Blog | nearby computing

Telefónica has recently announced the standardisation of its cloud infrastructure in Spain using Red Hat OpenShift. This is a key step in the ongoing transformation of telecom networks towards cloud-native architectures.

What this move essentially does is establish a common cloud foundation across the operator’s IT and network environments.

OpenShift provides:

R  A Kubernetes-based platform to run containerised applications

R  Automation and DevOps capabilities

R  A unified infrastructure to deploy network functions and services

R  A scalable environment for 5G and digital services

In simple terms, this layer allows telecom operators to run workloads — including network functions — as software.

But standardising the cloud layer is only the first step.

The real complexity: managing a distributed network

Unlike traditional IT environments, telecom networks operate across highly distributed infrastructures, including:

R  Central data centres

R  Regional edge locations

R  Thousands of network sites

R  Hybrid and multi-cloud environments

Each of these locations acts as a compute node within the network.

As operators move towards edge computing and 5G-enabled services, the challenge is no longer just running workloads — it is managing where and how those workloads are deployed across the network.

This requires answering questions such as:

R  Which edge nodes should run a specific application?

R  How should workloads scale across distributed locations?

R  How can services be deployed close to users or devices?

R  How can infrastructure and applications be managed consistently across thousands of sites?

The control layer for distributed edge and cloud environments

Above the cloud infrastructure layer sits the orchestration layer, responsible for managing distributed environments and automating service deployment across the network.

This layer enables operators to:

R  Manage thousands of distributed nodes

R  Decide where workloads should run

R  Automate service lifecycle management

R  Scale applications across edge and cloud locations

R  Maintain visibility and control across the entire network

In other words, it turns infrastructure into an operational platform for services.

Turning infrastructure into a platform

As telecom networks evolve, operators are effectively building distributed cloud platforms embedded within the network itself.

The infrastructure layer provides the compute capability.

But the orchestration layer is what enables operators to deploy, manage and scale services across that infrastructure.

This is where platforms such as NearbyOne play a critical role — providing the intelligence and automation required to orchestrate applications, infrastructure and network functions across distributed edge environments.

Because in the next generation of telecom networks, the challenge is not just running applications.

It is deciding where, when and how they run across the network.