TPG
Telecom’s cloudtransformation
journey
Network evolution to
5G powered by Ericsson

inpartnershipwithNovember 2022

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Ericsson | TPG Telecom’s cloud transformation journey

TPG Telecom breaks groundin Australian 5G first

Executive summary
In 2021, TPG Telecom celebrated thesuccessful creation of its commercial
5G standalone (SA) network – the first in
the Australian market. It was launchedwithin just 6 months of the contract
being signed.
Previously, TPG Telecom had become
the first communications service provider
in Australia to migrate its entire customer
base to a virtualized core platform.
Driving this success is a transformationof TPG Telecom’s network that has beenongoing since 2016. Ericsson collaborated
with TPG Telecom throughout this journey as
prime system integrator, taking responsibility
for the solutions end-to-end, from consulting
through to testing and delivery.
The transformation began with the
deployment of the Ericsson Network
Functions Virtualization Infrastructure (NFVI)
and the virtualization of multi-vendor
network functions from as many as
10 vendors. This was followed by theevolution to a 5G Core to support 5G SA,
using Ericsson’s cloud-native dual-mode
5G Core. Ericsson is also delivering
automation capabilities, through Ericsson
Expert Analytics and built-in software
probes which will further improve
TPG Telecom’s customer experience.
TPG Telecom is now in a strong position
to start automating its network, building on
the solid foundations that have been laidin the last few years.
Collaborating for 5G success
The strong collaboration between Ericsson
and TPG Telecom enabled it to become
Australia’s first service provider to have its
entire 4G and 5G customer base migrated
to a virtualized core platform, and thengo on to successfully launch a commercial
5G SA network in 2021.

The project was initiated in 2016,
with the ambition to transform andvirtualize TPG Telecom’s network in
preparation for emerging services,
as well as evolving its core network
to increase the level of agility andprogrammability. First, the NFVI was
created including orchestration capabilities
and lifecycle management of the cloudinfrastructure. Then, the cloud-native
5G Core was enabled to support the
deployment of 5G SA on the existing
NFVI architecture, and solutions suchas Ericsson Expert Analytics andbuilt-in software probes wereincorporated, helping to manage
the complexity brought about by 5G.

“From a technical perspective, it wasa significant effort to rationalize thevendor footprint and the spectrum
strategy. With an ambitious 5G
roll-out ahead of us, there wereseveral requirements on the tablethat were conflicting with eachother. The implementation of anew, modern, fully virtualized core
network, on a multi-vendor capablecloud infrastructure, was seen as aperfect solution to address
those requirements.”
Giovanni Chiarelli,Chief Technology Officer,
TPG Telecom

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Ericsson | TPG Telecom’s cloud transformation journey

Drivers for change
Vendor rationalization was one of the
key drivers for change, due to the highnumber of VNFs from both Ericsson andthird parties that needed a common
platform. Regulatory requirements, thebusiness merger between Vodafone
Australia and TPG Telecom and theneed to plan for the 5G roll-out weresome of the other key reasons
TPG Telecom decided to embark uponthis ground-breaking transformation,
as well as the drive to create a more
efficient network, with less complexityand lower opex.

Reducing the amount of dedicatedhardware and software required for
deployments by adopting a cloud-native
approach was also a desirable outcome –in terms of reducing operational complexity
and simplifying deployment, but also forthe sustainability benefits of having asmaller physical footprint.
TPG Telecom also recognized thatchanging its strategy to embrace
cloud-native and 5G Core would be vitalfor offering exciting new services andimproved 5G coverage to customers, aswell as furthering its status as a strong
challenger in the market.

TPG Telecom is a full-service
telecommunications company,
with an aim to connect Australia
with its nationwide mobile andfixed networks. Its purpose isto build meaningful relationships
and support vibrant,
connected communities.

