The rise of self-contained private networks with their own core has cast a spotlight on several companies which have been pioneers of virtualising mobile cores on general purpose hardware (and even, in the case of one start-up, Quortus, on a Raspberry Pi). Some virtual evolved packet core (vEPC) providers, like Quortus, are mainly confined to specific vertical markets and almost entirely to private networks. Some have started to break into mainstream mobile operator trials and deployments, even gaining a headstart on the tier one OEMs in aspects of disaggregation and virtualisation – Affirmed Networks is an example. Others are expanding towards an end-to-end portfolio by offering a vEPC that can be deployed with a virtualized RAN, usually on a localized…