EDGE COMPUTE: BEYOND THE HYPE

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For some time now, the television industry has engaged in a concerted effort to lower streaming latency down to broadcast levels. Live

sports, as streaming becomes a more popular way of consuming sports, was the key reason behind this drive, as was online betting and gaming to a lesser extent. More recently, the move towards remote production, accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic, has also been a big factor.

In parallel, the broader telecom industry has been engaged in a massive development to get 5G off the ground, addressing, in particular, the low latency applications within its Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communications (URLLC) category of the standard. Much of the promise around the URLLC version of 5G technology centres on minimising network round-trip times for demanding applications, new use cases and new device types.

A multitude of edgesThese trends are important because the big promise of edge computing is the reduction of latencies in a given application — by moving the workload closer to the end-user. So while the concept of the network ‘edge’ is not new, it is the combination of these forces that are finally making the edge a reality and offering the first glimpse of what the telco edge might deliver for users and various types of service providers.

It is worth considering at this point what constitutes ‘the edge’, as definitions can vary.

According to Verizon Media, the edge is a deployment of infrastructure that lies outside of the cloud, closer to the internet’s end-users. However, things quickly get more complicated because there are various edge locations and multiple edges to choose from. In a “sea of multiple edges”, as the company describes it, it could mean the actual computing on the device, the far edge of the 5G cellular network, or the more classic CDN edge, for instance.

There are trade-offs between latency, cost and throughput to each approach (more on that later). The trick in figuring out which edge to choose from depends on the quality of experience for a particular use case while at the same time aligning those requirements with business expectations.

Developers creating experiences should consider such criteria as latency, compute and storage capacity, and expense, then pick the appropriate edge vantage point.

“The industry needs to agree that there is not one edge anymore, but

instead the edge that makes the most sense for the experience

being created,” argues William Pressly, Senior Director, Engineering at Verizon Media.

MEC and the 5G EdgeThe advent of faster 5G networks combined with Multi-Access Edge Compute (MEC) has brought a new level of interest and excitement around edge computing.

The advantage of MEC is that it makes a large-scale global network locally available for global ingress and egress of content. MEC brings cloud computing power closer to where customers need it, reducing the time it takes for machines to respond to digital instructions (‘multi-access’ means customers can access the service over mobile, Wi-Fi, or fixed line services).

With a centralised cloud-based system, the further a user or application is away from the server, the longer it takes for the signals to pass back and forth.

Whenever an application is used on a mobile network, these signals have to be sent back and forth between the device and the server where the application is hosted. This delay is usually 50 to 400 milliseconds.

Based on ETSI standards, MEC is one way to distribute cloud services widely and bring them close to the users. In December 2020, the ETSI Multi-Access Edge Computing group released an updated report — ETSI GR MEC 031 — that describes the key issues, solution proposals and recommendations for MEC integration into 3GPP 5G systems. It is argued that the distributed topology of MEC reduces latency and backhaul costs and improves responsiveness and QoS for users. MEC also complements more traditional content delivery networks (CDNs).

Combining the faster download speeds of 5G with the responsiveness of

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Edge compute: Beyond the hypeAs the first 5G and MEC services rollout, CSI Editor Goran Nastic examines the latest drivers behind edge computing and its relevance to media & entertainment

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MEC makes near real-time applications achievable and is the route favoured by large telecoms operators, including the likes of Vodafone, Orange and Telefónica.

“Bringing together 5G and MEC will allow us to work alongside our industry partners to embed connectivity in ways not possible today,” says Scott Petty, Chief Technology Officer, Vodafone UK. “Tomorrow’s digital business will

use connectivity in ways we can only dream about, and we now have the toolset to work hand-in-hand with our customers to make this a reality.”

Vodafone recently announced the launch of distributed MEC services for UK business customers from a London node starting in spring 2021, with Germany to follow. Vodafone will be embedding AWS’s Wavelength servers in its UK data centres, reducing the distance data has to travel over the core network, which could reduce latency to below 10 milliseconds, something already achieved in trials over a distance of 100 miles, according to the telco.

Over the remainder of 2021, Vodafone has promised to open additional commercial centres in the UK and Germany to expand MEC services’ coverage zone.

In the US, Verizon has been rolling out Wavelength-based edge computing services throughout this year. It now has nodes in eight locations – Atlanta, the San Francisco Bay Area, Boston, Dallas, Las Vegas, Miami, New York and Washington, D.C. – with two

additional markets going live in December 2020.

“By leveraging the powerful combination of Verizon 5G Edge and AWS Wavelength, developers can deliver a wide range of transformative, latency-sensitive use cases like automated robotic systems in manufacturing facilities and smart cars and cities,” stated Tami Erwin, Executive Vice President and Group CEO of Verizon Business, in a press release that announced Las Vegas as the eighth market. “We already have customers today creating exciting new applications in industries ranging from healthcare to sports, and we can’t wait to see the next game-changing app that will be built on 5G and MEC.”

Other Wavelength-based service deployments are also expected in Japan and South Korea among the Asia-Pacific region.

Show me the applicationsIn the case of Vodafone, early customers will use MEC for a variety of applications, including airspace security

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“The advent of faster 5G networks combined with Multi-Access Edge Compute has brought a new level of interest and excitement around edge computing.”

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and localisation of drones; video analytics using body-worn cameras for frontline workers in emergency situations; real-time hazard warning services for safer road enablement; and a smart city AI-powered video analytics platform built to automate real-time visual oversight and alerts for cities, enterprises and infrastructure.

Away from industrial and smart city use cases, a company called Groopview will use it to provide a synchronised viewing experience that allows viewers to seamlessly watch and talk over live or on-demand streaming video together, even when not together physically. This capability is something currently in vogue, with fans not being allowed to attend sports and other live events.

