CenturyLink to invest several hundred million dollars in edge computing, following AT&T and Verizon

CenturyLink said that it will invest “several hundred million dollars” in edge computing, following in the footsteps of AT&T and Verizon. AT&T and Verizon both have mobile businesses and with the advent of low-latency 5G networks, they and other mobile carriers are recognizing the need to minimize the distance between mobile users and the cloud. CenturyLink’s entry into edge computing suggests that the edge compute market may be like the fiber backhaul market— a mobile-driven opportunity even for non-mobile carriers. CenturyLink Senior Vice President of Product Management Paul Savill referenced wireless carriers as one of several target groups for the company’s edge compute offerings, along with enterprises, hyperscalers and systems integrators. “Forward-looking companies seeking the advantages of next-generation IoT, AI and machine learning applications increasingly need distributed solutions— from the local edge to the public cloud core— that combine compute, storage and networking in an integrated package,” CenturyLink said.