Telus and MobiledgeX unleash live edge computing access in Canada

• Move designed to give developers an introductory taste of coding for the edge
• Live testing of the MobiledgeX Early Access Program will be available in select major cities across Canada
• Developers approved for early access will get free access to the MobiledgeX platform

Canadian telco, Telus, is working with MobiledgeX on the ‘MobiledgeX Early Access Programme’ which is to open soon in Canada. MobiledgeX is a San Francisco-based start-up, established by Deutsche Telekom and headed up by CEO Jason Hoffman. 

The ‘Early Access Programme’ is designed to give developers the ability to build, experiment, and test ‘edge’ driven applications using MobiledgeX’s low-latency edge computing platform. 

As we recorded earlier this year (Watch- MobiledgeX surfaces mobile networks to public clouds and app developers), MobiledgeX is building an ecosystem of edge resources and services to connect developers with CSPs to power next gen apps and devices.  

The general idea is that there is a sort of ‘ecosystem in waiting’, with game and apps developers on one side, infrastructure players and telcos on the other, and expectant users looking on and waiting to be engaged. What’s missing is something or someone standing in the right place to bring all the components together to deliver the low-latency services users are waiting for.

Whatever else might or might not benefit - the usual suspects being smart cities, industry 4.0,   immersive entertainment, autonomous vehicles and various use cases for virtual and augmented reality up to and including remote surgery - the known killer application for low latency services is interactive gaming. 

Telcos and equipment vendors know their users well and are generally convinced that there’s a huge unexploited market stuffed with users very happy to spend money on anything that will improve their gaming performance - edge services with their very low latency fits that bill.

Instead of relying on physically distant public clouds, edge computing hosts applications and content across operator networks at key locations that are closer to the user. Combined with future 5G infrastructure that also lowers latency and increases speeds, mobile experiences are not only improved, but entirely new use cases will be unlocked, argue edge proponents. 

“The TELUS and MobiledgeX partnership will provide Canadian developers with the tools and network access to seize the opportunity presented by edge computing and leverage the wireless networks of the future,” said Ibrahim Gedeon, CTO at Telus. “Edge computing allows consumers and businesses alike to harness the power of a data center in near real time, unlocking further potential for fast, low-latency mobile networks to empower transformative technologies for everything from home entertainment and gaming, to healthcare and agriculture.”

“We know that ubiquitous edge access and the ability to experiment freely with the power of edge computing are two core drivers of the pending explosion of innovative new mobile services,” said Sunay Tripathi, Chief Technology Officer at MobiledgeX. “Through research, open technologies, and deep collaborations, we are relentlessly focused on empowering the communities that will take edge computing to new heights. We look forward to working closely with Telus to fast-track edge exploration.”

Live testing of the MobiledgeX Early Access Program will be available in select major cities across Canada, including the TELUS Lab 5G at Zú, a Montreal-based incubator for start-ups innovating in the entertainment space. Additional live testing sites across Canada will be announced shortly as the program evolves.

Developers approved for early access will receive exclusive, free-of-charge access to the MobiledgeX platform in a live network environment, and will benefit from a slate of market development efforts including hackathons, educational sessions and more.

Canadian companies are invited to apply for early access to the MobiledgeX beta platform at: https://mobiledgex.com/early-access.