Stop Delays From Putting Millions at Risk

How Reailize accelerated 5G Core Deployments with a Unified DevOps Automation Framework Solution

Sebastian Luraschi, Cloud Enablement Solution Manager
Cloud and mobile engineer with 25+ years of experience in IP/mobile networks and cloud architectures.

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The Urgency Of Speed In A 5G World

As operators transition to 5G, the pressure to deliver faster, more reliable, and secure network services has never been greater. In this new environment, every delay in deployment represents more than lost time, it’s lost market opportunity.

A leading U.S. Tier-1 mobile operator faced this exact struggle. Network rollouts meant to take days were stretching into weeks. Slow pipeline readiness processes were driving operational costs higher and delaying service innovation.

Stuck in a cycle of delays and rising costs, the operator realized that pushing harder was not enough. A partnership was needed, one that brought technical depth and fresh insight. Reailize stepped forward as a hands-on business partner, ready to tackle every root challenge.  

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The Operational Barriers To Agility

The operator’s deployment environment was highly complex, spanning lab, pre-production, and production stages, each requiring precise control and repeatability.
Infrastructure was distributed across on-premises clouds (OpenStack and VMware), hybrid clouds (Azure Nexus and the operator’s own private cloud), and public Azure environments.

The network supported both 5G Non-Standalone (NSA) and Standalone (SA) mobile core technologies, with deployments delivered as VNFs and CNFs.
Given the scale and velocity of 5G services, continuous deployment was a fundamental requirement, with multiple daily rollouts expected across diverse network functions and environments.

Within this environment, Reailize’s assessment uncovered three structural challenges preventing the operator from achieving true DevOps efficiency:

• Code not ready for direct use: Vendors delivered pipelines built with different tools, configurations, and workflows. Each delivery required additional integration and rework before it could be used inside the operator’s network. This created long lead times and inconsistent quality across deployments.

• Vendor delivery shortfalls: When pipeline issues emerged, troubleshooting was slow. Vendors took time to identify root causes and often delayed the release of updated pipelines or new feature rollouts. These lags accumulated, creating downstream delays and increasing operational costs for services dependent on timely deployment.

• Internal skill and capacity gaps: The operator’s internal teams lacked sufficient DevOps expertise and bandwidth to perform Tier 1 and Tier 2 troubleshooting or manage complex pipeline quality testing. As a result, even minor issues were escalated back to vendors, further extending resolution timelines and reducing operational efficiency.

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Reimagining Deployment Through Unified DevOps Framework

Reailize designed and delivered the transformation as a managed services program, rethinking the operator’s DevOps model from the ground up. The vision was to build a deployment framework that maximized control within the operator’s hands, while introducing a standardized, scalable approach to pipeline automation and quality assurance.

Our approach focused on four key pillars:

1. Pipeline standardization and reusability

• We introduced standardized pipeline templates and best practices to enable reusability across network functions and teams.

• Using a modular building-block concept, pipelines were structured as macro and micro components, allowing teams to assemble, reuse, and extend automation capabilities like plug-ins for different deployment needs.

• A unified automation layer was implemented using Terraform, Helm, and Azure Container Registry (ACR) to harmonize workflows across all vendors.

2. Quality and reliability assurance

• We pushed for fully automated end-to-end pipelines, achieving single-click deployment of both cluster and network functions.

• Security validation was built directly into each pipeline stage, automating key checks across Kubernetes clusters.

• In addition, every pipeline incorporated a mandatory pre-check step to validate VLANs, DNS, IPs, and other configurations before execution, eliminating common sources of failure and rework.

3. Comprehensive end-to-end automation

• We improved vendor delivery maturity by embedding Reailize engineers into the process, providing direct feedback and guidance to enhance pipeline quality over time.

• We established controlled code promotion and structured branching (from vendor → pre-production → production), ensuring consistent code integrity across environments.

• Reailize also provided hands-on deployment support through dedicated “tiger teams” to troubleshoot and stabilize critical production rollouts in real time.

4. Team empowerment and enablement

• To ensure sustainability, we enabled the operator’s internal teams to independently edit, add, and develop pipeline components within defined boundaries.

• Through structured training, documentation, and knowledge transfer, we helped the customer internalize best practices, allowing them to progress autonomously while maintaining alignment with the overall framework.

This comprehensive approach balanced automation depth with operational ownership, creating a deployment model that was not only faster and more reliable but also inherently scalable across technologies and environments.

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Predictable. Scalable. Vendor-Independent.

The transformation delivered measurable, sustained improvements in both operational efficiency and delivery confidence.

• 80% reduction in deployment failure causes: by ensuring consistent readiness and detecting configuration errors early, leading to a more dependable, predictable rollout process for network functions.

• Accelerated feature rollout to production: deployment cycles for new pods dropped from weeks to hours, with higher delivery frequency and without compromising quality or compliance.

• Reduced vendor dependency through self-service automation: a self-service setup allowed operators to evolve automation at their own pace, without relying on vendor intervention for every new use case.

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Build the Future Faster

For telecom operators, the next wave of network leadership will come from those who can industrialize automation, scaling continuous integration, security, and delivery across complex, multi-vendor ecosystems.

Reailize continues to help service providers evolve from fragmented operations to unified, data-driven DevOps frameworks that accelerate innovation, reduce cost, and enable networks built for the future.

Reailize makes it real.

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