AWS Telco Network Builder (TNB) helps communication service providers (CSPs) automate the deployment and management of their telco networks on AWS. You pay for two dimensions when using AWS TNB: by managed network function item (MNFI) hours and by number of API requests. You also incur additional charges for the other services you use with AWS TNB.
Managed network function item hours
A network function is an application that serves as a building block (for example, routers, firewall, or billing systems) within a telco network. Each network function that you create with AWS TNB becomes a managed network function item (MNFI), which is the unit used for billing.
You pay by the hour for each MNFI in your telco network. MNFI hourly charges begin when you instantiate the telco network that a network function belongs to. Hourly charges end when you terminate that telco network. Charges are prorated by the minute for partial hours.
You pay separately for AWS services that are needed to run network functions on the AWS infrastructure such as Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2), Elastic Load Balancing (ELB), and Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3).
API requests
You can use the AWS Command Line Interface (CLI), AWS SDKs, or the AWS TNB console to make API calls, such as CREATE, UPLOAD, INSTANTIATE, TERMINATE, UPDATE, GET, POST, ENABLE/DISABLE, and LIST. Refer to the complete list of supported APIs in the documentation. You pay for API requests when they exceed 45,000 requests per month, per AWS Region, across all the network functions that you manage using AWS TNB.
Pricing tables
Pricing examples
Example 1:
Assume that you are a CSP that is launching a new containerized 5G Standalone Core telco network in the AWS US East (N. Virginia) Region. Your telco network is composed of 6 network functions, which you create by uploading function packages to AWS TNB. You instantiate 6 MNFIs, each with a single instance. The upload and instantiate process uses 50 API requests. After instantiation, each MNFI is metered on an hourly basis. Assuming a full 30-day month of usage, each MNFI is billed for 720 hours. Using API requests, you monitor the status of these MNFIs every 10 minutes, which invokes 4,320 API requests.
Monthly MNFI cost:
Number of MNFIs = 6
Number of hours = 6 MNFIs * 720 hours = 4,320 hours
Total MNFI cost = 4,320 MNFI hours * $0.035 cost per MNFI = $151.20
Monthly API request cost:
The service includes 45,000 free API requests per month per AWS Region.
Total requests = 50 upload/instantiate APIs + 4,320 monitoring APIs = 4,370 API requests
Total requests - included requests = 4,370 - 45,000 = (40,630)
Total API request cost = $0
Total monthly costs:
Total costs = Total MNFI cost + Total API request cost = $151.20 + $0 = $151.20
Example 2:
Assume that you are a CSP launching multiple containerized instances of a 5G Core telco network data plane closer to your customer. You create your network functions by uploading function packages to AWS TNB in the AWS US East (N. Virginia) and AWS US West (Oregon) Regions. You instantiate MNFIs across 10 instances in the AWS US East (N. Virginia) Region and 10 instances in the AWS US West (Oregon) Region. After instantiation, each MNFI is metered on an hourly basis. The upload and instantiate process uses 20 API requests in each AWS Region. Assuming a full 30-day month of usage, each MNFI is billed for 720 hours. Using API requests, you monitor the status of these MNFIs every minute in the AWS US East (N. Virginia) Region and every 30 seconds in the AWS US West (Oregon) Region. Monitoring the status results in the invocation of 43,200 API requests in the AWS US East (N. Virginia) Region and 86,400 API requests in the AWS US West (Oregon) Region.
US East (N. Virginia)
Monthly MNFI costs:
Number of MNFIs = 10
Number of hours = 10 MNFIs * 720 hours = 7,200 hours
Total MNFI cost = 7,200 hours * $0.035 cost per MNFI = $252
Monthly API request costs:
The service includes 45,000 free API requests per month per AWS Region.
Total requests = 20 upload/instantiate APIs + 43,200 monitoring APIs = 43,220
Total requests - included requests = 43,220 - 45,000 = (1,780)
Total API request cost = $0
Total monthly costs:
Total costs = Total MNFI cost + Total API request cost = $252 + $0 = $252
US West (Oregon)
Monthly MNFI costs:
Number of MNFIs = 10
Number of hours = 10 MNFIs * 720 hours = 7,200 hours
Total MNFI cost = 7,200 hours * $0.035 cost per MNFI = $252
Monthly API request costs:
The service includes 45,000 free API requests per month per AWS Region.
Total requests = 20 upload/instantiate APIs + 86,400 monitoring APIs = 86,420
Total requests - included requests = 86,420 - 45,000 = 41,420
Total API request cost = 41,420 * $0.0025 charge per API request exceeding 45K per month = $103.55
Total monthly costs:
Total costs = Total MNFI cost + Total API request cost = $252.00 + $103.55 = $355.55
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