TL;DR:
- Mangata Networks partners with Microsoft to develop AI-enabled edge cloud product via satellite.
- The partnership focuses on innovation, integrating AI capabilities throughout the product lifecycle.
- Mangata’s solution will extend the reach of Azure adaptive cloud, offering unique features like AI-enhanced network routing and 5G integration.
- Data processing at the edge reduces latency and complies with data sovereignty rules.
- The collaboration aims to address global challenges, including closing the digital divide.
- The pilot phase for customer trial networks is set to begin in the late 2nd quarter of 2024.
Main AI News:
In a landmark move, Mangata Networks, a global leader in satellite-enabled connectivity and intelligent edge computing solutions, has entered into a strategic partnership with tech giant Microsoft. This collaboration is set to pioneer an AI-enabled edge cloud product seamlessly connected via satellite, marking the inception of a long-term commitment between Mangata Networks and Microsoft. Their joint mission? To continually advance cloud technology through cutting-edge satellite connectivity.
Elevating Azure Adaptive Cloud Adoption to New Heights
Mangata’s role in this partnership is to provide seamless connectivity and intelligent cloud computing services worldwide, delivering the advantages of Azure innovation to every corner of the globe. The backbone of this network comprises a multi-orbit constellation of HEO (highly elliptical orbit) and MEO (medium Earth orbit) satellites, coupled with a terrestrial network of strategically positioned edge data centers.
Brian Holz, the CEO of Mangata Networks, expressed his enthusiasm for this groundbreaking endeavor: “We are thrilled to develop this transformative product in strategic collaboration with Microsoft, further enriching the Microsoft commercial marketplace ecosystem. Microsoft’s direct sales channels will play a crucial role in scaling our innovative solutions to enterprises globally. Our offering is not just a product but an all-encompassing network, infrastructure, platform, and software service. With capacity bundled into the service, we provide a seamless, integrated SLA that simplifies the adoption of our services for customers. This is more than a partnership; it is a long-term alliance set to redefine how enterprises leverage the cloud and intelligent edge compute.”
Innovative Features and SLAs: Reshaping Edge Cloud Connectivity and Business Transformation
At the core of this partnership lies a steadfast commitment to innovation. Mangata Networks, in close collaboration with Microsoft, will leverage Microsoft’s generative AI and data analytics capabilities to reimagine the entire product innovation lifecycle. This effort includes integrating AI capabilities end-to-end, from customer and partner feedback to requirements definition and through to roadmap planning, coding, testing, deployment, operations, and customer support. The result will be the delivery of Azure adaptive cloud solutions designed to address unique and complex business challenges at the edge, fostering accelerated customer outcomes with cultural sensitivity.
Mangata’s managed service will expand the geographical reach and functionality of Azure adaptive cloud. These collaborative solutions will offer a range of innovative features, including AI-enhanced network routing at the edge, remote bandwidth optimization, workload management, real-time data processing, digital twin support, advanced satellite backhaul management, end-to-end cloud-edge IoT applications, 5G integration standardization, and multivendor sub-system integration, such as ORAN and RAN-based equipment.
The Mangata and Microsoft solution, utilizing Azure, will be accessible through the Azure Marketplace, offering comprehensive application-level Service Level Agreements (SLAs) with bundled connectivity. This holistic approach ensures a seamless experience for users seeking advanced and integrated solutions. Under the agreement, Microsoft will position Mangata as an Independent Software Vendor (ISV) on the Azure platform, providing substantial support in terms of technology, resources, engineering, and go-to-market assistance.
Optimizing Data Processing: Putting Data Where It Matters
With robust edge compute and data management capabilities, customers can process data at its source, reducing latency and time-to-insight by hosting advanced analytics and AI-inferencing at the edge. Valuable data, previously discarded due to bandwidth constraints, can now be sent to cloud services like Microsoft Fabric, an end-to-end unified analytics platform that consolidates data and analytics tools for comprehensive operational insights. Additionally, for highly regulated organizations and regions with stringent data sovereignty rules, applications can process sensitive data at the edge, ensuring compliance with national or regional data boundaries.
Mitra Azizirad, President and Chief Operating Officer for Growth, Innovation, and Strategy at Microsoft Strategic Missions and Technologies, shared her insights on the collaboration: “In collaboration with Mangata, we look forward to delivering an end-to-end Cloud and Edge platform to enterprise and government customers. This platform will enable business and mission-critical applications anywhere with committed availability through satellite connectivity. Mangata will leverage Microsoft’s portfolio of Microsoft Azure Space and Azure for Operators to run their satellites’ constellation and edge platform. This collaboration is key for our continued commitment to empower our customers with intelligent, secure, and resilient technology.”
Addressing Global Challenges: Bridging the Digital Divide
This collaboration aims to tackle global challenges related to sovereign state requirements, enterprise innovation, maritime and digital ocean transformation, data gravity, and telecommunications access and capacity needs. Mangata’s mission to facilitate the exchange of knowledge through global connectivity and revolutionize access to the digital economy aligns with the Airband Initiative, a joint effort between Microsoft and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) focused on bridging the global digital divide by providing internet access to all.
A New Era of AI-Enabled Edge Cloud Computing
The pilot phase of pre-integrated solutions in customer trial networks is set to commence in the late 2nd quarter of 2024, ahead of Mangata’s planned satellite constellation launch. This initiative is poised to revolutionize how businesses and governments worldwide harness the potential of edge cloud connectivity through satellite technology. Microsoft and Mangata will jointly create a new platform for highly reliable, scalable, and robust IoT and SCADA applications at the edge, all interconnected and managed through Azure. This collaboration signifies a significant stride towards a more interconnected, intelligent, and accessible future. It is not just a milestone but the beginning of a long-term journey between Mangata Networks and Microsoft, dedicated to evolving with technological advancements.
Conclusion:
The collaboration between Microsoft and Mangata Networks represents a significant advancement in the field of satellite-enabled edge cloud connectivity. This partnership’s innovative approach, integrating AI throughout the product lifecycle and addressing global challenges, is poised to reshape the market, providing enterprises with advanced, seamless cloud solutions that cater to unique business needs and regulatory requirements.
