AWS and Verizon have partnered to deliver cloud computing services at the edge using 5G connectivity.

The deal will see Amazon’s cloud processing brought closer to mobile devices at the edge thanks to Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband Network and AWS Wavelength.

Speaking during an AWS keynote on Tuesday, Verizon’s CEO Hans Vestberg said that his company was «the first in the world to offer 5G network edge computing».

However, this announcement comes a week after Microsoft and AT&T revealed their own integrated 5G edge computing service on Azure.

AWS and Verizon are currently piloting AWS Wavelength on Verizon’s edge compute platform, 5G Edge, in Chicago for a select group of customers, including video game publisher Bethesda Softworks and the NFL. Additional deployments are planned in other locations across the US for 2020.

«We’ve worked closely with Verizon to deliver a way for AWS customers to easily take advantage of the ubiquitous connectivity and advanced features of 5G,» said Jassy.

«AWS Wavelength provides the same AWS environment – APIs, management console, and tools – that they’re using today at the edge of the 5G network. Starting with Verizon’s 5G network locations in the US, customers will be able to deploy the latency-sensitive portions of an application at the edge to provide single-digit millisecond latency to mobile and connected devices.»

The aim is to enable developers to deliver a wide range of transformative, latency-sensitive use cases such as smart cars, IoT and augmented and virtual reality, according to AWS. The service will also be coming to Europe via Vodafone sometime in 2020.

«Vodafone is pleased to be the first telco to introduce AWS Wavelength in Europe,» said Vinod Kumar, CEO of Vodafone Business. «Faster speeds and lower latencies have the potential to revolutionise how our customers do business and they can rely on Vodafone’s existing capabilities and security layers within our own network.»