Telefonica and Qualcomm to collaborate on XR and metaverse

Telefonica and Qualcomm have announced a partnership to advance joint extended reality (XR) and metaverse initiatives.

The agreement establishes that the telecom infrastructure of Telefonica will serve as a platform to deploy experiences produced with Qualcomm technology. This technology, named Snapdragon Spaces, is a full stack of programs that allow designers to focus on developing these experiences, especially for augmented reality headsets.

The agreement also includes exploration of joint commercial opportunities and the launch of XR/metaverse products and services. 

“XR will redefine how we live, work and socialise. At a crucial time in the technology’s development and roll-out, we are excited to be partnering with Telefonica to grow the active communities developing the ecosystems of the future through Snapdragon Spaces, which we believe will unlock the power of XR and take it to the next level,” said Dino Flore, Vice President, Technology, Qualcomm Europe. 

Building the infrastructure for the future of technology

Telefónica sees many possibilities in combining immersive devices with powerful networks and decentralised Web3 technologies. This agreement opens the opportunity to deliver new experiences to customers merging the digital and analogue worlds, reimagining commerce, entertainment, and communication in the Metaverse. 

Qualcomm Technologies has introduced Snapdragon Spaces, a platform that empowers developers to unlock the full potential of wearable AR using industry-leading technology, cross-device SDK, and an open XR ecosystem. This enables developers to pioneer innovative experiences that will lead the next generation of immersive technology.

Daniel Hernández, VP Devices & Consumer IoT of Telefónica, said: “XR will bring a new dimension to the digital and real world, enabling people to communicate, do business, socialise and entertain themselves in new ways. We are preparing for this future, building the infrastructure, upskilling the teams, evolving our services and putting in place the partnerships which will enable us to bring innovative new devices and services to customers. Qualcomm Technologies has played a critical role at each stage in development of our industry and our collaboration with Snapdragon Spaces will help to drive growth in the emerging XR ecosystem and realise the next evolution of the internet, the Metaverse.”