Amazon Web Services joins industry body TM Forum

 TM Forum, the industry association driving digital transformation through collaboration, today welcomes Amazon Web Services (AWS) as its newest member. As a full corporate member, AWS will collaborate with the Forum’s global membership to further accelerate the roadmap for Open Digital Architecture (ODA), the reusable cloud-native software architecture helping telcos unlock new growth opportunities. AWS will also contribute to the Forum’s innovation roadmap, including network edge use cases and improving 5G monetization.

AWS brings an established network of telecoms industry partners, telecom specific services and solutions, as well as the most flexible and secure cloud computing environment. AWS will help the TM Forum community leverage the latest technologies to shift from legacy technology and ways of working, and further industry alignment on standards and best practices.

AWS’s TM Forum membership is a natural progression following several years of collaboration and investment into the Forum. The cloud provider has played an important role in past TM Forum Catalyst proof-of-concept projects in collaboration with Forum members, as well as the development of Forum initiatives including open APIs.

On the AWS decision to join TM Forum, Adolfo Hernandez, VP, Global Telecoms Business Unit at AWS, said: “TM Forum is one of the leading forums charting the path forward for the telecom industry. Embracing cloud helps simplify and scale network operations, reduce total cost of ownership – without forfeiting autonomy or control – and better positions communication service providers (CSPs) for innovation and growth. While we’ve supported and invested in TM Forum for many years, we are pleased to formally join as members to further impact the community.”

Nik Willetts, CEO, TM Forum commented: “We’re delighted to have AWS join TM Forum to help unlock growth for our industry. Cloud providers will play an integral role in the future of connectivity, as communication service providers seek to transform the customer experience, go-to-market speed and operational costs to fit the needs of digital enterprises. AWS’s philosophy and expertise around reusable business capabilities has been a guiding principle in the development of Open Digital Architecture, and their involvement will be key in developing the tools and practices that will accelerate the industry’s innovation.”

Steffen Roehn, Chairman, TM Forum added: “More communication service providers (CSPs) than ever see the massive potential upsides in being more cloud-native, but there’s still some way to go to get the most out of this shift. Telcos that stick to a traditional, asset-heavy operating model while moving traditional workloads to the cloud are missing a golden opportunity. Moving to cloud-native software stacks and becoming innovative, solutions-oriented businesses will help telcos best monetize investments in their networks. AWS is perfectly placed to guide CSPs through this evolution and it’s fantastic that they’ll be doing so through the Forum.”

Nik Willetts and Adolfo Hernandez sat down in London together to discuss AWS joining the Forum and predictions for the year ahead – you can watch the interview here.