INTERVIEW: VMware executive Sanjay Uppal (pictured) told Mobile World Live the software provider had made swift progress in a deployment for Dish Network’s planned 5G network in the US, noting it was a key proof point for open RAN.

In an interview for MWC21 Barcelona, the SVP and GM of VMware’s service provider and edge business unit explained the company was a key enabler of Dish Network’s strategy.

Across its RAN “the most important workloads are running on VMware”, Uppal said, explaining its technology enables customers to run applications in multiple public clouds.

VMware was the first cloud platform chosen by Dish Network for its 5G network, with the nascent operator later adding Amazon Web Services (AWS) to host its entire core network and RAN in its public cloud.

“Dish [Network] has adopted, just like other service providers, a dual vendor strategy”, said Uppal.

He added VMware had provided Dish Network a “time to market advantage”, along with a flexible platform enabling the dynamic addition of new services. “Those services are both at the underlay of the 5G layer” and the revenue-generating “services on top”.

Uppal described the work with Dish Network as a “once in a lifetime kind of network”, noting the operator’s use of next-generation cloud-native technologies and architecting the network in a “disaggregated form” in line with O-RAN Alliance standards.

Click here to watch the full interview.