TMUS doubles down on 5G innovation

T‑Mobile US (TMUS) joined Intel and NASA as founding partners of the 5G Open Innovation Lab (5G OI Lab), based in Seattle, Washington.

In a set‑up not dissimilar to Telecom Infra Project’s TIP Ecosystem Acceleration Centres (TEAC), one of which is led by Deutsche Telekom (DT), the tie‑up — first mooted in 2019 (Deutsche Telekomwatch, #87) — gives startups access to a working environment that can help them develop, test, and bring to market new use‑cases.

TMUS, Intel, and NASA said they had pooled their engineering, technology, and industry resources to kit out what is essentially a virtual lab. In deference to COVID‑19, it provides startups with virtual access to mentors, as well as tools to collaborate directly with “technology and business leaders” and help develop 5G applications. The 5G OI Lab offers AWS Activate and Google Cloud for Startups to enable participants to host 5G services and run and test code.

Avanade, an Accenture–Microsoft joint venture, has also joined the initiative as a business ecosystem partner, and will help support founders as they develop their 5G development and integration strategies. More than 20 additional business, technical, and community partners have also been signed up to serve as mentors and advisors.

Another TEAC similarity is that 5G OI Lab startups will be introduced to venture capital providers. It was indicated that the lab will not take an equity position in the startup companies.

Neville Ray, President of Technology at TMUS, gave the new lab his approval in a prepared statement. “Through efforts like the 5G Open Innovation Lab, we’re providing developers and startups with the tools to unleash transformative services for people across the country, benefiting everything from entertainment and gaming to education and public safety”, he noted.

First cohort selected

The founders of the 5G OI Lab selected 17 companies to participate in a first, twelve‑week “virtual programme”, which ends on 17 July 2020.

Aside from three companies that are “currently in stealth mode”, these comprise: Aarna Networks, Evolute, Expeto Wireless, Gybe, iUNU, Mutable, Nonlinear Materials Corporation (NLM), Numurus, Omnivor Technologies, OptiPulse, Pluto VR, SciVista, Taqtile, and Transparent Path.

The lab said the selected companies, which are at various stages of development and have initiated fund raising including Series‑A rounds of at least $15m (£11.8m/€13.3m), are applying 5G in diverse markets including: agriculture, entertainment, healthcare, and manufacturing.

T‑Mobile Accelerator picks up where Sprint left off

On the same day 5G OI Lab was officially announced, TMUS unveiled six startups that will participate in the 2020 T‑Mobile Accelerator programme. TMUS has co‑opted the accelerator format from merger partner Sprint, which had been running an annual Sprint Accelerator since 2014.

This year’s programme, operating until 30 July 2020, provides mentoring and technical resources for companies developing “disruptive emerging products, applications, and solutions” that can be used over 5G networks. Like the 5G OI Lab programme, it is being operated on a virtual basis.

Initial six startups include existing DT partner Unmanned Life

The six startups that will participate in 2020’s programme comprise: two ‘home‑grown’ Kansas City players, Aware Vehicles and Homebase; two Californian video tech startups, ORBI Prime and Seerslab; and two European imports, London‑born Unmanned Life and Dutch Zoi Meet. Though all focused on bringing 5G‑enabled solutions to market, there is substantial variation in the use‑cases being looked at.

The startups are well established and largely commercialised already. They have existing 5G solutions and many have ongoing relationships with telco and technology players (see below).