In a press release today, Amazon said Comcast Cable has decided to base all its future applications on top of Amazon Web Services (AWS) facilities. This will include the construction of new products that are powered by AWS datacentre capabilities. Existing material workloads will also be migrated onto the platform.
Amazon and Comcast have already been working together for several years. A AWS case study details how Comcast previously used the cloud to develop its XFINITY X1 video product. Using AWS, it was able to deploy and test new features multiple times a week. The company used to rely on internal processes that restricted new deployments to once every 12-18 months.
Today’s press release suggests Comcast is now pursuing similar efficiency improvements across its business. The company said it has already sampled the “breadth and depth” of AWS services over a number of previous projects. By making AWS its preferred cloud provider, Comcast can now enjoy a closer relationship with Amazon as it develops further technologies in the cloud.
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“We have deepened our strategic relationship with AWS, making the industry’s leading cloud our preferred public cloud provider,” said Jan Hofmeyr, Chief Network and Operations Officer and Senior Vice President at Comcast Cable. “Over the years, we have leveraged the breadth and depth of AWS’s services, including compute, storage, and analytics. In that process, we’ve found AWS to be extremely customer focused.”
AWS components are currently used in several of Comcast’s products. These include its Xfinity xFi personalised Wi-Fi network and its X1 platform for voice control. Other Comcast businesses, including Comcast Cable and NBCUniversal, are also using Amazon’s cloud infrastructure to support their consumer services.
Comcast will use the improved agility of the cloud to offset the risk to its business presented by cable cord cutting. With more people abandoning their cable subscriptions than ever, the company has to find new ways to lure customers back or cut its costs. AWS provides scope for both, with Comcast potentially using cloud networks to offer value-added services on top of pure cable subscriptions.
