Amazon AWS is gaining significant uptake of its Wavelength edge technology among large operators, notably Verizon, Vodafone, KDDI and SK Telecom, among others. Its promise to support ultra-low latency applications over 5G is also attracting other stakeholders in the mobile and content ecosystems.
Broadpeak, a French content delivery network (CDN) provider, has deployed its CDN technology on AWS Wavelength to support more streamlined video delivery via 5G networks, using Multi-Access Edge (MEC) technology to enable local cache servers to deliver video traffic requested directly to 5G devices.
Chasing video services and content providers looking to cash in on 5G network roll-outs, Broadpeak says its cloud-enabled CDN on Wavelength can avoid network congestion and bandwidth limitations in the mobile network.
As well as streaming video from the edge, AWS Wavelength also enables offload of data processing tasks from 5G devices to the network edge to conserve resources like power, memory and bandwidth that makes applications like autonomous vehicles and smart factories possible. VR and AR applications are also important use cases, as the platform reduces the motion-to-photon (MTP) latencies of VR/AR applications to below the 20ms benchmark that is needed to offer a realistic experience.
Real time gaming is another demanding experience that Wavelength can make available on end devices with limited processing power by streaming games directly from game servers in Wavelength Zones. At present, those zones are situated in 10 cities across the USA with Verizon, while Japan’s KDDI has rolled out two Wavelength Zones, and SKT has deployed a single zone in South Korea.
As a version of the wider AWS cloud environment comprising APIs, management console and tools geared specifically towards the 5G edge network, Wavelength attracted Verizon’s support in December 2019. The US carrier was the first operator to use Wavelength for specific customers, including the US NFL and game developer Bethesda.
Broadpeak itself cites 4K video, alongside mixed reality, as the immersive formats set to benefit from MEC technology that are difficult to scale to large audiences today.