The fifth generation (5G) mobile network brings significant new capacity and opportunity to network operators while also creating new challenges and additional pressure to build and operate networks differently. The transformation to 5G mobile networks creates the opportunity to virtualize significant portions of the radio access (RAN) and network core, allowing operators to better compete with over-the-top and hyperscaler offerings. This book covers the business and technical areas of virtualization that enable the transformation and innovation that today’s operators are seeking. It identifies forward-looking gaps where the technology continues to develop, specifically packet acceleration and timing requirements, which today are still not fully virtualized. The book shows you the operational and support considerations, development and lifecycle management, business implications, and vendor-team dynamics involved in deploying a virtualized network. Packed with key concepts of virtualization that solve a broad array of problems, this is an essential reference for those entering this technical domain, those that are going to build and operate these networks, and those that are seeking to learn more about the telecom network. It illustrates why you just can’t do it all in the cloud today.