(Telecompaper) Facebook, Intel and Nokia and others have formed the Telecom Infra Project to speed up the scaling of telecom networks to support the growing demand for online video and virtual reality services. Facebook, Intel and Nokia have pledged to contribute an initial suite of reference designs, while other members such as operators Deutsche Telekom and SK Telecom will help define and deploy the technology as it fits their needs. TIP members will work together to contribute designs in three areas access, backhaul, and core and management applying the Open Compute Project models of openness and disaggregation as methods of spurring innovation. Component pieces will be unbundled, affording operators more flexibility in building networks. This will result in significant gains in cost and operational efficiency for both rural and urban deployments, according to the announcement by Facebook's Global Head of Engineering and Infrastructure Jay Parikh.