Sprint to Test Blockchain Platform for Connecting Telecoms

US telecom Sprint is working on a new blockchain initiative focused on carrier applications.

The firm is partnering with SoftBank, a Japanese telecom conglomerate, and TBCASoft, Inc., a blockchain startup based in California. Sprint is the fourth-largest telecom provider in the US, according to data from Statista, after Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile.

For now, it appears the partnership is still in its early stages, as the three companies said today that joint trials won’t begin until June, leveraging a platform developed by TBCASoft to connect the telecom’s systems together.

Sprint confirmed the partnership when reached, with a representative telling CoinDesk:

“We entered this partnership with SoftBank and TBCASoft as part of our mutual interest to understand the full potential of blockchain to improve carrier-to-carrier interactions and, ultimately, end-user enhancements to further simplify transactions for customers.”

Sprint is by no means alone in its work on blockchain among the world’s telecoms.

A number of firms in the space have sought to obtain patents related to the tech in the past two years, including AT&T, British Telecommunications PLC and Verizon.

Like Sprint, some telecoms have sought collaborative efforts around blockchain. Swisscom AG, which is state-owned, became a member of the Linux Foundation-led Hyperledger blockchain project in December, and UAE-based Du joined Dubai’s Global Blockchain Council last year as well.

Others, including France-based Orange, have moved to invest in the space directly.

Image Credit: Ken Wolter / Shutterstock.com