Infoblox announced new research that identifies the challenges Communication Service Providers face in transitioning to distributed cloud models, as well as the use cases for Multi-access edge computing (MEC), 5G New Radio (NR), and 5G Next Generation Core (NGC) networks.

The report, titled “DNS and the Edge: The Evolution will be distributed” was conducted by Heavy Reading and surveyed communication service providers around the world to understand the role that DNS plays in the evolution of these cloud-based network models.

“Distributed cloud models such as 5G and multi-access edge computing networks have the potential to drastically change the CSP industry, delivering high-bandwidth, low latency services to network customers” said Dilip Pillaipakam, Vice President and GM of Service Provider Business at Infoblox. “Yet to fully take advantage of the benefits of these new technologies, DNS will have to evolve to address the challenges that come from delivering these high-value services at the network edge.”

DNS is a critical element to these new network architectures and technologies, enabling devices to access the network securely and reliably. And as 5G NR, NGC, and MEC technologies enable faster, more distributed networks with significantly more connected devices, DNS will need to be increasingly automated and operate at greater scale and with greater flexibility.

Yet, despite the importance of DNS to the reliable functioning of these networks, the survey found that few CSPs believe that their DNS is currently capable of supporting MEC or 5G NGC.

To meet this need, networks will need to leverage the benefits of distributed DNS technology that can enable network managers to meet users where they are—at the network edge

Other key findings of the survey include:

• CSPs consider DNS to be critical to the adoption of next-generation network technologies like 5G (71%), cloud-based managed security services (66%) and MEC (63%)
• More than one third of CSPs surveyed plan to implement MEC (36%), 5G (35%), and NGC (35%) in the next 12-18 months.
• Despite this, the lack of a mature vendor solution ranks as the largest obstacle these providers face in MEC (36%), 5G NR (46%) and 5G NGC (39%) deployments.

The CSPs surveyed included companies that represent all aspects of the industry; the largest groups were converged operators (46% of respondents), mobile operators (26%), and fixed-line and cable operators (10% each). The survey asked about their plans for implementing MEC, 5G NGC, and 5G NR technologies, business use cases, as well as concerns and obstacles to implementation.

The survey’s findings indicate that the future of DNS will hinge on the delivery of a fully distributed and fully capable edge-based DNS.

“CSPs seeking to take advantage of the benefits of cloud-based and distributed technologies like MEC, 5G NR, and 5G NGC, will need DNS services that can keep up with the challenge of edge-centric network models,” continued Pillaipakam. “DNS providers will need to adapt and evolve to ensure that customers in this industry are provided with the features, flexibility, and security that these new architectures demand.”