Important Items to Consider When Running a Telecommunication Network in a Cloud Environment

17.06.2025


As the telecommunications industry embraces digital transformation, moving network functions to the cloud is no longer just a competitive advantage—it's becoming a necessity. Cloud-native architectures promise agility, scalability, and cost-efficiency. However, running a telecommunications network in the cloud introduces new technical and operational complexities. Below are the key items that telecom operators must consider when migrating or operating their networks in a cloud environment.

1. Cloud-Native Architecture and Design Principles

To reap the full benefits of the cloud, telecom workloads must be re-architected as cloud-native. This means adopting:

  • Microservices-based architectures to enable modular, loosely coupled systems.

  • Containerization using technologies like Docker and orchestration platforms like Kubernetes.

  • CI/CD pipelines to accelerate deployment and updates of network functions.

  • API-first design to enable interoperability and automation.

Legacy monolithic applications simply rehosted in virtual machines won't fully leverage cloud capabilities.

2. Performance and Latency Management

Telecom networks require ultra-low latency and high throughput—characteristics not traditionally associated with general-purpose cloud environments. To address this:

  • Use Edge Computing to bring processing closer to the customer and applications.

  • Select cloud regions and availability zones that are geographically close to your user base.

  • Leverage hardware acceleration (e.g., SR-IOV, DPDK, SmartNICs) to meet performance KPIs.

  • Monitor and optimize network jitter, packet loss, and latency continuously.

3. Network Function Virtualization (NFV) and Cloud-Native Network Functions (CNFs)

Ensure that your virtualized or cloud-native network functions (VNFs/CNFs):

  • Are cloud-ready and vendor-agnostic, avoiding lock-in.

  • Can scale horizontally and vertically based on demand.

  • Support zero-touch provisioning and dynamic service chaining.

  • Integrate seamlessly with service orchestration and assurance platforms.

A careful evaluation of vendor maturity in CNF deployment is crucial.

4. Security and Compliance

Cloud deployments introduce new security challenges, especially in multi-tenant and public cloud environments. Key considerations include:

  • Data sovereignty and residency—ensure compliance with local laws.

  • End-to-end encryption for data in transit and at rest.

  • Isolation of network slices and tenants using micro-segmentation and role-based access control.

  • Implement zero-trust architecture with continuous monitoring and threat detection.

  • Regular vulnerability scanning and penetration testing.

Compliance with standards like ISO 27001, GDPR, or local telecom regulations must be maintained.

5. High Availability and Disaster Recovery

Telecom services are mission-critical and require "five nines" availability. In the cloud:

  • Design with multi-region and multi-AZ deployments for redundancy.

  • Use active-active or active-passive architectures for critical services.

  • Implement automated failover mechanisms and test them regularly.

  • Ensure backup and restore policies cover both configuration and stateful data.

High availability must be built into the application and the infrastructure layers.

6. Service Assurance and Observability

Monitoring cloud-based telecom environments is more complex due to their distributed nature. Operators must:

  • Implement real-time observability with metrics, logs, traces, and events across all layers.

  • Use AI/ML-based analytics to predict issues and automate root cause analysis.

  • Integrate telemetry with orchestration and incident response tools.

  • Monitor both infrastructure KPIs and customer experience metrics (QoS/QoE).

Cloud-native AIOps platforms are becoming essential in modern network operations.

7. Automation and Orchestration

Manual operations are incompatible with the scale and agility of cloud networks. Key automation components include:

  • Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) using tools like Terraform or Ansible.

  • Intent-based orchestration for network lifecycle management.

  • Closed-loop automation to handle scaling, healing, and optimization dynamically.

  • Seamless integration between OSS/BSS systems and orchestration frameworks.

Automation reduces time-to-market, operational cost, and human error.

8. Vendor and Platform Strategy

Cloud strategies should be aligned with long-term business goals. Considerations include:

  • Choosing between public cloud, private cloud, hybrid, or multi-cloud architectures.

  • Evaluating interoperability and portability of VNFs/CNFs across cloud platforms.

  • Avoiding vendor lock-in through open standards like ETSI NFV, 3GPP, and ONAP.

  • Working with vendors who offer cloud-agnostic solutions and support open APIs.

Strategic partnerships and robust SLA management are key to success.

9. Cost Management and Optimization

Operating in the cloud shifts CAPEX to OPEX, which requires:

  • Detailed cost modeling and forecasting.

  • Use of autoscaling and reserved capacity planning.

  • Implementing cost governance tools and chargeback models.

  • Continuous cost-performance optimization through monitoring and right-sizing.

Without proper cost control, cloud operations can quickly become unsustainable.

10. Skilling and Organizational Readiness

Transitioning to a cloud-based telecom network demands a cultural and operational shift:

  • Invest in upskilling teams in DevOps, SRE, cloud security, and automation.

  • Restructure NOC and engineering teams for agile and collaborative operations.

  • Update processes and KPIs to reflect new operational realities.

  • Encourage cross-functional collaboration between IT, network, and cloud teams.

Human readiness is just as critical as technical readiness.

Conclusion

Running a telecommunications network in the cloud is a transformative journey. It demands a paradigm shift in how networks are designed, deployed, secured, and managed. By focusing on architecture, performance, security, automation, and organizational change, telecom operators can harness the full potential of cloud technologies while ensuring resilient, secure, and high-performing networks.