Telefónica has begun the implementation of a network of mini data centers in Spainfor which it will take advantage of around a hundred of its conventional plants. For now, the operator has begun to deploy 17 edge computing nodeswith the aim of offering competitive and sustainable European technological infrastructures and providing edge computing capabilities to all of Spain.
Currently, Telefónica already has 10 of these nodes: two in Madrid and one in Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, Málaga, Palma de Mallorca, Bilbao, A Coruña and Terrassa (Barcelona). Throughout this year, the operator plans to add another seven, in Zaragoza, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Valladolid, Gijón, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Santiago de Compostela and Mérida.
An edge node acts as a server for the processing, analysis and storage of data, and this type of data centers allow these processes to be carried out as close as possible to where they are generated and stored, unlike what happens with traditional cloud computing data centers.
The infrastructures of this edge plan, as we have mentioned, will be in the company’s conventional plants, which will now be data centers, and meet high customer availability requirements, as well as the security conditions necessary for their implementation and maintenance.
In addition to cloud, these nodes will offer AI capabilities so that customers can adopt this technology at the pace it is expected to advance, without needing to make the associated investments. Thus, both companies and institutions will be able to consume GPUs as a service, sovereignly and with low latency.
This plan is complemented by the fiber optic and 5G capabilities of Telefónica, which has closed its fixed copper network and has an FTTH network present in more than 31 million real estate units. Its 5G mobile technology also offers coverage to around 95% of the Spanish population.
Together with the FTTH fiber and the 5G mobile network, Telefónica’s edge will offer the next generation of advanced services, industry 4.0, assisted driving, logistics, ports, retail, mass communications or digital twins, among others. It is also an integrative platform, which facilitates third-party development. The company identifies needs, collaborates with different actors and promotes new non-executable use cases until the arrival of edge computing, with an open, decentralized model and with different providers.
Thus, the Telefónica project seeks to implement a model in which providers share interfaces and that guarantees interoperability, compatibility and portability. It is in line with the European roadmap for the development of the next generation Cloud-Edge offering, drawn up so that EU users can take advantage of Edge-based application services and standards.
Companies and administrations will be able to develop edge-based applications, within a project that reduces dependence on cloud and edge service providers with platforms outside the EU. This plan, led by Telefónica, also facilitates the use of infrastructures and platforms of European operators, in addition to promoting the participation of the European telecommunications sector in cloud and edge-based technologies.
Borja Ochoa, President of Telefónica Spainhas commented on the company’s Edge Plan that places them «at the European forefront in technology and data sovereignty, with the launch of a pioneering project that will be key to promoting the Spanish digital transformation, by enabling infrastructure throughout the territory that will allow companies and administrations to be part of the wave of growth that this deployment is associated with.«.
Sergio Sánchez, Director of Operations, Networks and IT at Telefónica Spainhas pointed out that the company’s network “will provide great computing and storage capacity at the edge, with lower latency and greater efficiency.” “We not only have a leading network as a telecommunications operator, but also a secure and open digital platform that drives growth.”
