O₂ Telefónica has achieved a breakthrough in the telecommunications industry: just six months after the launch of the innovative 5G Cloud Core, one million customers in Germany can already use the advanced, cloud-based core network for mobile surfing and telephony. As the first provider worldwide with an existing network, O₂ Telefónica has successfully implemented a core network via the cloud infrastructure of Amazon Web Services (AWS), supported by the modern technology of the European network equipment provider Nokia.

“The launch of our cloud-based core network marks a decisive step in the transformation of our network architecture. We are moving away from traditional structures and towards flexible, modern cloud technologies. One million customers are benefiting from increased availability and faster implementation of innovations. This paves the way for our network of the future as well as new business models and services,” explains Mallik Rao, Chief Technology & Enterprise Officer at O₂ Telefónica.

The new core network offers much more than just 5G functionalities: it supports both 5G standalone (5G SA)and 5G non-standalone (5G NSA) as well as 4G/LTE technology. In addition, it enables a wide range of digital services, from mobile telephony to data usage.

The advantages of the cloud-based core network are:

• Accelerated innovation: Thanks to the cloud, new products, features and software updates can be installed quickly and easily. This increases the pace of innovation and allows O₂ Telefónica customers to benefit from new services immediately.

• Uninterrupted service: In the event of repairs or server failures, data traffic is automatically rerouted so that services continue without interruption. This will increase reliability and ensure that customers can continue to surf and make phone calls without any problems.

• Flexible scalability: O₂ Telefónica can adjust network resources as needed to ensure sufficient capacity at all times. This enables more sustainable operation of the core network, as only the resources that are actually needed are used.

• Highest security standards: The cloud-based core network meets the strictest security requirements. All data is stored exclusively in Europe. Technologies such as confidential computing and a comprehensive cloud security framework from O₂ Telefónica ensure maximum security and data protection.

With this milestone, O₂ Telefónica is continuing the transformation to its network of the future and strengthening the digital networking of consumers and companies. O₂ Telefónica will continuously enhance the possibilities and functionalities of the new core network in the coming months.