NEC Corporation has announced an expansion of its User Plane Function (UPF) capabilities for telecom operators by integrating support for second-generation AWS Outposts racks. This development aims to bolster NEC's multi-deployment model, allowing the UPF to operate seamlessly across various environments, including on-premises, cloud, edge locations, and AWS Outposts racks within operators' network sites.
The enhanced UPF is designed for high-performance operation in telecom networks, achieving a throughput of 200 Gbps while utilizing only 20% of total CPU cores on second-generation AWS Outposts racks. This architecture supports the deployment of low-latency, edge-based services such as network slicing and service application integration, facilitating easier coexistence with other workloads. This capability was developed through close collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS).
NEC's UPF features a unified software architecture that ensures a consistent experience from edge sites to centralized deployments. The same software used on second-generation AWS Outposts racks guarantees network-wide consistency in design and operations. NEC's cloud-optimized approach, which includes continuous updates and automated operations, promotes labor-efficient, stable, large-scale network operations. This supports diverse network strategies, from leveraging existing infrastructure to adopting cloud-native architectures.
With edge deployments expected to accelerate in the 6G era, NEC has combined expanded cloud adoption options enabled by second-generation AWS Outposts racks with the space- and power-efficient design of its UPF. This combination aims to achieve efficient edge rollouts and the integration of edge environments with cloud services. The solution aligns with NEC's “AI Native” vision for society and contributes to solving social challenges.
Amir Rao, Global Director, GTM and Telco Solutions at AWS, stated that NEC's innovative approach exemplifies how AWS Outposts enables telecommunications operators to modernize infrastructure without compromising mission-critical performance or operational consistency. The collaboration with NEC demonstrates AWS's commitment to helping telecommunications partners build high-performance, flexible, and scalable networks.
Takashi Sato, Corporate Senior Vice President and Managing Director of the Network Solutions Business Division at NEC Corporation, noted that enabling NEC’s UPF to run on second-generation AWS Outposts racks expands the range of choices for communications service providers in network design and operations. The UPF supports rapid service deployment and stable operations while minimizing design and operational complexity, enhancing service providers' ability to deliver reliable services.
Part of the technologies used in this project were obtained through a grant program by the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) in Japan.