AT&T to migrate its 5G mobile network to Microsoft Azure

In an official statement, Microsoft said that it is acquiring AT&T's carrier-grade Network Cloud platform technology, which AT&T’s 5G core network runs on since 2018, as well as the engineering team, bringing real-world production 5G workloads to Azure for Operators.

U.S. carrier AT&T is migrating its 5G mobile network to Microsoft Azure. The carrier will bring its existing and future network workloads to Azure for Operators, Microsoft's telecom flagship offering, to enhance productivity and cost-efficiency while focusing on the delivery of large-scale network services that meet the evolving needs of its customers.

In an official statement, Microsoft said that it is acquiring AT&T's carrier-grade Network Cloud platform technology, which AT&T's 5G core network runs on since 2018, as well as its engineering team, bringing real-world production 5G workloads to Azure for Operators.

Commenting on this development, Andre Fuetsch, executive vice president and chief technology officer, AT&T, said, "Our Network Cloud team has proved that running a network in the cloud drives speed, security, cost improvements and innovation. Microsoft's decision to acquire these assets is a testament to AT&T's leadership in network virtualization, culture of innovation, and realization of a telco-grade cloud stack."

Microsoft's hybrid and hyper-scale infrastructure will help AT&T substantially reduce engineering and development costs. Early access to the tech giant's cloud, AI and edge technology will provide the carrier with the flexibility it needs to rapidly innovate and launch new services and customer experiences enabled by 5G.

Without disclosing details on financial terms, Microsoft said that it will assume responsibility for both software development and deployment of AT&T's Network Cloud immediately and bring the carrier's existing network cloud to Azure over the next three years.

With Azure, operators can provide a more flexible and scalable service model, save infrastructure cost, and use AI to automate operations and differentiate customer offerings. Through our collaboration with AT&T, Microsoft will expand its telecom portfolio to support operators with a carrier-grade cloud that provides seamless experiences across Microsoft's cloud and the operator's network.

Jason Zander, executive vice president Azure, Microsoft.