Bridge Alliance and TM Forum enter strategic partnership, to help telecom companies adopt edge computing
Bridge Alliance and TM Forum have entered into a strategic partnership, helping global telecom companies simplify the adoption of edge computing.
The partnership aims to advance multi-access edge computing (MEC) as a growth engine for the telecom industry. Advancements will enable telecom companies to accelerate their digital transformation efforts and leverage new business opportunities.
MEC supports ultra-low latency applications, processing data closer to the user rather than sending it to the cloud. This system enables new business models and the growth of use cases such as cloud gaming, drones, robots, autonomous vehicles and augmented and virtual reality applications.
As a result of the partnership, Bridge Alliance and its member telecom operators will leverage TM Forum Open APIs to deliver open, transparent and accessible MECs at scale. The company says this will help to pave the way for interoperability and standardisation of MEC globally.
Operators can advance MEC development and boost capabilities in location-based services, and optimise content storage and distribution closer to customers for faster response times.
"MEC is an area of growth that many telecom operators are focusing on as our industry moves towards edge computing," says Bridge Alliance CEO, Dr Ong Geok Chwee.
"Given the current fragmented regional telecom market, there's a need to work towards integration and interoperability as a common goal. We're delighted to work with TM Forum towards standardisation and an industry-approved architecture in MEC to drive the growth and deployment of MEC use cases.
She says by sharing knowledge and resources, the two companies can help their ecosystem of operators and service providers evolve with the developing edge computing market and compete globally.
Bridge Alliance is currently driving proof-of-concept and live deployments of MEC services through its Federated Edge Hub solution that connects MEC platforms across its member operators. TM Forum is exploring the integration, interoperability, and service management challenges associated with MEC through its Open APIs and Catalyst rapid proof-of-concept programs.
"Alongside AI and 5G, MEC is one of a perfect storm of digital infrastructure technologies that will unlock the potential of Industry 4.0 and exciting new B2B2x services," says TM Forum CEO, Nik Willetts
"For the telecoms' industry to seize these opportunities for growth, we need open standards that make it easy to partner, federate, operate and assure MEC solutions end-to-end. By working with Bridge Alliance, we have a unique opportunity to rapidly co-create, test and prove effective standards fit for the real world."