Figure 1: TPG Telecom’s cloud-native transformation journey• VoLTE – IMS Core

• Fixed broadband• Roaming Management Solution• Secure message transfer• 4G roaming• Wi-Fi calling• DDoS security• Diameter Routing Agent• 5G SA – cloud-native 5G Core
• Emergency calling over VoLTE• 5G• IoT device manager• Small cells• Fixed Wireless Access (FWA)• Mobile private networks• 5G and VoLTE roaming• Cloud-native IMS• Cloud-native PCF• Ericsson IMS andEPC Virtualized

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022 onwards

Ericsson NFVI build and expansions
NFVI lifecycle management
Ericsson Containerization Layer
Ericsson Cloud Manager and Ericsson Orchestrator
Ericsson Evolved VNF Management (EVNFM)
Ericsson’s dual-mode 5G Core
Ericsson Expert Analytics

4Ericsson | TPG Telecom’s cloud transformation journey

Ericsson’s role in TPG Telecom’s
transformation journey
Ericsson played a key role in TPG Telecom’s transformation, leading the
network evolution program end-to-end as the prime system integrator.

The project was undertaken according
to a unique outcome-based approach,focusing on the delivery of 14 businessoutcomes that covered the key areasof NFVI: orchestration, virtualizationof VNFs and lifecycle management.
Ericsson’s role of prime systems integrator
meant taking responsibility for the entire
end-to-end solution, and ensuring thebusiness outcomes were delivered.
This encompassed design through to
deployment, including all testing andacceptance within a testing environment
in the pre-production stages, and pushingsolutions out to production environments
for delivery.
The network was designed based on
global standards, with Ericsson’s own
guidelines for resiliency, flexibility andmaintenance. Ericsson also supported
TPG Telecom as it became familiar with
the new systems and the cloudinfrastructure ways of working.
NFVI: The first steps on the journey
The first step forward was to realize
TPG Telecom’s ambition to build an
NFVI architecture and undertake avirtualization program that would
include the consolidation of legacy
technologies. Ericsson was responsiblefor deploying the NFVI stack andvirtualizing the core, voice and IP
network functions. Ericsson deployed
the NFVI solution across the country
and began onboarding applications
throughout 2017.
Existing network functions weresuccessfully virtualized during this initial
phase, including all IMS applications,
Evolved Packet Core (EPC), 3PP VNFs,
signaling solutions such as the Diameter
Signaling Controller and more. The NFVI
also hosts functions from third parties.

Today, TPG Telecom has more than
60 different network functions
implemented from 10 different vendors on
the Ericsson NFVI. To accommodate thisdemanding environment, TPG Telecom
adopted a rigorous verification program
led by Ericsson to test and validate theperformance of each VNF type before
the migration into the live network.
Creation of cloud-native 5G Corefor standalone
After the successful deployment of the
NFVI, TPG Telecom recognized that it
was time to take the next step on its
journey – evolving to a 5G Core, using
the existing NFVI architecture plus
cloud-native network functions (CNFs)
such as Ericsson’s dual-mode 5G Core.
Ericsson was again engaged tosupport, as the existing partnershipwould enable TPG Telecom to move quickly
to introduce the changes and to keep up
the high momentum of the transformation.
As TPG Telecom and Ericsson had
proactively deployed Ericsson’s cloudcontainer solution in 2020, with a view todeploying new containerized services in the
future, the 5G Core was able to be launchedwithin 6 months of the contract
being signed.
On top of the existing NFVI architecture,
Ericsson added the Kubernetes layer,called Ericsson Cloud Container
Distribution (CCD), to make thesolution compatible with Ericsson
cloud-native applications. Once thesepieces were in place, Ericsson’s
cloud-native, dual-mode 5G Core
functions to support 5G SA weresuccessfully deployed.
Throughout 2020–2021, TPG Telecom
fully virtualized its 4G network by
migrating all the physical core network

functions to virtualized applications, andby the end of 2021 introduced the new
5G Core. TPG Telecom plans to startmigrating around 5 million 4G subscribers
from the current EPC network to the newcloud-native dual-mode 5G Core.
Increasing automation with Expert
Analytics and software probes
TPG Telecom’s network was one of thefirst globally to have a cloud-native
deployment of Ericsson Expert Analytics,
a user experience management tool.
The solution uses Ericsson’s dual-mode
5G Core with built-in software probing
capabilities and intelligent data
handling in order to tackle the increasing
complexity. With traffic passing throughthe 5G Core being heavily encrypted,
the built-in software probes ensuresensitive data can get from A to B whileremaining encrypted, and essential
performance data can be captured
and delivered.
This fully cloud-native solution
provides monitoring, troubleshooting
and continues to develop toward
customer-centric intelligence for 5G.

