Going cloud native: the video series
A series of fireside chats between Nokia and Google Cloud experts on why and how telecom operators can cloudify their networks to improve operational efficiency and generate new business opportunities at faster speed.
The evolution of 5G and cloud go hand in hand. So why cloud native and why now? With options for public cloud, hybrid cloud, and multi-cloud, which telco workloads run best where, and how best to manage across different environments?
Vodafone’s point of view on cloud-native
There is a difference between migrating to cloud and adopting a cloud-native approach. Jitin Bhandari, CTO of Cloud and Network Services at Nokia, discusses this very difference with Dr. Lester Thomas, Head of New Technologies and Innovations at Vodafone. Watch this video to get an operator’s point of view on cloud-native and learn the key principles that can end up being real business enablers.
[12 min 14 sec]
Architecting for cloud-native networks
Architecting for cloud-native networks
Jitin Bhandari, CTO of Cloud and Network Services at Nokia and Max Kamenetsky, Group Product Manager for Telecom at Google Cloud discuss the design and architectural elements needed for high-performance and cloud-native telecom workloads.
[13 min 02 sec]
Why cloud-native for telecom and why now?
Why should communication service providers (CSPs) consider cloud-native and why now? Ankur Jain, Head of Engineering for Telecommunications, Edge and Container Networking at Google Cloud and Jitin Bhandari, CTO of Cloud and Network Services at Nokia discuss how embracing cloud-native approaches can help CSPs reduce complexity, break the costly upgrade patterns in telco, and fast track value creation in the 5G era.
[8 min 28 sec]
Considerations for network functions on the public cloud
Jitin Bhandari, CTO of Cloud and Network Services at Nokia and Max Kamenetsky, Group Product Manager for Telecom at Google Cloud discuss why the move to cloud native in telecom needs to happen now. They dive into the industry’s transition from VNFs to CNFs and the key considerations you need to make when running network functions on the public cloud, including managed infrastructure as a path forward.
[11 min 23 sec]
Vodafone on transforming network optimization with analytics and automation
Dr. Lester Thomas, Head of New Technologies and Innovations at Vodafone, shares how leveraging cloud, data analytics, and automation is helping to drive network operational efficiencies.
[10 min 51 sec]
Our speakers
Dr. Lester Thomas
Head of New Technologies and Innovation and Distinguished Engineer at Vodafone Group Plc.
Responsible for Vodafone’s Open Digital Architecture Strategy, including their transformation to a platform-oriented, cloud-native, agile and API first company. Also a TM Forum Distinguished Fellow and champion for the TM Forum Open API programme.
Prior to Vodafone, Dr. Thomas was Chief Technology Officer at an internet start-up and also spent 4 years working in consulting across Europe and USA. Dr. Thomas holds a PhD in Digital Information Theory from the University of Wales and held a post-Doctorate research position at the University of Cambridge.
Max Kamenetsky
Outbound Group Product Manager, Telecom, Google Cloud
At Google Cloud, Max drives strategy and adoption for a portfolio of telecommunications products, focused on transforming, modernizing, assuring, and securing telecommunications networks and deploying and monetizing 5G edge services and applications across multiple vertical industries. Dr. Kamenetsky has more than 20 years of experience in telecommunications and advanced technologies. Before joining Google Cloud in 2021, he was Head of Product at Loon, a part of Google’s parent company Alphabet, with a responsibility for Loon’s portfolio of telecommunications, networking, and software products. Prior to that, he spent 2 years at Facebook as the Director of Connectivity Deployments for Internet.org and 10 years at Maxar in a variety of executive and management roles. Dr. Kamenetsky earned a BS, MS, and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University.
Ankur Jain
Head of Engineering, Google Distributed Cloud and Google Cloud for Communication Service Providers
Ankur Jain is a Distinguished Engineer and heads engineering for Google Distributed Cloud and Google Cloud for Communication Service Providers.
Before this, Ankur was working in the tech office of the CEO on cross-Google strategic programs including 5G. He previously worked on Google’s connectivity and communication products where he led the infrastructure teams running Fi, Loon, Station, Messages, Google Voice and CBRS-based shared networks. Before that he was instrumental in bringing software defined networking and disaggregation to Google’s edge network. He was one of the first engineers and later led Google’s content delivery network as it grew into the largest in the world, deployed by several hundreds operators globally.
Ankur holds a masters degree in computer science and engineering from University of Washington Seattle and a bachelors degree in the same from Indian Institute of Technology Delhi.
Jitin Bhandari
CTO and Vice President of the Cloud and Network Services (CNS) business group at Nokia.
Jitin leads software technology strategy and disruptive innovation for the mid & long-term horizon, accelerating transformation of networks, operations, analytics to cloud native, 5G and beyond. He is known as a communications visionary with end to end expertise of networks, operations and services with a unique ability of big picture strategic focus and proven ability to deep dive and execute. Jitin has 20+ years of experience in the software / IT / telecom industry. A sport fanatic keeping true to his New England base, he loves to run and is known for his unique ability of big picture strategic focus and proven ability to deep dive and execute with his lineage at two startups.
