The 5G Future Forum, formed by a group of global operators earlier this year, set out plans to release its first technical specifications in August, taking a step towards a goal of delivering global interoperability for the technology and multi-access edge computing (MEC).

In a statement, the coalition noted the first major set of guidelines will focus on intent-based APIs for functional exposure of edge and workload discovery, which could be expanded to future MEC functions and capabilities powered by network intelligence.

Other specifications will be designed to aid cloud service providers and 5G operators in deploying MEC physical frameworks, such as facilities, monitoring and security.

The group, which consists of a number of operators including Verizon, Vodafone Group and America Movil, said it has also been working on establishing the governance structure for the forum and developing technical and commercial workstreams.

Verizon’s chief strategy officer Rima Qureshi noted: “The release of these first specifications marks a major step forward in helping companies around the world create a seamless global experience for their customers”.

Johan Wibergh, CTO at Vodafone, added 5G’s speed and capacity can give economies “the productivity boost needed to help them recover from the coronavirus pandemic”.

He added greater interoperability would accelerate the development of new services and enhance their availability across a broader geographical area.