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AWS Wavelength Zones

AWS Wavelength Zones: What You Need to Know

If you are looking for a way to deliver ultra-low-latency applications for 5G devices, you might want to check out AWS Wavelength. AWS Wavelength is a new service from Amazon Web Services that enables developers to build and deploy applications that run at the edge of 5G networks, using familiar AWS services, APIs, and tools.

What are AWS Wavelength Zones?

AWS Wavelength Zones are AWS infrastructure deployments that reside in the data centers of telecommunication providers, located at the edge of 5G networks. By placing the AWS resources in this way, end users can reach the application servers without ever leaving the telecommunication provider’s network, reducing latency and improving user experience.

AWS Wavelength Zones are associated with an AWS Region, and are managed by the same control plane as AWS Availability Zones. Customers can use the same AWS APIs that they are used to, and do not need to know anything about the telecommunication provider’s infrastructure or APIs.

How do AWS Wavelength Zones work?

To use AWS Wavelength Zones, customers need to extend their virtual private cloud (VPC) to one or more Wavelength Zones. They can then create subnets and carrier gateways in the Wavelength Zones, and launch AWS resources such as Amazon EC2 instances, Amazon EBS volumes, Amazon ECS clusters, and Amazon EKS clusters in the subnets.

The carrier gateway serves two purposes: it allows inbound traffic from the 5G network in a specific location, and allows outbound traffic to the 5G network and the internet. The carrier gateway also provides network address translation (NAT) for instances that do not have public IP addresses.

Customers can also use other AWS services such as Amazon EC2 Auto Scaling, Amazon EC2 Systems Manager, Amazon CloudWatch, AWS CloudTrail, and AWS CloudFormation to manage and monitor their applications running in Wavelength Zones.

What are the use cases for AWS Wavelength Zones?

AWS Wavelength Zones can enable a variety of use cases that require ultra-low latency and high bandwidth over 5G networks, such as:

  • Media and entertainment: Deliver high-resolution live video streaming, high-fidelity audio, and augmented/virtual reality (AR/VR) applications.
  • Machine learning: Run artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) driven video and image analytics at the edge to accelerate 5G applications in medical diagnostics, retail, and smart factory settings.
  • Connected vehicles: Create advanced driver assistance, autonomous driving, and in-vehicle entertainment experiences with near-real-time connectivity between vehicles and the cloud.

How to get started with AWS Wavelength Zones?

To get started with AWS Wavelength Zones, customers need to have an AWS account and a VPC in an AWS Region that supports Wavelength Zones. They also need to have access to a 5G device and a 5G network from a telecommunication provider that partners with AWS.

Currently, AWS Wavelength Zones are available in select cities in the US with Verizon, Japan with KDDI, South Korea with SK Telecom, and Europe with Vodafone. More locations and partners are expected to be added in the future.

Customers can find more information about AWS Wavelength Zones on the AWS website, or contact an AWS sales representative for assistance.