A novel alliance of eight mobile operators, spearheaded by Telefónica and seeking to cajole “disruptive” startups to build applications for their global 5G networks, has signed with Qualcomm in a bid to stimulate the AR/VR startup community, specifically. The group has issued a “global call” for startups to utilise its collective infrastructure in 50-odd markets, combined with Qualcomm’s chip design technologies, to scale their so-called extended reality (XR) solutions for consumers and enterprises.
The Alaian alliance also counts Bouygues Telecom, Cellnex, KPN, MTN, NOS, STC, and Wind Tre as members. The group of eight mobile operators, working mostly in Europe, Africa, and Latin America, said successful respondents would be able to access “exclusive benefits”; namely: access to 700 million customers around the world, plus local infrastructure, knowhow, and contacts, as well as to Qualcomm’s XR developer platform (Snapdragon Spaces) and developer kits. The group also flags potential capital investment from its members’ various investment vehicles , and venture partners.
The Qualcomm proposition for XR developers also includes dedicated engineering support and priority access to its Snapdragon Spaces Pathfinder scheme, which offers a “network of resources and strategic opportunities to accelerate startup growth”. The new project is targeting startup augmented and virtual reality (AR and VR; XR) ‘metaverse’ applications to pitch to the entertainment, education, industrial and manufacturing, logistics, retail sectors. A statement said: “Also considered are connectivity tools and software to enhance the deployment of XR product and service use cases; XR mass entertainment in the home; and XR sustainability tools for large enterprises.
Daniel Hernández, vice president of devices and consumer IoT of Telefónica, said: “This joint call offers an exceptional opportunity for startups that want to accelerate their growth and benefit from the backing of eight major companies in the telecommunications sector. We are excited to discover new talent and promote the development of disruptive solutions in the field of extended reality.”
Douglas Vaz Benitez, senior director of business development at Qualcomm Europe, said “We have XR research and development centres in Europe and our main objective is to enable startups to succeed by creating immersive applications in a faster, easier, and more profitable way. XR will become a central part of the world we’ll live in, in the coming years and Qualcomm’s solutions… are available to anyone who wants to be part of this new technology transition. We are very excited for the opportunities we have ahead of us.”Information about the project is available on the Alaian’s website.
