A comprehensive primer on the new telecom network implementation methodology of virtualization, described in the context of 5G and beyond which is highly topical today. This book will cover the business and technical areas of virtualization that will enable the transformation and innovation that the operators are seeking. It will also identify some forward-looking gaps where the technology continues to develop, specifically packet acceleration and timing requirements, which are today still not fully virtualized. This book is intended to be of interest to those entering this technical domain, those that are going to build and operate these networks, and those that are seeking to learn more about the telecom network, and why you just can't do it all in the cloud today. Useful to both novice and experienced telecom infrastructure practitioners who want to get up to speed on this new technology. It will also be of high interest to mobile network engineers who need to understand how the architectures of mobile networks will be transformed by the new technologies of virtualization and cloud computing.