For mobile operators, adopting a practical, risk-conscious deployment approach is essential to ensure high performance for critical 5G core workloads. As a cloud-native technology, 5G core is well within the technical and operational capabilities of leading operators, who are ready to deploy cloud infrastructure for mission-critical network functions, according to the 2025 Heavy Reading (Omdia) 5G Core Operator Survey.

A few years ago, mobile network and cloud companies suggested that operators adopt horizontal cloud infrastructure capable of running diverse workloads from multiple network function (NF) vendors. Since then, the industry has evolved significantly, most notably shifting from virtualized to cloud-native infrastructure.

Figure 1. 5G Core: Cloud-Native and Fully Adopted by Leading Telcos

The vision has shifted toward a practical approach where operators use common horizontal hardware and a containers-as-a-service (CaaS) layer, but deploy cloud instances separately for each domain or vendor. This allows, for example, one instance to host an IMS from vendor A and another to run a 5G core from vendor B. Figure 1 shows 5G Core: Cloud-Native and Fully Adopted by Leading Telcos.

The survey explored how mobile operators are developing cloud platforms for various workloads, including 5G core, OSS/BSS, IT, and vRAN. The majority (57%) plan to deploy a common telco cloud platform with separate clusters or implementations for each vendor or domain, compared to 24% opting for a fully horizontal cloud platform across all vendors and domains.

Operators use discrete cloud instances for different domains or vendors to enhance workload isolation and security, ensure performance on shared resources, reduce the impact of errors and failures, and enable more integrated support from CaaS and CNF vendors. Assigning a dedicated instance to a specific CaaS version and set of CNFs (e.g., an IMS or 5G core) simplifies operations and helps meet service availability targets. This approach aligns with core cloud principles by separating the cloud stack from the 5G NF layer, allowing updates to be pre-tested and synchronized, while still achieving economies of scale through shared hardware, CaaS software, and operational tools.

While not a fully cloud-native approach, this tested and supported model offers mobile operators a practical landing point for their network cloud strategy. At the same time, nearly a quarter (24%) of survey respondents are pursuing a fully horizontal cloud, demonstrating a commitment to a more advanced strategy that, with adequate investment in architecture, engineering, operations, and tools, promises maximum control and flexibility.

One limitation of this analysis is the variability in cloud terminology. While surveys of technical and engineering mobile operator respondents offer valuable insights into market perspectives and technology trends, the results can be influenced by how terms are interpreted by both respondents and analysts [1]. In the mobile operator context, the absence of widely agreed-upon definitions for cloud infrastructure introduces some ambiguity into the discussion.

Despite terminology challenges, the Heavy Reading (Omdia) survey indicates that mobile operators are strongly committed to cloud-native network architectures [1]. Leading operators are fully embracing cloud platforms for 5G core, and given the demanding nature of 5G core workloads, mastering them is expected to pave the way for broader deployment of these cloud capabilities and operating models.

References:

1. https://www.lightreading.com/5g/5g-core-is-cloud-native-technology-leading-telcos-are-all-in-

Cite this article:

Janani R (2025), 5G Core Goes Cloud-Native — Top Telcos Fully Committed, AnaTechMaz, pp. 164