Virtualization in telecom has become a strategic imperative as network operators worldwide seek to optimize costs, performance, and scalability. With rising licensing fees from proprietary hypervisors like VMware ESXi following Broadcom’s 2024 acquisition, telcos are looking for cost-effective alternatives that maintain carrier-grade performance. VMware price increases, ranging from 800% to 1,500%, and the consolidation of thousands of SKUs into bundled offerings have forced operators to reconsider their virtualization strategies.