Telecommunications provider Colt Technology Services is extending its partnership with IBM to incorporate IBM’s Cloud Satellite with Colt’s edge network. But who has the upper hand in the patent space?

Colt Technology does not have any published patents for its edge technology, which provides high-bandwidth data services to customers. IBM, on the other hand, has close to 50 patents in Edge Computing. The partnership implements IBM’s distributed cloud systems at Colt’s edge nodes to securely extend the reach of cloud services. Colt is owned by Fidelity Investments, which suggests that the provider has ample capital. However, the company is at risk of losing out if it doesn’t secure a patent portfolio. Other telecommunications companies with large customer bases including Verizon and AT&T have patents for edge computing. Israeli startup Saguna Networks, which has raised over $8M in funding, has 15 patents and applications for implementing edge computing on communication networks. 

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