Facebook’s Telecom Infra Project (TIP) is the most high profile example of the disruptive trend to introduce open source and commoditized technologies into the heart of the mobile network, opening the way to a whole new cost base. Operators such as BT, Deutsche Telekom, Orange and SK Telecom are supporting the initiative, which will bring together open technologies designed within Facebook and by a series of start-ups which will be incubated by the operators. Some of the initial chosen few have been announced, giving small firms with an innovative approach to building telecoms networks the chance to enter the mainstream. In the past, MNOs have rarely felt able to take the risk of supporting small suppliers in critical networks, but…