“Ericsson was selected as they reallycommitted on the final result, not juston the intermediate steps and thecapabilities. That was the elementthat made the difference, on top of astrong partnership with Ericsson that
was already existing.”
Giovanni Chiarelli,Chief Technology Officer,
TPG Telecom

5Ericsson | TPG Telecom’s cloud transformation journey

Figure 2: TPG Telecom’s path to cloud-native dual-mode 5G Core
5G Core network function

EPC network function

3G/4G
5G NR NSA

3G/4G
Virtualcore platform

Mixed-mode operation

Interworking 5G Core and EPC

3G/4G
5G NR NSA

Traffic migration

3G/4G
5G NR NSAvEPC

5G vEPC

5G vEPC

5G vEPC

Decommissioned

Cloud-native
core platform

5G Core5G CoreDual-mode 5G Core
(5G Core+EPC)

Dual-mode 5G Core
(5G Core+EPC)

5G NR SA

4G
5G NR NSA+SA

5G NR SA

4G
5G NR NSA+SA

Note: 3G access to be turned off from the network by 2024. New 4G traffic is provisioned to the cloud-native platform.

Deployed Ericsson solutions
Ericsson NFVI: The foundation of
the cloud infrastructure, including
the key components:• Ericsson Cloud Container Distribution:
Manages and orchestrates all
containerized applications• Ericsson Cloud Execution Environment:
Telco-grade VIM, certified on
OpenStack and OpenNFV• Ericsson Software Defined
Infrastructure: Manages all hardwarein the NFVI solution, independent ofvendor, in a common pool from a single
integration point with a common set ofskills, tools and procedures• Ericsson Software Defined Networking:
Provides seamless intra-datacenter
connectivity for virtual and physicalworkloads in a telecom cloud• Ericsson Software Defined Storage:
Provides market-leading solutions
suitable for Ericsson system-verified
NFVI and CNIS solutions
Ericsson’s dual-mode 5G Core:
Combining EPC and 5G Core
network functions into a common
cloud-native platform for efficient
TCO and migration to 5G

Ericsson Cloud IP Multimedia
Subsystem (IMS):
Supporting voice services, initiallywith EPS fallback and later
voice over NR (VoNR)
Ericsson Expert Analytics andbuilt-in software probes:
A cloud-native solution that performs
customer-centric monitoring andidentifies and troubleshoots issues
Ericsson Orchestrator:
Provides end-to-end cloudorchestration capabilities

