by TIP News
Since TIP’s inception in 2016, our mission has been to drive global adoption and innovation in open and disaggregated technologies. Through our diverse community, we advance technology, pushing industry boundaries to create positive change in telecommunications.TIP’s process encompasses technical roadmaps, solution blueprints corresponding to deployment scenarios, testing, badging, and certification activities, and a range of deliverables documenting the process results. It’s been a successful 7 years, and if you were at Fyuz 2023, I’m sure you would have felt the buzz of more exciting innovations to come.
Since TIP’s inception in 2016, our community of telecom operators, OEMs, chipset manufacturers, software providers, system integrators, and others, has achieved remarkable success, delivering numerous tangible results across our Project Groups.
These include the launch and deployment of disaggregated open optical solutions, trials and deployments of macro, indoor, and small cell Open RAN solutions, and the inception and ramp of TIP OpenWiFi multi-vendor products. The following illustrates some of the achievements:
Today, TIP has a dedicated Board of 9 sponsoring companies: British Telecom, Dell Technologies, Deutsche Telekom, Intel Corp, Meta, MTN Group, Orange Group, Telefonica Group, and Vodafone Group.
The TIP Board Sponsors recognise the achievements so far, and are committed to the TIP community continuing to bridge the gap between technical standards and their implementation in commercial environments. They also recognise beyond industry wide scaling of open network solutions, there is more innovation to be done.
As a global trade association, TIP has 3 primary funding sources: membership, events and grant contributions. These help to sustain TIP community activities and member services.
New model, launching January 1st, 2024
In our commitment to continue TIP’s work, remain steadfast, grow, and provide valuable resources to our member community, we are announcing that beginning January 1, 2024, our membership structure and annual fee for new and existing members will be changing. This change has been prompted with careful consideration in partnership with TIP’s Board of Directors. It aligns with fair market value, positioning the TIP community strongly within the telecom industry transformation agenda.
This adjustment in membership services and fees will offer our members the opportunity to channel their expertise into those areas from which they can derive maximum commercial and technical value. In parallel, TIP will continue to work closely with standards bodies and enhance membership support in those six areas, which will accelerate the commercial scaling of new solutions – in innovation and productization, in test & certification, in member promotion and channel support, in Fyuz, in upskilling and future workforce development, and in the roll-out of an enhanced member and Project Group experience (Hivebrite platform).
Below, you will find a high-level overview of the new membership model:
This base membership model provides all organizations a rich set of benefits, but more importantly, fair and equitable access to an end-to-end TIP service portfolio, which includes facilitation within Project Groups, maintained code bases, industry-level test and certification, TIP Exchange as a knowledge hub, Marketing and Engagement support and TIP Academy.
Beyond base member benefits, some members have requested TIP to facilitate additional and more targeted action. Hence, TIP will offer value-added services, including badging & certification for OOPT and OpenWiFi multi-vendor systems, targeted marketing and engagement support, TIP events sponsorship, and enrolment into advanced industry training curricula through TIP Academy.
TIP believes this is a pragmatic approach for organizations to derive additional commercial and technical value as the industry matures toward the globalization of open and disaggregated network solutions. These additional services will be commercially rolled out on demand to the TIP membership base.
Transitioning to the revised TIP membership model
Over the course of 2024, for current TIP participants, the changes to TIP’s membership fee structure will impact each organization on a rolling basis, with the new fee structure being applied once their (current) Second and Reinstated General Participation Agreement (GPA) expires. Member organizations may contact support@telecominfraproject.com if they are unsure of their expiry date. This phased approach ensures a smooth transition for all members, minimizing disruptions while adjusting to the new fee structure. In 2025, we aim to simplify the process by enabling a calendarized renewal model.
TIP remains dedicated to the mission of driving global adoption and innovation in open and disaggregated network solutions. There is a general recognition that this is an inevitability and a positive change for the telecoms industry.
The adjustment in membership fees will help TIP to build a thriving and active membership while TIP delivers support and value back. And as a community, with TIP’s support, you remain at the forefront of innovation and commercial success in this industry.
The TIP Board and the TIP leadership believe in building a healthy and active member ecosystem. Through the transition to the new membership structure, the TIP leadership team will ensure the team is on hand to address queries and support members. Please reach out with your questions to:
Membership: membership@telecominfraproject.com
Operations: support@telecominfraproject.com
For media inquiries, press@telecominfraproject.com
Thank you for your support, dedication, and commitment to the Telecom Infra Project. Together, we will continue to shape the future of telecom technology.