The complexity and management challenges of virtualized, cloud-based networks become even higher, and even less understood, when it comes to multi-access edge compute (MEC), or other approaches to integrating computing and storage capacity with connectivity at the edge of the network. This can support greater flexibility for operators to target resources where they are needed, and to support new services which require low latency response, context awareness or caching. Many believe they are naturally well placed, because of their real estate in central offices and cell sites, to provide the grid of locations to enable their own MEC platforms, and to support those of partners such as Amazon AWS. But that will only intensify their NFV/SDN headaches in the short…