Figure 3: Overview of TPG Telecom’s solution

3PP Network
Mangement
Systems

Ericsson Core VNFs and CNFs
3PP Catalog
VNFs

3PP Production VNFs

Ericsson Production VNFs

E.g. Router, DNS, Load
Balancers, Network
Management Systems

E.g. IMS, EPC,
Policy Controller,
Signaling, Network
Management Systems

3PP VNFs
Ericsson Production CNFs
E.g. 5G Core,
Expert Analytics

Misc.
networkfunctions

EO
EricssonOrchestrator

Misc.
networkfunctions

Ericsson Cloud
Container Distribution
VMWareIntegrated
OpenStack

Ericsson Software Defined Network
Ericsson Cloud Execution Environment

RedhatOPENSHIFT

Ericsson Orchestrator

3PP IPN VNFs

EVNFM
Evolved VNF
Manager
Virtualized
InfrastructureManager

Ericsson Software Defined Infrastructure
R

Software Defined Storage

R

R

SwitchingfabricR

R

Computes

R

R

R

Hardware andnetworking management

SoftwareDefinedInfrastructureManager

6

Ericsson | TPG Telecom’s cloud transformation journey

A successfultransformation

Increased efficiency and evolved
ways of working
TPG Telecom can now manage and expand
its network capabilities on demand, using
virtual applications in place of physical boxesin the network architecture. This, together
with centralized orchestration, makes it
easier to load-balance, scale up and down,
and move functions across distributed
hardware resources.
TPG Telecom adopted the virtual
POD (vPOD) and tenant traffic separation,
allowing more than 30 vPODs to carrydifferent functions across the datacenters.
This concept is enabled by Ericsson’s
Software Defined Infrastructure, which
manages all data network, compute andstorage hardware, independent of vendor,
in a common pool from one integration
point with a common set of skills, tools andprocedures. The management functions
include discovery, configuration, lifecycle
management, alarm monitoring andnetworking configuration.
Additionally, a container-as-a-service(CaaS) layer was introduced for deploying
cloud-native applications on the same NFVI
platform as the VNFs. These innovations
and telco cloud building principles have
improved granularity and increased speedof software upgrades/releases, and haveenabled automation through embeddedfeatures in the NFVI solution.
The transformation has allowed
TPG Telecom to launch a “cloud brokerage”
model internally. This has significantly
reduced the time needed to add network
capacity, offering the agility to movequickly and meet business demands.
TPG Telecom’s operational efficiency has
been improved following the introduction ofa service catalog, which standardizes
TPG Telecom’s offerings to cloud consumers,
reducing the time taken to validate, test anddeploy new virtualized functions.
The agility of predefined patterns ofscaling the NFVI has allowed TPG Telecom
to roll out new functions such as 5G Coreand enable faster time-to-market of newservices in parallel to improved operational
simplification and acceptance processes.
Automation is key
The business opportunities of the 5G SA
world come with new challenges that requirea novel approach to troubleshooting andanalytics. TPG Telecom addressed thechallenge of handling the ever-growing
data in 5G by taking full advantage of
5G Core’s built-in software-probing
capabilities. This is introducing
troubleshooting capabilities and end
user-centric experience monitoring while at thesame time reducing the overall total costs ofimplementing and maintaining the end-to-end
analytics system. Experience degradations
are detected and efficiently resolved.
Decoupling software from commercial
off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware has allowed
TPG Telecom to experiment with acentralized, multi-vendor software
continuous integration and continuous
deployment (CI/CD)pipeline, and is striving
for cloud-native quarterly software lifecycle
events in contrast to the 12–18 monthlegacy lifecycle.
Machine learning and AI capabilities
enabled by customer-centric monitoring
will not only continue to enable further
network automation, they will also become an
asset and potentially enable new offerings for
TPG Telecom’s enterprise customers, as wellas consumers, in the near future. TPG Telecom
aims to ensure the best customer experiencethrough this transformation.
New market possibilities
The speed with which TPG Telecom canoffer new services to customers has beensignificantly accelerated. The 5G SA network
was commercially launched within months
instead of years, allowing the launch of anenhanced mobile broadband service.
Following this success, the 5G FWA
service was also enabled in a matter ofmonths, offering the Australian market an

attractive fiber alternative. 5G Core also
allowed for the aggregation of the low-band
700 MHz spectrum with the 3,600 MHz
mid-band, enabling a significant coverageincrease compared to the traditional
deployment of 5G solely on the mid-band.
This enabled TPG Telecom to quickly achieve
95 percent population coverage in the top
12 urban areas in Australia.
TPG Telecom’s network capacity has
grown almost 6 times in 4 years. Looking
ahead, growth is expected to continue
thanks to high demand for 5G mobile
broadband and other services fromconsumers and enterprises. The NFVI
solution enabled 600 percent growth while
only increasing the physical size of thecore network by about 100 percent.
This equates to significant
power-efficiency benefits, supporting
TPG Telecom’s environmental objectives
and delivering tangible cost savings.
Additionally, TPG Telecom hasrationalized the hardware vendors intheir telco cloud down to two, allowing
them to focus on long-term, sustainable
partnerships. Conversely, it has expanded
its software partners and adopted a quick
and efficient onboarding process, allowing
them to follow a best-of-breed approach.
The standardization has also allowed
TPG Telecom to distribute its footprint andready the network for edge and deep edge
solutions, offering more new services totheir customers in the future.

