Telcos and Qualcomm band together to support XR startups

Eight leading international telecom operators – Bouygues Telecom, Cellnex, KPN, MTN, NOS, STC, Telefónica and Wind Tre – have banded together with mobile technology company Qualcomm to launch a global call for the creation of start-ups in the field of extended reality (XR).

The alliance, dubbed Alaian, aim to identify start-ups in the areas fo virtual, augmented and mixed reality, with a focus on the metaverse, video games, edutainment, industrial and manufacturing applications, logistics, retail, digital social experiences, connectivity, networks, devices, virtual platforms and other applications and services.

Other areas included in the call are connectivity tools and software to deploy for XR products and services, mass XR entertainment and sustainability XR tools.

Qualifying startups will have access to the participating telcos’ resources, market knowledge, contacts, connectivity, training and infrastructure a swell as potential investment by members’ investment vehicles.

Qualcomm will also offer access to the Snapdragon Spaces development kits and developer platform and provide dedicated engineering support. Companies will also have priority access to the Snapdragon Spaces Pathfinder program, which offers a network of resources and strategic opportunities to accelerate growth.

Daniel Hernández, VP Devices & Consumer IoT of Telefónica, said: “This joint call offers an exceptional opportunity to startups that wish to accelerate their growth and benefit from the support of eight large companies in the telecommunications sector. We are excited to discover new talent and promote the development of disruptive solutions in the field of extended reality.”

Douglas Vaz Benítez, senior director of business development at Qualcomm Europe, Inc. said: “We are delighted to partner with Alaian on this exciting new project. We have extended reality (XR) research and development centres in many countries in Europe and our main goal is to enable startups to succeed by creating immersive applications in a faster, easier and more cost-effective way. XR will become a central part of the world we live in in the coming years, and Qualcomm’s XR solutions, with a special emphasis on Snapdragon Spaces, are available to anyone who wants to be a part of this new technology transition. We are very excited about the opportunities that lie ahead.”