavenir to replace Huawei in its 5G SA core

US software firm Mavenir is now a preferred Converged Packet Core vendor for Deutsche Telekom Group.

DT is one of many European mobile network operators compelled to rid its 5G network of Chinese kit following pressure from the US. To date, its plans for the core remained a mystery but Mavenir has finally been given the green light to go public. The release qualifies Mavenir’s role as a ‘preferred Converged Packet Core vendor’ but this represents a significant deal win nonetheless.

This announcement seems timed to coincide with the successful deployment of a cloud-native 5G core to DT in Germany, in this case on an existing Kubernetes-based platform. So while DT has a multi-vendor strategy for its whole network, Mavenir was apparently chosen over bigger, more proven competitors for the core.

“The deployment of a cloud-native Standalone core marks a key milestone in the evolution of our 5G architecture,” said Dr. Abdurazak Mudesir, DT Group CTO. “This sets us on a path towards a fully automated network with the reliability, massive scale and flexibility required to deliver innovative 5G SA services to our consumer and enterprise customers.”

“The Mavenir solution deployed with Deutsche Telekom in Germany creates the foundation for the future introduction of 5G standalone enabling new applications and services to take advantage of 5G features such as low latency and network slicing,” said Mavenir CEO Pardeep Kohli.

On that note, while DT itself chose not to issue a press release on the Mavenir news, it did announce its first use of network slicing over its shiny new 5G SA network to broadcast live TV in partnership with RTL (pictured above). The significance of this use-case lies in the ability to dedicate a slice of the network to provide the bandwidth required to ensure smooth live streaming from the field.

“The latest mobile communications standard supports the transmission of data-intensive video signals in real time,” said Claudia Nemat, DT head of technology and innovation. “5G network slicing makes this possible. With the tests conducted so far and the first live interview via 5G network slicing on ntv, we have reached a major milestone. Our partnership with RTL Deutschland continues successfully. Together, we are now working on connecting journalists even closer to their audience.”

The theoretical benefits of 5G SA, a cloud-native core, etc, are well known. But solid proof that they will deliver in practice is still thin on the ground, which is why DT is so keen to flag up developments such as this. As a result of its role in the DT network, Mavenir will also improve its reputation every time a proof point is announced, so it must be feeling doubly pleased with itself today.

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