US telecom Sprint is working on a new blockchain initiative focused on carrier applications.
The firm is partnering with SoftBank, a Japanese telecom conglomerate, and TBCASoft, Inc., a blockchain startup based in California. Sprint is the fourth-largest telecom provider in the US, according to data from Statista, after Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile.
For now, it appears the partnership is still in its early stages, as the three companies said today that joint trials won’t begin until June, leveraging a platform developed by TBCASoft to connect the telecom’s systems together.
Sprint confirmed the partnership when reached, with a representative telling CoinDesk:
“We entered this partnership with SoftBank and TBCASoft as part of our mutual interest to understand the full potential of blockchain to improve carrier-to-carrier interactions and, ultimately, end-user enhancements to further simplify transactions for customers.”
Sprint is by no means alone in its work on blockchain among the world’s telecoms.
A number of firms in the space have sought to obtain patents related to the tech in the past two years, including AT&T, British Telecommunications PLC and Verizon.
Like Sprint, some telecoms have sought collaborative efforts around blockchain. Swisscom AG, which is state-owned, became a member of the Linux Foundation-led Hyperledger blockchain project in December, and UAE-based Du joined Dubai’s Global Blockchain Council last year as well.
Others, including France-based Orange, have moved to invest in the space directly.
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