Collaborative Facebook Project Reimagines Telecom Infrastructure To Meet Data Demand

Facebook announced a new collaborative project among operators, infrastructure providers, system integrators and other technology companies that would "reimagine traditional approaches to building and deploying telecom network infrastructure," wrote Jay Parikh, the company's global head of engineering and infrastructure, in a news release. He wrote Sunday that the current infrastructure isn't moving fast enough to meet the "data-intensive experiences like video and virtual reality." In its new Telecom Infra Project, member companies will contribute designs in access, backhaul and core and management areas through a more open framework to get better cost and operational efficiencies, which could lead to faster development of technologies like 5G, he said. In one example, he said, Facebook collaborated on a pilot, based on the project's principles, to provide cellular coverage for the first time to a small Philippines village. Facebook along with members Intel and Nokia would contribute an initial suite of reference designs, while Deutsche Telekom and SK Telecom would help define and deploy technology tailored to their needs, he added. Other partnership members include Harman, its website said.