More focus on the mobile data is driving FaceBook to work with Telecom Companies

23 Feb, 2016

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Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ: FB) needs mobile phone data networks to work better and faster. So they’re asking telecommunications companies to partner with them and share designs, in an initiative that could accelerate the spread of 5G connectivity.

Facebook made the same pitch with data-center storage and networking equipment through its Open Compute project, ultimately allowing the company and its partners to save billions in infrastructure costs. The company’s focus is moving to telecommunications as it builds products for live-streaming video and virtual reality, which require fast, high-bandwidth connections.

Facebook Inc. needs mobile phone data networks to work better and faster. So they’re asking telecommunications companies to partner with them and share designs, in an initiative that could accelerate the spread of 5G connectivity.

Facebook is trying to influence an industry where best practices are already established. Currently, carriers pay large sums of money to experienced providers, and find it difficult to spend on upgrades until the last batch of equipment is paid off. It’s been difficult for new equipment providers to come in and create competition that lowers prices.

“Scaling traditional telecom infrastructure to meet this global data challenge is not moving as fast as people need,” Jay Parikh, Facebook’s head of engineering, said in a blog post. “Driving a faster pace of innovation in telecom infrastructure is necessary to meet these new technology challenges and to unlock new opportunities for everyone in the ecosystem.”

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