I’m gonna get myself connected…


STARTUP STORIES

Startup DEVITY say their KEYNOA Engine enables you to automatically establish an encrypted connection of any IoT device to any data platform.

Tell us about your start up
DEVITY is your expert for IT security and cloud connectivity in large scale Internet of Things projects. Based on our team members’ research in cryptography, identity management and OT security at the University of Paderborn, we have developed into a reliable partner for manufacturers, integrators, and operators in industrial automation. The team of experts supports in building scalable IoT infrastructures with our core product KEYNOA as well as in designing and developing IoT security architectures.
Our product KEYNOA simplifies the configuration and installation of IoT devices such as sensors, industrial computers, and machines to unravel the access to secure operation of IoT infrastructures for organizations across Europe.

What is your USP?
Fundamental to KEYNOA are unique identities that are assigned to each device produced. KEYNOA ensures that these identities are transferred throughout the supply chain and used for trustworthy mass enrolments. A unique feature is its capability to bind devices to IoT clouds and data platforms at a late stage – just before physical installation – in the device life cycle. The configurations and credentials can also be created or chosen at a late stage. Therefore, the device owner can choose the configuration and operation purpose of a device fleet at any point of time. This results in a major advantage for operators – in addition to IT security. Until now, experts have had to configure each device individually and in a time-consuming manner. With KEYNOA there no difference in the programmatic configuration effort for 10 or 10,000 identical sensors or gateways.

What is your relationship with the telecom sector?
We enable the telecom sector to accelerate installations of devices as well as IT security operations in large scale projects for critical infrastructures, industrial manufacturers, and energy plants.

How have you got to your current stage of development?
DEVITY was supported from day on by garage33, the start-up centre of the University of Paderborn. Besides that, we worked with Founders Foundation in Bielefeld and KASTEL in Karlsruhe.

Why did you establish the business?
In his research at University of Paderborn and work for IoT solution providers Sven Uthe recognized that IT security was not considered at all or inoperable for non-experts in IoT projects. He decided to change that und make IT security available for every user of Industrial IoT technology.

What is your motivation?
Our motivation is that many companies don’t understand how dangerous their IoT security gaps are. We want that cyberattacks don’t become a disadvantage for any company.

What does the future hold for your businesS?
DEVITY is on the mission to reduce manual tasks and enable IT security in every IoT use case. In 2023, we want to triple the number of partners and deploy fife time more devices.

COMPANY CV
HEADQUARTERS: Paderborn, Germany
NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: 7
LAST FUNDING TYPE: Research Funding
WEBSITE URL: https://devity.eu/
FOUNDERS:
Sven Uthe – Co-Founder, CTO
Christoph Milder – Co-Founder, CEO

You can meet DEVITY in the Startup Village at Connected Germany on the 6 – 7 December 2022 at Mainz Congress, Germany. You can still grab a free ticket on the website

Vodafone Spain launching 5G FWA


News

The operator hopes to leverage its mobile network to gain a stronger market share in the fixed broadband market

This week, Vodafone Spain has announced that it will launch a 5G fixed wireless access (FWA) service offering by the end of the month.

The service will originally be available in parts of Madrid, Barcelona, ​​Valencia, Seville, Zaragoza, Malaga, Bilbao, and A Coruna, with Vodafone intending to increase this availability to 65 cities in future.

Customers will be able to receive speeds of “up to 1Gbps” according to Vodafone, though average speeds are likely to be lower.

The motivation for this push into 5G FWA is clear enough. While Vodafone’s share of the Spanish mobile market is around 23%, its share of the broadband market is much smaller. This is largely due to Vodafone’s fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) network itself being dwarfed by those of its closest rivals, only passing around 3.5 million homes, compared to 27 million for Movistar and 17 million for Orange.

Vodafone’s 5G network, by contrast, is much more competitive, set to cover around 46% of the Spanish population by the end of the year. Couple this availability with the quick and easy installation process of the FWA hardware and it becomes a very attractive prospect for businesses and consumers, especially in relatively remote locations.

Vodafone already offers 5G FWA in various European markets, including Italy, Germany, and the UK.

Also in the news:
SKT takes its Ifland metaverse platform global
CMA probes Apple and Google over browser “duopoly”
Vodacom launches National Relay Service to boost digital inclusion

25
Nov, 2022

After South Africa and Nigeria, MTN now launches 5G in Zambia

Pan-African operator MTN has followed 5G launches in South Africa and Nigeria with the news that MTN Zambia has become the first mobile operator in the country to offer 5G services commercially.

Not too surprisingly, there was a formal ceremony to celebrate the occasion, with the country’s president and a number of ministers in attendance as well as senior MTN figures.

Discussing markets, MTN CEO Ralph Mupita said, possibly with a nod to private network rollouts, that « in Zambia, we see great opportunities across many sectors, and in the mining industry in particular”.

