Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. and Amdocs (NASDAQ: DOX), a leading provider of software and services to communications and media companies, today announced multiple joint initiatives to accelerate communications service providers’ (CSP) journeys to open cloud networks that provide the freedom and agility necessary to innovate and better manage the delivery of 5G services to market, with increased speed and with greater scale and reach to consumer and business clients.

Amdocs and Samsung Networks will collaborate to onboard and integrate Virtual Network Functions (VNFs) so that CSPs can better take advantage of Samsung’s 5G network solutions with the Open Network Automation Platform (ONAP), the industry leading open source automation platform. The collaboration will start with Samsung’s Virtualized Central Unit (vCU) function and will expand to cover additional areas through execution of a comprehensive program, including components of the 5G core, to help CSPs realize a full end-to-end 5G cloud network that supports their current and future business requirements.

The two companies will also explore the possibility of delivering relevant network services, such as vRAN rollout and integration, and related Network Function Virtualization (NFV) enablement solutions. Virtualized network functions that are managed by a comprehensive automation and orchestration platform will provide CSPs with a rich set of innovative new services that can be deployed, discovered and scaled on demand, providing new ways to monetize the network.

“This partnership with Amdocs on ONAP enablement helps us accelerate an important shift towards a dynamic software-driven architecture that will empower networks to adjust themselves to meet ever-changing user demands and network conditions,” said Jaeho Jeon, Executive Vice President and Head of R&D, Networks Business at Samsung Electronics. “As we move 5G business forward, we continue to drive the adoption of ONAP and 5G network deployment to enrich the 5G ecosystem.”

“As the deployment of 5G networks accelerates, CSPs are taking the opportunity to rearchitect their network to be open, virtualized, cloud-based and AI-infused,” said Anthony Goonetilleke, group president of Media, Network and Technology, Amdocs. “By teaming with Samsung, Amdocs combines its expertise in enterprise-grade ONAP and software-defined systems with Samsung’s advanced 5G network solutions portfolio to better enable CSPs to launch innovative new services at speed.”