The Telecom Infra Project (TIP), an organization of roughly 450 members dedicated to rethinking telecom network infrastructure, has announced a new initiative focused on millimeter wave (mmWave) networks.
The Millimeter Wave Networks Project Group, co-chaired by Facebook and Deutsche Telekom (DT) and unveiled at Mobile World Congress Americas in San Francisco, is designed to speed up the deployment of mmWave networks. According to Leland Lai, TIP’s executive director, the group will collaborate on advanced network planning methods and tools, software routing protocols, and simulation platforms to support real-world rollouts.
The initiative draws heavily on lessons from Facebook’s Terragraph project. Terragraph uses 60 GHz multi-node wireless technology to deliver high-speed connectivity in dense urban environments and adapts the approach beyond traditional indoor use. TIP plans to leverage the data and operational experience from Terragraph to inform best practices and accelerate mmWave adoption.
In addition to the mmWave project, TIP is expanding its Ecosystem Acceleration Center (TEAC) program. With support from Deutsche Telekom, a new TEAC will open in Berlin, joining existing centers in Seoul, London, and Paris. These centers aim to attract ambitious startups and forward-looking investors to work with the broader TIP community, fostering collaboration between innovators and established telecom participants.
Deutsche Telekom says its objective is to deliver superior network services while improving capital efficiency. CTO Bruno Jacobfeuerborn noted that telecom has traditionally been a market with high barriers to entry dominated by established vendors, making it difficult for small startups to gain traction even for proof-of-concept trials. That environment has limited infrastructure-related investment from the venture capital community.
Jacobfeuerborn added that the Berlin TEAC will help overcome this barrier by providing a platform for startups to demonstrate and refine new technologies in collaboration with operators and vendors. He said DT’s work on 5G highlights the company’s leadership in telco innovation and expressed confidence that the TEAC program will similarly advance the wider telecom infrastructure ecosystem.
TIP’s membership spans operators, equipment manufacturers, and system integrators. Major members include SK Telecom, Telefónica, Juniper Networks, and others that contribute to TIP’s collaborative projects and open-source approaches to building more flexible, cost-effective network infrastructure.
By combining practical field experience, shared tools, and startup support through TEAC, TIP’s new mmWave project and the expanded ecosystem centers aim to reduce deployment friction for high-frequency wireless technology and stimulate broader innovation across the telecom industry.