“Looking at our competitive
position, thanks to this innovative
implementation, we can say that
we are leading from an Australianperspective and it’s really delivering
great benefits to our customers.”
Giovanni Chiarelli,Chief Technology Officer,
TPG Telecom

7Ericsson | TPG Telecom’s cloud transformation journey

TPG Telecom andEricsson’s 5G future
The completion of the first phase of the project
is not the end of the transformation.

The evolution of TPG Telecom’s network
has been extremely successful. TPG Telecom
and Ericsson’s willingness to enter an
exploratory partnership – working towards
joint goals, and focusing on reaching desired
outcomes together – led to better results
within a shorter timeframe than ever before.
In terms of key lessons taken from thejourney so far, Giovanni Chiarelli said that
TPG Telecom are reflecting on two key
elements: Firstly, the trade-off between
ensuring operational stability andimplementing innovative solutions. Whileinnovation carries risks and should be a“very well-weighted decision,” it is also truethat “innovation makes sense exactly whenit’s in front of our customers, so they candirectly benefit.” Secondly, there have been
lessons learned already around adoptionof human skills and operations to the
new technology.
Ambitions for tomorrow
TPG Telecom plans to migrate around5 million 4G subscribers from the current
EPC network to the cloud-native EPC,
so that all 4G and 5G traffic will be
operating through the dual-mode 5G Core.
TPG Telecom are also looking forward to
implementing capabilities such as network
slicing and enterprise use cases using theconsumer-focused infrastructure as abase, and is planning to further explore
these opportunities in 2023.
The journey to fully automated software
pipelines is one of many steps, and throughthe recent developments in the network,
TPG Telecom has laid the foundations foran automated future. TPG Telecom plansto build on the automation capabilities thatare now in place through the cloud-native
core to eventually create a fully automatedsoftware pipeline, in which CI/CD ways ofworking are a reality.

This will enable automatic network
upgrades that can be tested anddeployed with minimal intervention and at
a reduced cost. In addition, TPG Telecom isplanning the introduction of a bare metal
cloud infrastructure to further simplify
operations and reduce costs.
Ericsson will play a key role in
TPG Telecom’s ongoing evolution journey,building on the existing successful
partnership to create even stronger
networks and explore new possibilities.

“Network automation is definitely
on our radar. We are looking at the
adoption of algorithms in order tomake our network more efficient,and also to support us with rapid
troubleshooting and corrective
actions at the service level for ourcustomers. We are actively engaging
with Ericsson in order to achieve
those additional capabilities that will
significantly benefit us.”
Giovanni Chiarelli,Chief Technology Officer,
TPG Telecom“The partnership with Ericsson reallyhelped us immensely to become thefirst to launch 5G SA commercially inAustralia. This is the result of a true
spirit of partnership.”
Giovanni Chiarelli,Chief Technology Officer,
TPG Telecom

Key learnings and insights• Technological change can bringcomplexity that should not be
underestimated. However, while
innovation carries risks and should
be weighed carefully, the direct
benefits to customers can be huge.
• Holding on to old ways of working
will actively hinder progress; it’snecessary to evolve the businessmindset and skillsets, within thewhole organization, in parallel withthe technology transformation.
• Early-movers naturally experiencegreater complexity as they navigate
new ground, however this canbecome an opportunity, as benefits
and flexibility can be harnessed
early to mitigate unforeseen risks.
For example, having completed
virtualization before 2020,
TPG Telecom could be more
flexible in moving and managing
application workloads during theunforeseen global post-COVID-19
silicon/semiconductor shortage.
• Using an established referencearchitecture is fundamental for
cloud-native transformation.
It is critical to stick toindustry-standard architecture
and APIs (such as ETSI or
TM Forum) especially when you
have a multi-vendor network.
TPG Telecom and Ericsson
designed a VNF Certification
Acceptance (VCA) process withrigorous and automated testing
before putting the various
workloads into the private cloud.

About Ericsson

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48/21341-FGB1010909© Ericsson 2022