Microsoft’s interest in 5G and its applications have been steadily increasing in recent times, with the latest news being its acquisition of Affirmed Networks, a company that is a fully virtualised cloud-based, network function virtualization solutions provider for network operators.
Microsoft is working heavily in producing cloud-processing solutions for network operators in the telecom industry. They believe that previous generations of network technology was largely based on purpose-built hardware and with the 5G future, Microsoft is aiming to leverage its powerful cloud-computing platforms like of Microsoft Azure.
With the purchase of Affirmed Networks, who has had more than 100 deployments in 76 countries, Microsoft has got another entry point into a segment of the telecommunications industry where it deems important. Some of Affirmed Networks clients include At&T, Vodafone, Orange, Digitalk, Softbank, etc.
The hype for 5G’s capabilities is constantly increasing but according to most, its nowhere close to full realisation of the technology’s potential. Many segments of the market are mobilising to shift to the next generation, from cloud-computing companies like Microsoft and Google, networking hardware companies like Huawei and Ericcson, and end-consumer devices like Samsung and Huawei.