Despite being the smallest of the three major U.S. public cloud providers, Google Cloud is gearing up to expand its footprint in the telecom sector, traditionally dominated by AWS and Microsoft. While AWS boasts partnerships with Boost Mobile and Telefónica Germany, and Microsoft backs giants like AT&T and Etisalat, Google has largely remained under the radar—until now.
Angelo Libertucci, recently appointed as Google’s Global Head of Telecom, believes the time is right for telcos to move beyond using public cloud for only IT and analytics. As telcos face rising capital expenditures, shrinking ARPU, and increasing competitive pressure, they are beginning to explore new ways to cut costs and streamline operations. “Operators are struggling with tough market dynamics and are rethinking their infrastructure strategies,” said Libertucci at Digital Transformation World in Copenhagen.
Google’s Telco Strategy: Efficiency Through Automation
Google is now actively promoting solutions like its on-demand 5G core network offering, developed in partnership with Ericsson, which runs entirely on Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE). This SaaS-based solution allows operators to scale quickly and only pay for the resources they use—without the heavy costs of on-premises infrastructure. “We run the largest private network in the world—over 2 million miles of fiber—serving billions, and all of it is automated,” Libertucci said.
AI-Driven Network Management: The Real Opportunity
Where Google is truly differentiating is in autonomous network operations powered by AI. Its collaboration with Deutsche Telekom led to the development of RAN Guardian, an AI agent capable of analyzing network data, detecting performance issues, and autonomously resolving them.
This growing AI role presents a compelling case for moving more network functions to the cloud, especially when operators face hardware refresh cycles or vendor transitions. “With everything in the cloud, operators gain native integration, eliminate interconnect issues, and unlock powerful new use cases,” said Libertucci.
Challenges Ahead: Skepticism and Private Cloud Investments
However, convincing large European telcos—like Vodafone, Orange, Deutsche Telekom, and BT—won’t be easy. Many of these operators have already invested heavily in private clouds and remain skeptical about the public cloud’s ability to handle critical network workloads.
Google’s Hybrid Push: Distributed Cloud and Select Use Cases
Google is addressing these concerns through its own hybrid cloud solution, Google Distributed Cloud (GDC), which supports telco-specific deployments closer to the edge. It’s also targeting smaller telcos and greenfield deployments with its Ericsson-powered on-demand 5G core, ideal for avoiding high upfront infrastructure costs. Still, Google appears to be behind in certain areas like cloud RAN, where AWS has already debuted specialized hardware. Google’s involvement remains minimal outside a limited Ericsson trial.
Bottom Line
While Google Cloud may be a late entrant, its emphasis on AI-driven automation, flexible cloud economics, and strategic vendor partnerships could position it as a serious telecom contender—especially as operators seek cost-effective, scalable, and intelligent solutions in the face of mounting industry pressures.
