Sylva 1.5 becomes the first release to include Kubernetes 1.32, bringing the latest open source cloud-native capabilities to the European telecommunications industry 

With the launch of Sylva 1.5, Canonical Kubernetes is now officially part of the project’s reference architecture. This follows its earlier availability as a technology preview in Sylva 1.4.

What is the Sylva project?

The Sylva project is backed by Europe’s largest telecom operators and vendors, including Nokia and Ericsson, and is designed to deliver an open, telco-friendly cloud-native framework. By focusing on interoperability, performance, and automation, Sylva addresses the unique requirements of telecommunications providers building Kubernetes telco platforms for their IT, 5G core, O-RAN, and edge services. Canonical is thrilled to be included as part of the Sylva project, supporting the important work of creating an open source cloud-native reference architecture capable of hosting the mission-critical workloads of the telco industry.

Canonical’s contribution to the Kubernetes telco ecosystem

Canonical Kubernetes brings unique advantages to Sylva’s mission of reducing fragmentation and simplifying operations across telecom networks. One of its defining features is up to 12 years of long-term support (LTS). For operators running critical workloads, this ensures  stability, ongoing security updates, and compliance with industry standards over a much longer lifecycle than other Kubernetes distributions.

Canonical Kubernetes also provides the flexibility needed for large-scale Kubernetes telco deployments, from core networks to the far edge. Operators benefit from a distribution designed to be both lightweight and maintained with security in mind, while remaining capable of handling advanced workloads such as 5G core, O-RAN, and AI-driven services.

Guillaume Nevicato, Sylva Technical Steering Committee co-chair and Orange Telco Cloud Product Manager, recognized the importance of this contribution:

Canonical is a major open-source player that has achieved the integration of their Canonical Kubernetes distribution into Sylva. They fully embrace Sylva’s full-stack automation, including cluster lifecycle management, storage, networking, observability, GreenDashboard, and security enhancements. This represents a significant step forward in Sylva’s adoption.

Accelerating the validation of Kubernetes telco workloads

A critical part of Sylva’s role is validating network functions against its reference framework, ensuring that cloud-native network functions (CNFs) and virtualized network functions (VNFs) perform reliably across any Sylva-compliant infrastructure. Following its technical preview in the previous Sylva release, Canonical Kubernetes is now included with 1.32 LTS in Sylva 1.5. This allows it to enter the validation process with the Sylva Validation Workgroup, covering key telecom workloads such as 5G Core, O-RAN, and distributed edge services.

For operators, this means they can deploy Kubernetes telco workloads with confidence, knowing that interoperability and performance have already been tested. Vendors also benefit, since a single certification process ensures compatibility across multiple Sylva-aligned platforms, reducing time to market for new services.

Looking ahead: future opportunities for integration

Canonical is now exploring how its broader infrastructure portfolio, including technologies like Canonical OpenStack, a featureful, highly customizable cloud, and MAAS, bare-metal server automation software, could complement Sylva’s approach in the future. These solutions could help create a more unified environment for both virtualized and cloud-native network functions, enhancing the flexibility of Kubernetes telco deployments.

As Sylva evolves, Canonical will continue engaging with operators, vendors, and the wider community to identify opportunities where its open source software can add value.

Building the future of Kubernetes in telco

The inclusion of Canonical Kubernetes in Sylva  represents a milestone in the adoption of open source telco cloud infrastructure. Operators now have access to a validated, commercially supported Kubernetes telco distribution that combines long-term stability, security, and interoperability with the innovation of cloud-native technologies.

 With Kubernetes at the foundation, operators can accelerate the rollout of next-generation network functions and services, while benefiting from the reliability and flexibility that only open-source collaboration can deliver.

Next steps

Are you building your telco cloud strategy? Learn how Canonical Kubernetes can give you a stable, validated, and open foundation for 5G, O-RAN, and edge workloads.

• Explore Canonical telco solutions
• Find out how to Transform your 5G infrastructure with Canonical
• Learn how Nova Telecommunications is building its next-gen telco cloud with Canonical in the case study
• Read our in-depth white paper on how to unlock the full potential of Kubernetes for telco performance
• Get in touch with Canonical’s telco team to discuss how we can help design and support your Kubernetes telco deployments