Research Note

Abstract

To cope with the unabated demand for bandwidth driven by consumers’ addiction to mobile applications, mobile network operators are rolling out 5G networks faster than what we saw for 4G LTE a decade ago. In addition, they keep adding new capacity to their existing 4G networks. As a result, the need for more agile and flexible appliances for traffic load balancing is surging and a new virtual load balancer market is emerging. While constructing their 5G networks with the implementation of an end-to-end service-based cloud-native core architecture, mobile network operators found that traditional load balancers are no longer scalable, have clumsy insertion, and limited stickiness. All this leads to a high total cost of ownership. Consequently, many operators are turning their attention to virtual load balancers that offer unmatched scalability, an easy insertion that eliminates complex routing operation, and hashing-based stickiness. Virtual load balancers are paving the way for the introduction of containerized versions, which are expected to hit the market by the end of the year. Put simply, fundamental changes are about to occur that could transform 5G transport. This paper outlines what you must know about the changes ahead for the industry. LightCounting subscribers can access the full text by logging into their accounts.