Amazon teams with Vodafone on UK ‘edge computing’ launch

The global technology giant will partner with Vodafone UK to provide fast data transfers using its 5G platform to support ‘edge computing’ services which use augmented reality and machine learning to analyse bulk data.

AWS already has edge services in Tokyo, Daejeon, South Korea and 10 cities across the United States but this will be the first time such a service is launched in the UK.

The company said it will initially offer low-latency ‘edge computing’ in the Greater London area, Oxford, Cambridge, Bristol and Cardiff. An Amazon spokesperson added that businesses in the north of England and Scotland will be able access the AWS-Vodafone edge computing services by 2022.

Vodafone claims that “under optimum conditions” the latency of data transfer from location to the cloud could be as low as 10 milliseconds on its 5G platform, compared with an average of 75 milliseconds for 4G.

Anne Sheehan, business director of Vodafone UK, said: “Edge Compute and 5G is a combination no other service provider can deliver in Europe, which means we can offer something unique to our customers.