Analyst firm Omdia expects global infrastructure spending for Edge computing on telco networks to reach nearly $7bn by 2032 (excluding MEC on private networks).

Omdia, through its new Networked Edge / MEC tracker, noted that this spend comprises facility-related CapEx and OpEx, servers and networking hardware, software, and professional services of integration and implementation.

For context, the figure currently being spent by telcos on Edge computing is around $1 billion.

"Telcos are currently building the necessary foundations for Edge computing through network cloudification, both in core and RAN, and improving their technical and commercial acumen in technology development and go-to-market," said Kerem Arsal, senior principal analyst, Networked Edge and 5G Transport at Omdia.

"Networked Edge is still a nascent service and there is a natural learning process here."

Omdia reports that mobile operators in Asia-Pacific are pushing forward with more urgency when it comes to Edge computing, while it claims most European operators are still hesitant to deploy Edge computing at scale.

Arsal notes that the absence of "killer use cases" will need to be resolved to attract telcos to invest more in Edge computing.

"When telcos offload the risk to other players in the value chain, they also offload the reward. They should be careful not to miss out on the unique positioning that the combination of connectivity and computing can bring to them," added Arsal.

DCD covered the Network Edge in our most recent magazine, Issue 49.

Christopher Antlitz, principal analyst at Technology Business Research, told DCD that Edge computing is still at the "experimentation" stage, and will take time to proliferate as expected.