IBM targets 5G services with latest Telefonica tie-up

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IBM highlighted the importance of agility in creating new services in the 5G sphere and enabling network transformation, as it looked to boost its play in the telecoms market through a fresh partnership with existing customer Telefonica.

Eduardo Argueso, IBM telco and media industry leader EMEA (pictured), told Mobile World Live one of the main focuses for the company was to develop new 5G services for the enterprise segment “in a more agile way”, and the new partnership allowed Telefonica to provide its business consumers with next-generation application development and execution with higher speed and efficiency.

IBM stated its Cloud Garden 2.0 platform allows Telefonica’s clients to run applications on premises or in the cloud, and simplifies the development process.

Argueso said IBM will announce further tie-ups in the upcoming weeks, adding to recent collaborations with players including Nokia, Samsung, AT&T and Bouygues Telecom.

He explained 2021 will be an important year for the industry, with open RAN and 5G set to mature, and adoption of each expected to significantly increase.

“The industry is realising that the convergence of networks, IT, the convergence of cloud and 5G is creating a singular moment in history where things are going to start happening at a quicker pace”.