Vodafone, Amazon partner to launch 'edge computing' in UK

STOCKHOLM, June 16 (Reuters) - Vodafone said on
Wednesday it has partnered with Amazon Web Services (AWS)
to launch "edge computing" services for its business
customers in the UK.

"Edge computing" uses augmented reality and machine learning
to analyse bulk data where it was gathered - whether factory
floor, oil rig or office space - before moving it to remote
servers in the cloud. To work, it needs fast data transfers of
the kind that 5G will provide.

The launch follows Vodafone's trials with companies in a
range of areas, including sports technology, autonomous
transport, biometric security, remote virtual reality, and
factory automation.

Vodafone said under optimum conditions, the latency - time
required for data to travel between two points - could be as low
as 10 milliseconds, compared with an average https://support.vodafone.co.uk/Mobile-plans-Pay-as-you-go-SIM/5G/1464009922/What-s-the-difference-between-4G-and-5G.htm
of 75 milliseconds for 4G.

"Edge Compute and 5G is a combination no other service
provider can deliver in Europe, which means we can offer
something unique to our customers," said Anne Sheehan, business
director, Vodafone UK.

"We have already seen new services being developed by our
trialists – the potential for completely new ideas enabled by
this combination is massive."

The company will initially offer low-latency "edge
computing" services to customers in London and the surrounding
area, as well as towns and cities including Oxford, Cambridge,
Bristol and Cardiff.

Customers in Scotland and the northern regions of England
will get the service in 2022. AWS has edge services in Tokyo,
Daejeon, South Korea and 10 cities across the United States.
(Reporting by Supantha Mukherjee, European Technology &
Telecoms Correspondent, based in Stockholm; editing by Jason
Neely)

Vodafone