Get the latest announcements from MEF Members across the mobile ecosystem globally in this weekly review of member news…
BICS-partner Able Device wins IoT Evolution Private Wireless Network Innovation Award for SIMbae™
IoT innovation award recognizes SIMbae™ provision of autonomous switching between public and private networks
Able Device, a BICS solution partner, has been recognised with an award from IoT Evolution World, a leading publication covering IoT technologies. Able Device’s SIMbae™ solution, offered by BICS as part of its wider IoT connectivity suite, has won the 2023 IoT Evolution Private Wireless Network Innovation Award, which honours the most innovative and disruptive private wireless networking solutions.
Able Device is a fellow pioneer in extending SIM capabilities to deliver value for enterprises, making it easier than ever to leverage IoT technology. Able Device and BICS partnered in October 2022 to add SIMbae™, a software agent for SIM and eSIMs, to BICS’ ecosystem of IoT services.
Divya Ghai Wakankar, VP Strategy and Corporate Development at BICS, commented, “We’re thrilled that our trusted partner Able Device is receiving recognition for the innovative SIMbae™ solution. The applet is available to BICS customers as part of our wider offering of next-generation IoT solutions that streamline and automate the technical telecom challenges our enterprise customers face and enables seamless customer experience.”
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Arelion deploys new PoP at LightEdge Solutions site in San Diego, expanding North American presence
Stockholm and San Diego, December 20, 2023 – Arelion today announced a new Point-of-Presence (PoP) in San Diego, at the Lightwave Data Center (LWDC) operated by LightEdge Solutions, a leading provider of secure cloud and colocation for nearly three decades. This will be Arelion’s second fully diverse PoP in the emerging tech hub, providing wholesale and enterprise customers with high-speed connectivity to the carrier’s global IP backbone and access to its ecosystem of cloud and content services.
LightEdge Solutions’ Lightwave carrier-neutral data center site is strategically located in the Kearny Mesa area of San Diego, offering colocation, cloud services and direct connectivity to AWS and Microsoft Azure. San Diego has been ranked a top market for tech job growth in recent years, with major market sectors including Information Communications Technology, biotech and defense.
“Arelion’s new PoP at LightEdge’s Lightwave data center in San Diego extends our network to provide wholesale and enterprise customers with direct connectivity to our ecosystem of cloud and content services, allowing them to support end users in San Diego, Tijuana, Mexicali, and surrounding regions”, said Art Kazmierczak, Arelion Director Strategic Sales & Network Development. “LightEdge’s facility provides the added power, security and scale our customers require, helping us deliver business-critical applications to meet the needs of these emerging technology markets”.
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Collaborating behind the scenes helps connect more Telcos to the digital universe, says Telenor Linx
With more and more Telco groups focused on building scale, are partnerships crucial for Telcos to stay competitive? Telenor Linx believes so. We spoke to Telenor Linx, a new global unit born out of Telenor Global Services (TGS) and Telenor Digital (TD), to understand why.
Telenor Linx sits within Telenor Amp and is informally considered the “wholesale arm” of Telenor Group. Its 200-strong team located in Norway, Sweden, Poland, Dubai, Pakistan, Thailand and Singapore uniquely offers the global telco sector, especially those without scale of major international players, flexible roaming and software solutions to enhance and safeguard digital customer experiences.
“Interestingly in the telco industry, there is a lot of collaboration behind the scenes. We work with more than 150 telcos across Asia-Pacific. Roaming services would not be possible without telcos working together for example. Our customers like the fact that we are also a telco, as we share common goals and understand intrinsically what the opportunities and challenges are for the industry,” said Jay Patel, Telenor Linx’s Director of Partnerships and Customer Success, based in Singapore.
Twilio Announces CEO Transition
SAN FRANCISCO – January 8, 2024 – Twilio (NYSE: TWLO), the customer engagement platform that drives real-time, personalized experiences for today’s leading brands, today announced that Khozema Shipchandler, formerly President of Twilio Communications, has been appointed Chief Executive Officer and will join the company’s Board of Directors, effective immediately. Shipchandler succeeds Jeff Lawson, Twilio’s co-founder, who is stepping down as CEO and as a member of the Twilio Board. In addition, Jeff Epstein, a member of the Twilio Board and Lead Independent Director since 2017, has been appointed as Chair of the Twilio Board.
Shipchandler said, “I am honored to step into the CEO role and to partner with our talented team to lead Twilio in its next era. Over the last year and a half, we have implemented meaningful changes across the organization to position ourselves for renewed growth and to drive operational improvements, optimize our capital allocation strategy and enhance focus and execution. We have a strong foundation, but we always have more work to do. As I step into the CEO role, I am focused on continuing to build on the considerable growth and operating improvements we’ve made across the board, plus taking a fresh look at the areas of the business that are underperforming to realize the full potential of our business.”
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Upstream: Positive growth rate for the 6th consecutive year
Upstream, the global marketing technology company, has announced positive growth rates for the 6th consecutive year during its annual strategy meeting, open to all of its people around the world. In addition, Upstream’s management team set fresh strategic objectives to further drive the company’s growth in the upcoming years.
Despite challenging macroeconomic conditions in 2023, Upstream is anticipated to conclude the year with a 10% EBITDA increase compared to last year. Moreover, it is estimated that without the abrupt currency fluctuations and inflationary pressures in emerging markets – such as Sub-Saharan Africa (including Nigeria, South Africa etc.), a pivotal part of Upstream’s operations – the company’s financial results would be 30% higher.
“Our vision is to establish Upstream among the world’s top marketing technology companies, and we are actively working towards this direction. There are no limitations that confine us to the markets where we are already present. Instead, we view the entire world as our field of operations. Our mission is to provide such value to our customers that they consider our technology essential for increasing their revenues and fostering their growth,” notes Upstream’s CEO, Dimitris Maniatis.
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Zeotap partners with Illuma for a unique audience-powered contextual expansion solution
Berlin, January 10, 2024 – In a strategic move that anticipates the imminent shift in digital advertising, Zeotap Data, the leading provider of people-based digital audiences, has announced a partnership with Illuma, the leader in AI-powered expansion and optimisation. This collaboration offers a new tactic in the face of third-party cookie deprecation.
Matt Bennathan, Chief Commercial Officer at Zeotap Data, commented on the partnership: “Our collaboration with Illuma represents a significant leap forward. This partnership is more than just a response to industry changes; it’s a proactive step towards a new era of digital advertising. We’re combining Zeotap’s data-driven capabilities with Illuma’s cutting-edge contextual AI to offer a solution that’s not just a cookie alternative, but a smarter, more effective way to reach relevant, incremental audiences”
