Axel Clauberg, a long-time advocate of next-generation networking technology and one of the best known figures in the carrier SDN and NFV sector, has left Deutsche Telekom to join Amazon Web Services (AWS).

Clauberg first appeared on Light Reading's radar when he presented plans for a simplified, more software-oriented Deutsche Telekom network, dubbed Terastream, in early 2012.

He then became a regular speaker at industry events, communicating DT's plans and urging the vendor community to address key requirements, such as optical/IP integration and revamped OSS systems, as part of the broader push towards virtualization and cloud-oriented networking. Most recently he held the role of VP and CTO at T-Systems International, the global services and consulting arm of DT.

In recent years, Clauberg has played a pivotal role in handing greater control of network technology developments to the operator community as chairman of the Telecom Infra Project (TIP).

Now he boasts the job title Solutions Architects Leader, Germany, at Amazon Web Services (AWS), but says it's too early to discuss the details of that role with the media.

Figure 1: Axel Clauberg addresses attendees at the TIP Summit in Amsterdam last November.

His appointment, though, reflects the broader trend of web services giants hiring telecom industry specialists as they seek to build out networking infrastructure that can support not only their own data transport requirements, but also help them to forge revenue-generating relationships with communications service providers and offer services direct to enterprise users.

For more on Clauberg and the increasing role of the public cloud giants in the telecoms sector, see:

— Ray Le Maistre, Editor-in-Chief, Light Reading