Recently, the Association of Science and Technology Parks of Spain (APTE) and Telefonica signed an agreement to create blockchain networks for business parks. APTE comprises of 64 science parks, bringing together over 8,000 different companies and entities.
The announcement was made in conjunction with APTE’s launch of a working group to implement the 17 Sustainable Development Goals prescribed by the United Nations. It was not clear if Telefonica’s blockchain solutions will cater to sustainability goals.
Under the agreement, APTE and Telefonica will trial blockchain solutions for three months. The goal is to improve services offered by the parks to the companies.
With this deal, Telefonica gains access to a large cohort of companies. While the detailed applications of Telefonica’s blockchain were not disclosed, the network will probably be one of the bigger ones in Spain.
But it probably won’t be the biggest. Spanish blockchain consortium Alastria currently has 515 members, including many household names, and claims to be the world’s first regulated national blockchain network.
Spain also has blockchain projects for tourist property registry, wood traceability and energy provenance. Two Spanish banks, BBVA and Santander, are some of the most advanced when it comes to distributed ledger technology (DLT).
Meanwhile, Telefonica is actively exploring blockchain for various applications. The Spanish telco is a member of the Alastria consortium and also participated in the development of the Communications Blockchain Network. Last year it collaborated with startup Clear and other global telecoms firms for a trial of an inter-carrier settlement blockchain project.
Other Telefonica projects include a proof of concept with IBM for international mobile call billing, and a collaboration with SEAT to explore 5G, blockchain and data for the automotive industry.
