The Telecom Infra Project (TIP), the Facebook-backed initiative to develop more flexible ways of constructing telecoms networks, announced a number of key milestones at MWC, including a raft of new backers.

Joining the effort are Airtel, BT, Afrimax, Etisalat, Dish, Microsoft, Millicom, Nextel, Reliance Jio, TIM and Zain.

The new partners join more than 450 members which are already involved with TIP, said a statement from Alex Jinsung Choi, TIP chairman and CTO of SK Telecom.

Launched by Facebook last year, TIP is an engineering-focused drive involving operators, infrastructure providers, system integrators and other technology companies, which are working towards transforming the way telecoms network infrastructure is built and deployed.

Aside from the new members, Choi also announced an expansion of TIP’s “ecosystem acceleration centres”, with BT to open new hubs in London and Adastral Park this year.

This follows an announcement from the initiative in November to launch the first such centre in Seoul, South Korea, with support from SK Telecom and Facebook.

The centres are designed to enable global operators to cooperate closely and Facebook “to accelerate the deployment of infrastructure technology solutions from talented startups”.

In addition, the project is set to receive additional funding.

In London, a group of investors, incubators, university and public/private funds joined forces to invest $170 million in start-ups focused on telecoms infrastructure.