Collaboration intended to drive industry standards on Open APIs for multi-access edge computing (MEC)
Bridge Alliance, the mobile alliance covering 34 markets* and TM Forum, the industry association dedicated to digital transformation through collaboration whose members span 180 countries, have entered into a strategic partnership.
Their aim is to simplify the adoption of edge computing for global telecom companies, thereby accelerating digital transformation efforts and allowing them to capitalise on new business opportunities.
What the use of MEC?
MEC processes data closer to the where it is generated instead of sending it to the cloud for applications such as cloud gaming, drones, robots, autonomous vehicles and augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) applications.
Bridge Alliance and its member telecom operators* will adopt TM Forum’s Open APIs to deliver open, transparent and accessible MECs at scale. This plan is this will pave the way for interoperability and standardisation of MEC globally.
The operators could develop MEC to boost capabilities in areas such as location-based services and optimise content storage and distribution closer to their customers for faster response times.
The thinking is they will also be better positioned to develop mutually beneficial partnerships with hyperscalers.
Supporting programmes
Bridge Alliance is driving proofs of concept and live deployments of MEC services through its Federated Edge Hub which connects MEC platforms across its member operators.
This allows them to onboard their respective edge platforms and deliver on-demand edge computing services regionally to support their customers.
TM Forum is exploring the integration, interoperability, and service management challenges associated with MEC through its Open APIs and Catalyst rapid proof-of-concept programme.
TM Forum has more than 850 member companies – including all 10 of the world’s top 10 network and communications providers – that provide services and equipment across 180 countries.
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* Bridge Alliance is a mobile alliance for premier operators and their customers in the Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa. Bridge Alliance’s members and partners include: Airtel (India, Sri Lanka and the Airtel subsidiaries in Africa: Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Kenya, Malawi, Madagascar, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Seychelles, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia), AIS (Thailand), China Telecom (China), China Unicom (China), CSL Mobile (Hong Kong), CTM (Macau), Globe Telecom (Philippines), Maxis (Malaysia), Metfone (Cambodia), MobiFone (Vietnam), Optus (Australia), Singtel (Singapore), SK Telecom (South Korea), stc (Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait), SoftBank Corp. (Japan), Taiwan Mobile (Taiwan), and Telkomsel (Indonesia).