MTN’s 5G services, which follow 5G trials over the past 11 months, have been activated to cover about 65% of the population in the cities of Lusaka, Kitwe and Ndola as well as parts of Chingola, Solwezi and Kalumbila – about 15% of the whole country’s population. The aim, it seems, is to reach 100% 5G coverage in Lusaka, Kitwe and Ndola by the middle of 2023, while gradually expanding the 5G network to other locations.

The introduction of 5G is described by MTN Zambia as part of a wider network strategy that includes the optimisation and modernisation of existing 3G and 4G networks, the building of a fibre ring in Zambia with MTN GlobalConnect, and the extension of coverage in more rural areas.

This is quite a coup for what is, according to market research firm Omdia, the second-biggest mobile operator in Zambia, with around 7.1 million mobile subscribers against Airtel Zambia’s total of nearly 7.9 million subscribers. Number three player Zamtel has about 4.2 million subscribers.

MTN Zambia may not be the country’s sole 5G player for long, however. In October Airtel Zambia purchased 60MHz of additional spectrum spread across the 800MHz and 2600MHz bands for around US$29 million. It plans to use the spectrum for expanding its mobile and fixed services; that will include 5G rollout.

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25
Nov, 2022

Ericsson launches 5G growth report for emerging markets

A report from Analysys Mason commissioned by Ericsson highlighted the potential economic, consumer and environmental benefits from 5G connectivity in 15 emerging markets, stating these countries could see GDP growth between 0.3% and 0.46% through 2035.

The countries addressed in the report are Bangladesh, Brazil, Chile, Columbia, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, South Africa, Thailand and Turkey.

Ericsson head of government and policy advocacy Andrew Lloyd said: “With the backing of governments, regulators and policymakers, each of these 15 countries, and their citizens, stand to benefit significantly from 5G connectivity. In addition to economic benefits, 5G can also reduce climate impact, increase social inclusion, wellbeing and tackle the digital divide in areas where fixed infrastructure availability is poor.”

Analysys Mason partner Janette Stewart added: “The study highlights the benefits from having the right spectrum available for 5G deployment, both for geographic coverage, for which the low-bands are very suitable, and in the 3.5GHz band where most of the high-capacity 5G deployments in other markets are already taking place.”

Expanding on mid-band 5G coverage is a “key success factor” for emerging markets as the airwaves have the potential to deliver 80% of the earmarked economic growth. Upgrading industry and rural areas with smart technology can account for 85-90% of the total economic benefits in each emerging market.

Agriculture is a significant sector for all 15 markets as it accounts for up to 10% of GDP in some markets. The report estimates that enhanced rural 5G coverage could deliver up to a 1.8% uplift in long-term GDP from agriculture. 5G will also promote sustainable farming methods, increase efficiency and reduce agricultural waste.

Other study findings include:

  • The baseline 5G deployment cost is estimated between US$3-8 billion per country. An additional 20-35% investment is required to extend coverage
  • Extending coverage beyond the baseline can generate significant GDP benefits from industrial adoption, especially from mid-band coverage extension
  • Most countries are expected to generate overall economic benefits (GDP) three-to-seven times higher than the incremental cost of extending coverage
  • Results suggest 5G mobile broadband can generate consumer surplus between US$1-10 billion per country, with coverage extension giving 20-30% extra consumer surplus
  • The social benefits enabled by 5G will be greatest from 5G-based FWA, smart factories, freight and logistics, agriculture and healthcare use cases
  • Adopting 5G can help reduce emissions by supporting digital transformation in agriculture, freight and logistics, smart factories and construction

Governments, regulators and policymakers can support this potential growth by treating 5G as a national infrastructure and having a national strategy and roadmap, the report read.

Ericsson and Analysys Mason advised implementing 5G spectrum policies that facilitate rapid and widespread deployment such as trading off spectrum fees for deployment targets, collaborating with service providers to enhance coverage in less connected areas, and incentivising 5G use in industry and manufacturing.

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25
Nov, 2022

Nokia and Balitower partner to boost 5G services in Indonesia

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25
Nov, 2022

Nokia and Balitower partner to boost 5G services in India

Keep up-to-date with all the latest news, articles, event and product updates posted on Developing Telecoms.
Subscribe to our FREE weekly email newsletters for the latest telecom info in developing and emerging markets globally.

Sending occasional e-mail from 3rd parties about industry white papers, online and live events relevant to subscribers helps us fund this website and free weekly newsletter. We never sell your personal data. Click here to view our privacy policy.

Equinix expands UK data centre footprint with £179m investment


News

The investment will expand their existing LD7 and LD8 sites in London, as well as establishing a new MA5 datacentre in Manchester

This week, Equinix has announced the investment of a further £179 million into its UK-based data centres, aiming to meet the country’s rapidly growing data demand.

More specifically, these funds will be used to expand the company’s existing LD7 and LD8 data centres, located in Slough and London Docklands, respectively, and opening a new datacentre, MA5, in Manchester.

