With operations spanning R&D, software and hardware through to infrastructure, the new members are Celling5G, ETRI, Interdigital, Sercomm, Sterlite Technologies Ltd and Zeetta Networks. According to SCF they will bring expertise in 5G interoperability as well as their respective national markets.
Further, their focus areas align with the forum’s 2021 Workplan, which focuses on removing commercial and technical barriers to deployment; working with service providers, regulators and municipalities; partnering with businesses; and helping to develop new business cases.
“The addition of this fantastic group of new members sends an emphatic message, as the Forum brings together the very best of global developers, operators and innovators from across the industry joining forces to develop world class 5G networks,” said Sue Monahan, CEO of Small Cell Forum. “I am delighted to welcome our new members and look forward to working with them on the exciting projects we have planned for the year ahead.”
The SCF, which represents operators such as AT&T and Telefónica as well as vendors such as Aruba and ZTE, said the new members will be able to take an “active role in the ambitious 2021” plans, which include the development of Option 6 specifications, technical requirements for neutral hosts and blueprints for the profitable roll out of edge computing.
“I have been delighted with the ever-growing momentum seen during my first 12 months as chair, and the fruits of our labour can be seen in an expanding and diversifying Forum membership. A hearty welcome to our new members,” said Dr. Prabhakar Chitrapu (pictured), chair of SCF.
“As an organisation we work hand in glove with the enterprise, operators and vendors (equipment and component) to develop technologies and specifications that can be tailored to the requirements of a multitude of deployment scenarios, and as the 5G-era dawns, the Forum is set to play a key role in enabling an open multi-vendor 5G small cell landscape,” he added.
In the last year SCF has set out 12 major initiatives which were delivered by its members, including its suite of 5G FAPI specifications, edge computing and a major paper on 5G Small Cell Architecture and Product Definitions.
