In the past, Microsoft has often aimed to innovate in different fields through advancement in 5G technology. The tech giant entered a multiyear collaboration with mobile operator AT&T in July, that was soon followed by a 5G cloud gaming partnership with SK Telecom. More recently, a couple of months back, Affirmed Networks was acquired by the firm as well.
Now, continuing in similar vein, Microsoft has announced that it has finalized a deal to acquire Metaswitch Networks. The services offered by the UK-based network equipment provider are planned to be utilized in helping network operators realize the power of 5G.
More specifically, specialized software will be leveraged to provide more depth to Microsoft"s cloud infrastructure in order to attract operators to Azure. The aforementioned acquisition of Affirmed Networks goes hand-in-hand with the Redmond giant"s latest move, as technology obtained from both the firms is planned to be fully made use of in order to extend the capabilities offered through its cloud platform.
Microsoft believes that the imminent move toward 5G will provide operators opportunities to invest in an "increasingly cloud-native future". Yousef Khalidi, CVP of Product Management for Azure Networking, commented on this decision in the following manner:
"By enabling advancements in enhanced mobile broadband, ultra-reliable low latency communications and massive machine-type communication to enable IoT at scale, 5G offers significant potential for enterprises and governments and in turn creates new opportunities for operators. 5G will ultimately give operators a path to accelerate service innovation and deliver new transformative experiences that are faster, more resilient and more secure, spurred on by software advances to drive transformation at scale."
With time, the objective of this move is to achieve modernized network infrastructure approaches for network operators that help provide with cost-efficient services.