“The location of these data centres complements the growth of the UK’s two biggest cities. Manchester is one of Europe’s fastest growing business centres for technology and media, while London is a long-established financial centre of the world. Despite Brexit-born uncertainty, there are many reasons to be optimistic about digital transformation and technology investment in the UK,” explained Russell Poole, Managing Director for Equinix UK.

Explaining the motivation for the investment, the company said that despite the difficult global economic climate, businesses around the world are continuing to prioritise digitalisation, particularly the adoption of hybrid multicloud services. As such, additional investment is needed to ensure that the UK data centre sector is robust, allowing businesses to compete on a global scale.

According Equinix, the investment will create “multiple career opportunities”, with the company noting a number of programmes it has underway aiming at attracting female talent to the IT and tech industry.

In total, the new expansions will bring the digital infrastructure company’s total investment in the UK to over £1 billion.

In related news, just last week Equinix announced its participation in the Gaia-X project, an initiative aimed at building a framework for open IT standards and APIs to support decentralised, federated digital infrastructure. In short, to enable European service providers to interoperate and exchange data more smoothly via players like Equinix.

How is new digital infrastructure changing the economic landscape in the UK? Join the telecoms industry and local stakeholders at the upcoming Connected North conference in Manchester

Also in the news:
SKT takes its Ifland metaverse platform global
CMA probes Apple and Google over browser “duopoly”
Vodacom launches National Relay Service to boost digital inclusion

Dublin City Council partners with Virgin Media to install Wi-Fi 6 Access Points


News

written by Nicole Lumley, Editor at MOVE

Dublin City Council, Ireland, alongside Virgin Media Business, is installing Wi-Fi 6 Access Points that are compliant with TIP OpenWifi as a trial of open, disaggregated solutions for potential use in the city’s public Wi-Fi network

TIP OpenWiFi is compliant with the technical requirements of the European Commission’s WiFi4EU initiative, the benchmark for public Wi-Fi deployments in Europe, said the company. 

“A smart city is built around collaboration and openness. We are delighted to be trialing Wi-Fi options that are built with an open-source architecture that enables multi-vendor interoperability,” said Jamie Cudden. Smart City Program Manager, Dublin City Council. 

Wifi4EU is a project that promotes free access to WiFi connectivity for citizens in public spaces including parks, squares, public buildings, libraries, health centers and museums in municipalities throughout Europe.  

The municipalities will receive a voucher that pays for the network including maintenance of the equipment to offer free and high-quality Wi-Fi connectivity for at least three years.  

“Virgin Media is recognized for providing ‘clever tech’ with ultrafast speeds and ultra-reliability. We’re industry leaders offering our customers the latest technology and it just made sense to trial Dublin City Council’s Wi-Fi network using TIP OpenWiFi standards as part of our innovation partnership with the council,” said Noel O Reilly, Business Products and Solutions Manager, Virgin Media Business. 

Dublin City Council will be using TIP OpenWiFi- compliant products and software including a cloud-based controller from NetExperience and access points from Edgecore and HFCL.  

TIP OpenWiFi is an open source-based Wi-Fi architecture that enables multi-vendor, interoperable Wi-Fi networks. This will enable both companies to mix and match additional access points and controllers.  

This article was originally published on Movemnt.net.

Also in the news:
SKT takes its Ifland metaverse platform global
CMA probes Apple and Google over browser “duopoly”
Vodacom launches National Relay Service to boost digital inclusion

23
Nov, 2022

Cellulant and Copia aim to support Kenyan remittance market

Pan-African payments technology company Cellulant is in the news again, this time thanks to a partnership with B2C e-commerce platform Copia focused on the Kenyan market.

Copia Global describes itself as the only B2C e-commerce platform providing e-commerce solutions for 800 million middle-to-low-income African consumers.

Remittance inflows to Kenya have increased tenfold in the last 15 years, reaching an all-time high of US$3.72 million dollars in 2021, according to the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK). For many Kenyans, digital payments made by diasporans to rural families provide a financial lifeline to millions of households. Diasporans and people living in urban areas can use Copia’s online platform to pay for goods and have them delivered to friends and family back home.

Copia combines mobile technology, over 40,000 digitally enabled local agents, and an innovative last-mile logistics system to provide a broad product offering and efficient, reliable delivery to rural consumers. The streamlined process enables customers to simply provide the phone number of a friend or family member at checkout and Copia will do the rest, including locating the recipient, identifying the nearest delivery centre agent, and delivering the goods.

This partnership enables Copia’s diaspora and urban customers to conveniently initiate transactions and purchases for their loved ones in rural areas in Kenya using the Cellulant network. This, the partners say, provides greater choice, affordability, and convenience for both urban and rural shoppers when shopping for everyday items.

This agreement may not only be applicable to Kenya, it seems. Tim Steel, Chief Executive Officer, Copia Global, says: “This will enable us to provide diaspora and urban customers with alternative and convenient payment options when they shop on Copia’s platform for friends and family across Kenya and Uganda.”

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