Linux Foundation, Google Cloud Launch Nephio

April 14, 2022

The Linux Foundation formed project Nephio in partnership with Google Cloud and leaders across the telecommunications industry. The Linux Foundation provides a venue for continued ecosystem, developer growth and diversity, as well as collaboration across the open source ecosystems.

Building, managing and deploying scalable 5G networks across multiple edge locations is complex. The Telco industry needs true cloud-native automation to be faster, simpler and easier, while achieving agility and optimization in cloud based deployments. To address these challenges, Google Cloud and the Linux Foundation have founded "Nephio." The project has support from several founding organizations including Service providers: Airtel, Bell Canada, Elisa, Equinix, Jio, Orange, Rakuten Mobile, TIM, TELUS, Vapor IO, Virgin Media O2, WINDTRE as well as Network Function, Service and Infrastructure Vendors: Aarna Networks, ARM, Casa-systems, DZS, Ericsson, F5, Intel, Juniper, Mavenir, Nokia, Parallel Wireless, VMware.

"Telecommunication companies are looking for new solutions for managing their cloud ready and cloud native infrastructures as well as their 5G networks to achieve the scale, efficiency, and high reliability needed to operate more cost effectively," said Amol Phadke, managing director, Telecom Industry Products & Solutions, Google Cloud. "We look forward to working alongside The Linux Foundation, and our partners, in the creation of Nephio to set an industry open standard for Kubernetes-based intent automation that will result in faster and better connected cloud-native networks of the future."

"Collaboration across Telecom and Cloud Service Providers is accelerating and we are excited to bring Nephio to the open source community," said Arpit Joshipura, GM Networking, Edge & IOT, The Linux Foundation, "As end users demand end to end open source solutions, projects like Nephio complement the innovation across LFN, CNCF, LF Edge for faster deployment of telecom network functions in a cloud-native world."

Cloud Native Principles have come a long way and as we see Cloud Service Providers collaborating with Telecom Service Providers and Enterprises, a new way of simplifying automation of network functions is emerging.

Nephio aims to deliver carrier-grade, simple, open, Kubernetes-based cloud native intent automation and common automation templates that materially simplify the deployment and management of multi-vendor cloud infrastructure and network functions across large scale edge deployments.

Additionally, Nephio will enable faster onboarding of network functions to production including provisioning of underlying cloud infrastructure with a true cloud native approach, and reduce costs of adoption of cloud and network infrastructure.