Microsoft is run AT&T’s entire network after acquiring the carriers Network Cloud technology.
The partnership will first see Microsoft take over the running of AT&T’s core 5G network and will eventually extend to AT&T’s full mobile network traffic.
Jason Zander, Executive Vice President of Azure at Microsoft, said: “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”
The deal is a flagship win for Microsoft’s telco offering, Azure for Operators, which is built on Microsoft’s cloud credentials and technology that came with the acquisitions of Affirmed Networks and Metaswitch.
Microsoft said that the intellectual property that comes with the acquisition of the AT&T unit will help it develop and scale the offering.
Andre Fuetsch, Chief Technology Officer at AT&T, said: “AT&T has one of the world’s most powerful global backbone networks serving hundreds of millions of subscribers.
