Bridge Alliance, representing a network of leading mobile operators across 34 markets in Asia Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa, has joined forces with TM Forum to simplify and accelerate the deployment of multi-access edge computing (MEC). This strategic collaboration is designed to help telecom operators enhance digital transformation efforts and create new business opportunities by leveraging emerging technologies like edge computing. Bridge Alliance serves nearly 900 million customers across its member operators, providing capabilities such as enterprise and IoT solutions while focusing on seamless roaming and innovative services through group economies. Through its federated edge hub, Bridge Alliance is already driving proof-of-concept and live deployments of MEC services, enabling its members to offer regional, on-demand edge computing for various customer needs. TM Forum represents over 850 companies globally, including some of the world’s largest network and communications providers. Through initiatives like Open APIs and Catalyst proof-of-concept programs, TM Forum addresses the challenges of integrating and managing MEC including interoperability and service delivery. The partnership between Bridge Alliance and TM Forum is set to promote MEC as a key growth driver for the telecom sector. By processing data closer to the user, MEC enables ultra-low latency applications and unlocks new business models for use cases including cloud gaming, autonomous vehicles, drones, robotics, and augmented or virtual reality. Bridge Alliance’s member operators will now be able to utilize TM Forum’s Open APIs for open, transparent, and scalable MEC deployments. This move is expected to standardize and improve global MEC interoperability, allowing telecoms to deliver advanced services like location-based solutions and optimize content distribution, while enabling new partnerships with major cloud providers. Bridge Alliance CEO Ong Geok Chwee emphasized the importance of integration and interoperability, highlighting the alliance’s focus on driving standardization and industry-approved architectures alongside TM Forum. TM Forum CEO Nik Willetts echoed the sentiment, noting that MEC, in combination with technologies like AI and 5G, forms a foundation for Industry 4.0 and innovative B2B2x services. Ultimately, the partnership aims to create real-world standards that will help telecoms unlock the full potential of edge computing and digital transformation.