It is also expected that more immersive viewing experiences such as AR and VR will benefit hugely from cloud computing services at the edge.

In late 2018, IHS Markit (now

Omdia) partnered with the Linux Foundation on a survey that found video content delivery was by far the top driver for edge computing.

Among the top services that are driving edge compute, video content delivery, which included 360 video and venues, was first at 92%, followed by a three-way tie among autonomous vehicles, augmented reality/virtual reality and industrial internet of things/automated factory all at 83%. Gaming was next at 75%, with distributed virtualised mobile core and fixed access in another tie with private LTE at 58%.

The other major driver for edge compute is big bandwidth, principally video, where caching and content delivery networks save enormous amounts of video traffic on access, metro, and core networks.

For Verizon Media, one significant change it expects to happen is the emergence of what it calls ‘Edge Applications.’ These are highly

optimised, fully tested pre-built functions integrated into the CDN that can be enabled quickly and easily.

This approach allows organisations to access a particular application, such as image optimisation, through simple rules configuration instead of a full-scale development effort.

“Edge Applications benefit from a rich feedback loop as more and more organisations worldwide take advantage of the service, which we believe will play a major role in driving edge compute adoption,” says William Pressly, Senior Director, Engineering at Verizon Media.

Balancing acts and trade-offsWhile edge-computing architectures like MEC often focus on latency as a key reason for adopting regional computing facilities, there is an important balancing act at play.

“Cost is often the conversation starter but is not the be-all-and-end-all of the

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conversation — it is the end point of the benefits. More broadly, the ability to tap into a globally distributed workforce and leverage that is a key point of the move to the cloud,” notes Claire Southey of AWS.

“If you look at the ‘onion layers’ of compute density: at the very centre is the core compute capability, which is all about scale, and you get the max economic benefits from scale because it’s very high-density compute, and then out at the edge, there is a density vs. latency trade-off. You can put more data centres close to the users to achieve both, but there are cost implications of doing this. But it all comes back to what your definition of edge is; it’s a little bit blurry what it means for different customers and media operators,” said Southey.

As Alex Davies, Senior Analyst at Rethink TV, part of Rethink Research, observes in his comments on the subject to CSI: “In the migration from mainframe computing to cloud computing, equipment is moved from the network edge to the centre. In video workloads, that migration is well underway, with the promise that offloading the capex burden of video appliances to cloud providers will be a cost benefit. However, you can’t get around the latency introduced in the multiple network hops that comes with moving data from one point to another and then onto the viewer.

“So, in low-latency applications, there is something of a tipping point. At what point do latency pressures begin to encourage a reverse in the migration pattern—moving equipment from the cloud back towards the edge of the network? Then, purchasing decision makers need to ask, if you’re paying a premium to an ‘edge provider’ for this equipment, is there a point where you in-house that cost again and move back towards an on-premises deployment? There isn’t a single answer, and the myriad permutations mean even creating a rule of thumb is difficult,”

said Davies.All parties need to come together to

make these edge networking workflows scale and be repeatable, which is the main commercial challenge.

What does the edge mean for media and entertainment?In the media and entertainment world, streaming live video content has proven to be one of the most popular applications, but there are also a number of visual effects and production-based use cases that want to leverage the reduction in the travel time of data in their workflows.

“The main driver behind the establishment of the edge network in video streaming is to get content into or out of the network as close to the production or delivery target as possible,” says Gordon Brooks, CEO of Zixi. “The optimisation of experience made possible by the speed and access that 5G provides will allow for better monetisation of live video driving further interest across the media and entertainment sector.”

In a B2C use case, that could mean delivering content to the end consumer, whether on their mobile device or smart TV, and in a B2B use case, that could mean the content provider delivering content to its affiliates.

Zixi is concentrating on the B2B components of the workflow, including tetherless contribution as well as widespread distribution. The company, which owns and operates a wide-scale proprietary software platform (SDVP), is currently working on a pilot with Verizon and AWS Wavelength slated to go into production in Q1 2021. The aim is to enable a major content provider to distribute its 4K content to 500 affiliates over 5G networks, and the Zixi SDVP serves as the core transport mechanism, telemetry connection and control plane.

Zixi is also working with major sports leagues on projects that are testing production and distribution over 5G networks.

“We know that 5G and MEC will be leveraged for live television distribution deployments in 2021, impacting B2B across both traditional broadcast and OTT. We see some of this being done with Zixi technology right now, and as 2021 progresses, the MEC will allow for real-time data to monetise everything from unique commercial experiences, sponsorships, and gaming. The second shift will be the expansion of application,” says Brooks of Zixi.

Southey at AWS agrees and believes that content personalisation and targeted advertising are becoming a big use case for edge compute.

It is expected that production using the edge will begin to roll out across major sports entities and then progress to better entertainment experiences in general. Edge computing will enable venues to evolve with more localised programming, optimised by better access to real-time data, and allow for traditional venues such as regional and national theatres to participate in and monetise cultural experiences and performances from Beyoncé to the Super Bowl.

“As we pioneer this new technology and use it in a way that’s never been used, we will keep testing and trying to break it until we get it to work,” adds Brooks.

For now, as the first real-world deployments take shape, edge compute is approaching the peak of the famous Gartner Hype Cycle. It is expected to mature in the next few years as adoption gathers pace, in the process proving what will be commercially viable in this field.

Moving forward, as applications and business models evolve, it will be very interesting to see to what extent MEC technologies play a role in the video delivery ecosystem, creating and enabling next-generation immersive and interactive video services.

Read how Verizon Media is using edge computing to help companies move applications and workloads closer to end users.

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