However, Microsoft said Affirmed Networks will be part of its ongoing driving to partner with telecommunications companies. We have already seen Microsoft strike a major collaboration with AT&T to deliver Azure-powered 5G services. It is unclear if Microsoft finalized the deal for Affirmed Networks before the COVID-19 outbreak. However, the company announced the deal on March 26. “We look forward to building on the great work by Affirmed Networks with its leadership in virtualized mobile networks. Bringing this technology and team of experts into Microsoft allows us to extend our cloud offering to operators everywhere as they increasingly look to run their networks in a hybrid environment. We’re excited about our future together where carriers will be able to better leverage Microsoft’s cloud to improve overall profitability and create new revenue streams,” says Yousef Khalidi, Corporate Vice President of Azure Networking, in a blog post. Khalidi says Microsoft will leverage Affirmed Networks to help provide new solutions for operators in the 5G and cloud space. These solutions will include helping to manage networks in the cloud.
AT&T Partnership
As mentioned, Microsoft has an extensive cloud partnership with AT&T as part of its push into telecommunications infrastructure. Back in November, Microsoft and AT&T entered into a partnership centered on 5G technology. Specifically, Microsoft Azure became integrated with AT&T’s Network Cloud 5G tools. In January, the two companies extended the partnership to include bring developers closer to edge computing. Through the new Network Edge Compute (NEC) platform, Microsoft Azure and Edge computing solutions can now be brought to 5G customers by leveraging AT&T 5G networks.
