--- title: "Open Standards, Open Source Come Together With Partnership" id: "42174" type: "post" slug: "open-standards-open-source-come-together-with-partnership" published_at: "2018-04-04T23:08:09+00:00" modified_at: "2026-03-16T21:42:55+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2018/04/04/open-standards-open-source-come-together-with-partnership/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2018/04/04/open-standards-open-source-come-together-with-partnership.md" excerpt: "The open-source-focused Linux Foundation is teaming with TM Forum, a communications technology industry group that has upped its open standards game in recent years." taxonomy_category: - "Business Development" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "Open Source" - "partnerships" - "Technology" - "telecommuting" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "C-Level" - "Executive Team" - "VP" taxonomy_persona: - "Executive Leadership" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Open Standards, Open Source Come Together With Partnership With a new partnership, the world of telecom is jumping into the world of open source with both feet. Last month, [TM Forum (opens in a new tab)](https://www.tmforum.org/) , an association that represents communications service providers (CSPs) as they interact in the digital supply chain, announced it would team with the [Linux Foundation (opens in a new tab)](https://www.linuxfoundation.org/) , the nonprofit best known for shepherding its namesake, the open-source operating system on which the modern internet is largely built. The foundation is also known as a key steward of major open-source projects, and with the partnership, TM Forum will boost its open-source game, a change advocated by the CSPs it represents. Under the partnership, the Linux Foundation will adopt the application programming interfaces (APIs) that TM Forum maintains. TM Forum offers a suite of 50 Open APIs, which are used by more than 4,000 software developers, along with more than 700 companies worldwide. The partnership will significantly increase the usage of the APIs in the open-source world. TM Forum has been planning for such a shift internally by launching its [Open Network Automation Platform (opens in a new tab)](https://www.onap.org/) (ONAP) project last September. [In a news release (opens in a new tab)](https://www.linuxfoundation.org/networking-orchestration/tm-forum-and-the-linux-foundation-partner-to-drive-open-source-architectures-apis-and-ecosystem-innovation-for-the-telecoms-industry/) , Linux Foundation General Manager of Networking Arpit Joshipura characterized the move as a merger between two different types of “open” approaches—open source and open standards. “Together with TM Forum, we can shift the global industry one step closer to harmonization of open source and open standards,” Joshipura said. “Our joint efforts will help accelerate deployment and adoption for end users. We look forward to this continued and intensified collaboration and how it will advance future networks.” The Linux Foundation has not been afraid of getting in on partnerships in the past—far from it, in fact. In recent years, the organization has jumped into efforts supporting [OpenSSL](https://associationsnow.com/2014/04/life-support-tech-coalition-hopes-prevent-another-heartbleed/) , the [internet of things](https://associationsnow.com/2013/12/allseen-alliance-hopes-to-standardize-the-internet-of-things/) , [software container platforms](https://associationsnow.com/2015/06/software-container-companies-open-work-together/) , and [even the blockchain](https://associationsnow.com/2017/02/hyperledger-project-pushing-blockchain-forward/) . And now the foundation has the communications industry on its list, too. “We’re delighted to be working with the Linux Foundation to bring together our joint expertise, and look forward to partnering with a range of open-source projects over the coming months,” TM Forum CEO Nik Willetts said. (gremlin/iStock/Getty Images Plus) [Ernie Smith](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Ernie Smith is a former senior editor for Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Tags: [#Open Source](https://associationsnow.com/tag/open-source/) [#partnerships](https://associationsnow.com/tag/partnerships/) [#Technology](https://associationsnow.com/tag/technology/) [#telecommuting](https://associationsnow.com/tag/telecommuting/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [VideoPartnerships that Drive Success: ASAE Strategic Partnership AllianceAugust 26, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/08/26/partnerships-that-drive-success-asae-strategic-partnership-alliance/) - [VideoWilliam Pate on the Importance of Associations for Atlanta’s BusinessSeptember 23, 2024](https://associationsnow.com/2024/09/23/william-pate-on-the-importance-of-associations-for-atlantas-business/) - [PodcastAssociations Now Presents: Beyond the Tech Stack: How AI Is Changing the Association PlaybookOctober 29, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/10/29/associations-now-presents-beyond-the-tech-stack-how-ai-is-changing-the-association-playbook/) - [ArticleBeyond Dues Dependency: A Strategic Approach to Nondues RevenueOctober 27, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/10/27/beyond-dues-dependency-a-strategic-approach-to-nondues-revenue/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2018%2F04%2F04%2Fopen-standards-open-source-come-together-with-partnership%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !