Verizon and Google partner on new 5G edge computing push

Verizon and Google announced a joint effort focused on bringing their respective edge computing services to customers via the telecom giant’s 5G network. The collaborative offering will combine Verizon 5G Edge with Google Distributed Cloud Edge to offer both compute and storage services.

The pair plans to focus on enterprise customers initially, supplying their solutions via Verizon’s On Site 5G and 5G Edge platforms. The goal of the joint catalogue of services will be to bring compute, and storage assets “to the edge of the local network enabling the bandwidth and low latency needed to support real-time enterprise applications like autonomous mobile robots, intelligent logistics and factory automation.” 

Verizon and Google made it clear they see this as the first step in a larger edge computing and 5G collaboration that will eventually grow to include additional solutions for enterprises, as well as products specifically aimed at developers wishing to deploy their applications in edge locations throughout the US. 

Rima Qureshi, Chief Strategy Officer at Verizon, said the Google partnership will provide its customers with “the ability to connect and manage a broad range of devices at scale and speed while also providing highly secure, near real-time connectivity.” The exec promised the result for clients will be “greater value from data,” as well as “innovative applications involving computer vision, augmented and virtual reality, and machine learning.”

As part of the debut, the pair revealed their edge computing capabilities already have their first customer in Ericsson. The Swedish telecommunications company has tapped the duo to install a proof of concept at the new Ericsson USA 5G Smart Factory, a facility opened by the company to explore new 5G use cases for urban areas and to produce 5G hardware for large-scale deployments. 

The first efforts at the Smart Factory will focus on using Verizon’s Sensor Intelligence solution in concert with cameras on autonomous mobile robots. The units will combine the respective technologies to scan packages, applying computer vision to help maintain inventory within the factory’s warehouse. All data will travel across Verizon’s 5G network. 

The collaboration between Verizon and Google adds to the growing trend among 5G providers of deploying scalable, on-site networks for logistics management purposes. This announcement follows the revelation that Amazon’s AWS would soon be adding private 5G networking to its catalogue of products.