Facebook has started the Telecom Infra Project in which providers, network companies and system builders must be brought together to work on new infrastructure for telecom networks. Intel and Nokia are on board, among others.
According to Facebook, it is becoming easier to share video and VR images, but the network capacity is not growing as fast as needed. The Telecom Infra Project must therefore allow companies and organizations to work together on reference designs that providers can use when constructing new generations of networks, such as those for 5G. In addition to Intel and Nokia, Deutsche Telekom and SK Telecom have agreed to cooperate.
The designs concern techniques in the field of network access, backhaul and management. In addition, the aim of the project is to strive as much as possible for new designs for parts and not for complete systems; this would allow providers to save costs and have more flexibility in building network infrastructure.
Facebook benefits from faster networks with more bandwidth. The company has high hopes for VR video, which takes up more storage space than traditional video. According to the social network, virtual reality will open up new social possibilities. In total, Facebook users have now added 20,000 360-degree videos to the site, which offer a panoramic view with VR glasses. The most famous manufacturer of VR glasses, Oculus, is part of Facebook and the company has set up a special ‘social VR’ team that focuses on VR use by the social network.