The Linux Foundation and the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS) have entered a strategic partnership to unify efforts in the development and integration of open source and standards-based technologies for next-generation networks. The agreement, announced August 4, establishes a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the two organizations aimed at accelerating adoption of Open RAN and open networking across U.S. telecom operators.
The collaboration leverages the Linux Foundation Networking (LFN) open source ecosystem and ATIS’s standards development expertise. Under the MOU, both parties will coordinate on implementation guidance, technical alignment, and community engagement to support the deployment of open, intelligent, and sustainable architectures across the full telecom stack—from RAN to Core to Edge—including future 6G systems.
Planned joint initiatives include educational programs, technical workshops, secure development practices, and harmonized communications efforts targeting a broader vendor and operator community.
- Signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Linux Foundation and ATIS
- Focus on harmonizing open source (LFN) and standards (ATIS) for next-gen networks
- Supports 5G/6G, Open RAN, Core, and Edge interoperability across U.S. operators
- Joint efforts in training, specifications sharing, technical sessions, and marketing
- Builds on existing programs like LF Networking and the ATIS Next G Alliance
“This collaboration with ATIS enables us to bring the best of open source and standards together to advance 5G/6G, promote secure development practices, and engage a broader ecosystem,” said Arpit Joshipura, general manager of Networking, Edge and IoT at the Linux Foundation.
🌐 Why it Matters: Industry alignment between open source communities and traditional standards bodies is critical to avoiding fragmentation in telecom infrastructure. This partnership brings stronger coordination to Open RAN deployments and builds momentum for secure, interoperable networks as the industry shifts toward 6G.