Cirtek ATS, the wireless solutions subsidiary of Cirtek Holdings Philippine Corp., joined the Telecom Infra Project”•an initiative started by Facebook, SK Telecom, Deutsche Telekom and others collaborating to develop technologies that will enable affordable and rapid deployment of telecom equipment.
TIP is composed of a consortium of telecom operators,infrastructure providers, system integrators, device manufacturers, original equipment manufacturer, electronics manufacturing services and contract manufacturers.
Cirtek Holdings said in a statement the participation of Cirtek ATS in the consortium commenced with its participation in a two-day summit of all members at Facebook headquarters in California on Nov. 1 and 2.
Cirtek ATS aims to be an OEM and distributor of the OpenCellular box, an open-source GSM mobile wireless access platform and network-in-a-box that will reduce the deployment and operation cost of cellular mobile networks .
“This will enable many operators to afford their operation in unserved and underserved areas, greatly expanding the coverage of mobile systems worldwide,” the company said.
Cirtek said it aimed to produce OpenCellular trial boxes for field trials in the Philippines and evaluate the technology for eventual deployment and operation by telco operators in the Philippines and potentially in the region.
“The OpenCellular project is an opportunity for Cirtek ATS to leverage its technical manufacturing and supply chain expertise in improving access to billions of people still unserved and to bridge the gap posed by the digital divide,” Cirtek said.
“This project is one of the working projects of TIP with the goal to enable cost-effective, sustainable, universal access across the globe,” it asaid.
Cirtek Holdings is the holding company of Cirtek Electronics Corp. and Cirtek Electronics International Corp.