Sophia Antipolis, 22 February 2018

ETSI’s group on Multi-access Edge Computing (ETSI MEC ISG) is pleased to announce upcoming Hackathons and the release of two white papers entitled “Cloud RAN and MEC: a perfect pairing” and “MEC deployments in 4G and evolution towards 5G” respectively.

Multi-access Edge computing is one of the innovative technologies for 5G networks while being essential for the smooth transition from 4G networks to the new generation. Virtualization, now a full part of the ICT world, is a major driver to deploy generic computing at the edge of the network.

The Cloud RAN and MEC white paper addresses the benefits of, and challenges met by, a colocation between cloud radio access networks and multi-access edge computing. This paper provides readers with a first, high-level introduction to these issues and reaches the conclusion that C-RAN and MEC are highly complementary technologies. The MEC deployments in 4G and evolution towards 5G white paper highlights several MEC deployment scenarios in 4G and demonstrates how multi-access edge computing will enable operators to make a smooth transition towards 5G services.

And last but not least, ETSI MEC ISG has recently created a Hackathon framework to accelerate multi-access edge computing adoption and interoperability, and encourage all stakeholders to use the group’s specifications to develop edge applications. After the successful experience of MEC Proofs of Concept, the group continues engaging the ecosystem. Operators, vendors, application and content providers, as well as start-ups and developers, will collaborate to develop new services or applications within a limited amount of time, in a focused and market-driven effort. The Hackathon gives developers the opportunity to learn and use ETSI MEC defined services and APIs and the open source Forge repository (https://forge.etsi.org/).

If you want to join this exciting event or host the first ETSI MEC Hackathon event, answer the open call for proposal on our wiki page.

Alex Reznik, Chair of ETSI MEC ISG said: “While MEC is central to enabling the world of 5G applications over both 4G and 5G networks, it is only part of a solution to a bigger puzzle. Increasingly, the industry is looking for guidance on how to put the overall solution together. By providing end-to-end solution guidance, encouraging and promoting the market through events like Hackathons and other related activities, our group is stepping up to this challenge. As the first Standards Developing Organization to address the challenges of MEC, ETSI brings the world’s leading experts on MEC to the table. The ETSI ISG MEC can make a significant impact in the effort to make 5G a reality and we invite the industry to take advantage of everything we have to offer.”

About ETSI
ETSI provides members with an open, inclusive and collaborative environment to support the timely development, ratification and testing of globally applicable standards for ICT-enabled systems, applications and services across all sectors of industry and society. We are a not-for-profit organization with more than 800 member organizations worldwide, drawn from 66 countries and five continents. Members comprise a diversified pool of large and small private companies, research entities, academia, government and public organizations. ETSI is one of only three bodies officially recognized by the EU as a European Standards Organization (ESO).

For more information please visit: www.etsi.org

Contact ETSI
Claire Boyer
Tel: +33 (0)4 92 94 43 35
Mob: +33 (0)6 87 60 84 40
Email: claire.boyer@etsi.org