Maxis finds 5G virtue in Singtel’s Paragon

• Singtel’s 5G edge orchestration platform, Paragon, is gaining traction with other telcos
• It enables enterprise users to make use of network APIs to tap into a broad range of digital applications and connectivity capabilities at a local level
• Malaysia’s Maxis is the latest to put its faith in Paragon, which is already deployed in multiple (mostly Asian) markets 

Malaysia’s Maxis is the latest telco to use Paragon, Singtel’s 5G edge and cloud resource management platform, to offer enterprise users a secure and efficient way to make use of services and applications such as edge computing, network slicing and AI.

Maxis Business, the telco’s B2B division, will use Paragon to offer “on-demand edge computing services” and provide customers with “access to low-latency computing, GPU as a Service (GPUaaS) and storage,” according to Singtel. The two telcos formalised their partnership at the recent Malaysia Commercialisation Year (MCY) Summit 2024.

The Paragon platform, which enables enterprises to connect with a 5G network via APIs and “securely deploy their edge computing applications and services rapidly on the telco’s infrastructure, thus reducing time-to-market and shortening the innovation curve,” will be hosted on local server infrastructure in Malaysia to meet the data sovereignty and cybersecurity needs of Malaysian businesses. (As we have noted recently, data/cloud sovereignty is becoming an increasingly big deal in Asia and elsewhere – see AIS targets sovereign cloud leadership with Oracle deal.)

“With its multi-access edge computing (MEC) capabilities, data from end-users and devices can be processed at the edge,” noted Singtel. “This, combined with artificial intelligence (AI), provides real-time processing and intelligent decision-making. Paragon offers a powerful marketplace available to both Maxis customers and partners, making it easy for enterprises to create network slices on-demand and deploy mission-critical 5G applications on MEC – all with the click of a button,” the telco added in this announcement. Those attributes make the platform’s capabilities particularly useful for enterprises that require high-speed data processing to support real-time analytics, mixed reality applications and autonomous systems.  

Maxis CEO Goh Seow Eng believes Singtel’s platform can help it make the best use of its 5G network and enhance its B2B operations. "Our collaboration addresses customer needs by providing a unified 5G platform that simplifies orchestration across network and cloud environments. The platform enables greater access, speed and flexibility for businesses to deploy and manage 5G and cloud computing solutions seamlessly. This will help them to focus on their core business, further strengthening their competitiveness globally. As the country’s leading integrated telco, we look forward to accelerating 5G-A and 5G adoption and the digitalisation of Malaysian businesses as the preferred digital business partner,” stated the CEO.

And the CEO of Singtel’s Digital InfraCo, Bill Chang, reckons it’s onto a good thing with its orchestration system. "We’ve seen a strong shift in demand from enterprises for 5G and edge computing capabilities to accelerate their digital transformation. Singtel has been leading the charge, forging various strategic partnerships with telcos globally, with Paragon being instrumental in this adoption. Paragon enables faster monetisation of 5G infrastructure by reducing complexities for telcos to deliver and scale 5G use cases. We are pleased to partner with Maxis to mutually expand and deepen the service opportunities of 5G and edge monetisation in Malaysia,” stated Chang.

Singtel has already deployed Paragon in Singapore, naturally, while it has also been adopted by two of its regional associates (companies in which it holds a stake) – AIS in Thailand and Telkomsel in Indonesia – as well as Chunghwa Telecom in Taiwan and MásOrange (formerly MásMóvil) in Spain.  

In addition, Paragon is underpinning a new telco API exchange being created by the Bridge Alliance, which has 34 network operator members globally, and is one of the elements at the heart of Singtel’s R&D collaboration with South Korea’s SK Telecom. 

Singtel has also agreed to integrate Paragon with the telco network API platform being developed by Ericsson’s Vonage unit – see Singtel partners Vonage to accelerate global enterprise and telco innovation and digital transformation.

- Ray Le Maistre, Editorial Director, TelecomTV