Can blockchain technology still be considered revolutionary when Ma Bell jumps in with both feet?
AT&T announced Thursday it is offering a suite of customizable blockchain products, called AT&T Solutions, to manufacturers, retailers, health care providers and others that will work with IBM’s blockchain platform and Microsoft’s Azure cloud-based operating system.
With blockchain “transforming” the way many companies do business, AT&T wants to use that technology to provide “edge-to-edge solutions that automate the tracking and that can even monitor the environmental conditions throughout the process,” said Andy Daudelin, vice president, Alliances Business Development, AT&T Business.
Nearly 300 major corporations now have blockchain initiatives, according to the blockchain investment firm Outlier Ventures. They include Walmart, Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Chase, Cisco, Baidu, Metlife, MasterCard, Samsung and Shell.
“Most major Fortune 500 companies, from retail and finance to automobiles and airlines, are exploring blockchain technology for its possible benefits in business operations and security,” wrote Ashley Lannquist, project leader for Blockchain & Distributed Ledger Technology for the World Economic Forum.
