Verizon engineers installed Multi-access Edge Compute (MEC) equipment and platform software into a network facility positioned closer to the network edge. This allowed them to reduce the distance data was required to travel between a wireless device and the compute infrastructure with which apps on that device interact.

 

The test used an AI-enabled facial recognition application. MEC equipment in the network facility allowed the application to analyse information in the location where it was being used - right at the edge of the network. In a ‘non-edge’ network configuration, data required by the application would have to make a series of ‘hops’ to the nearest centralized data centre, with each ‘hop’ introducing latency. The experiment was duplicated using the centralized data centre. The result: placing the compute power closer to the user reduced the time required to deliver the experience significantly, and engineers were able to successfully identify the individual twice as fast.

 

Low latency is key for today’s applications such as online gaming and video streaming. However, as new, near real-time wireless experiences emerge, boosted by the rollout of 5G networks, latency will become even more important. For some applications such as autonomous driving, low latency is essential. Other applications, such as Virtual Reality, will also benefit from near-zero latency, as even small timing differences between video playback and physical movements can spoil the experience – or even introduce nausea. Lower latency is not the only benefit of introducing MEC at the network edge. Further advantages include higher reliability, energy efficiency, peak data rates, and the ability to process more data through more connected devices.

 

“For applications requiring low latency, sending huge quantities of data to and from the centralized cloud is no longer practical,” explains Adam Koeppe, Senior Vice President for Network Planning, Verizon. “Data processing and management will need to take place much closer to the user. MEC moves application processing, storage, and management to the Radio Access Network’s edge to deliver the desired low latency experiences, thereby enabling new disruptive technologies. This shift in where the application processing occurs, the inherent capabilities of 5G to move data more efficiently, and our use of millimetre wave spectrum is a game-changer when it comes to the edge computing capabilities we can provide.”