IoTSWC 2019 Awards given to solutions by Eiffage- Bioservo, Cartesiam.ai-éolane, Zyfra-Suek and GFT

The winners of the IoT Solutions Awards 2019 were announced last night at the IoT Solutions World Congress 2019 in Barcelona. Eiffage together with Bioservo Technologies; Cartesiam.ai with éolane; and Zyfra with their work for SUEK were the winners, recognised for the best international projects developed in the field of industrial internet in the last year.

The winning entries included a bionic glove that prevents muscle pain associated with manual handling of machinery, software to easily integrate artificial intelligence into any IoT device, and a fully automated mine with robotics, IoT and AI. Likewise, the solution developed by GFT that measures the driver behaviour to update insurance policies was the best testbed of this 5th edition of the Congress held at the Gran Via venue of Fira de Barcelona.

As the best solution for the industry, the French firm Eiffage has been recognised, in association with Bioservo Technologies, which has developed “Iron Hand”, a bionic glove that combines robotics and IoT to facilitate the activities of the worker, reduce the physical stresses associated with manual handling of machinery and prevent muscle or joint pain. The degree of muscle reduction or strengthening varies from 25% to 86% depending on the job and the frequency of the manipulation operations.

The award for the most innovative technology went to “NanoEdge AI”, created by the French companies Cartesiam.ai and éolane. It is a software solution that allows any IoT developer to easily and instantly integrate automatic learning functions into their solution without having any knowledge of artificial intelligence.

In the category of best solution for business transformation, the award went to “Intelligent Mine”, a complex project developed by Zyfra for SUEK, Russia’s leading coal and energy producer, which turns mining into a highly efficient, safe and automated activity thanks to robotics, AI and IoT technologies. The proposed solution incorporates autonomous heavy trucks, a mining infrastructure with automatic gates, traffic lights and data transmission system, control centre with remote operator workplaces and FMS server for robots to manage and optimise the work.

The IoT Solutions Awards also presented an award to the best of the 10 testbeds exhibited this year at IoT Solutions World Congress. For the jury, the award-winning solution was presented by the German multinational GFT. This is a demo on how the Data Streaming architecture in the cloud allows to analyse driving habits in real time in order to customise car insurance. This connected car application is an example of how greater customer knowledge can transform business models.

The finalists in this edition of the IoT Awards were Vodafone with their work for Mencap; nanolöck for Thales, Fraunhofer; itc IoT-Seebot for Municipalitat de RioTercero; Zyfra for Godrej & Boyce, and Tata Consultancy Services.

The IoT Solutions Awards ceremony took place at the Gran Via exhibition venue in an event that brought together the main business and technological representatives of the Internet of industrial things in the international sphere. This year’s edition was sponsored by IoTopia, Global Platform.

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First 5G-compliant charging system enabling telcos to monetise 5G services, claimed by Matrixx Software

Matrixx Software, a company specialising in transforming global commerce, has introduced what it says is the industry’s first 5G digital commerce platform including a 5G 3GPP-compliant Converged Charging System (CCS).

As 5G rolls out, Communication Service Providers (CSPs) are transforming their legacy billing and charging systems, ensuring they can fully monetise their network investments across consumer and enterprise while leveraging emerging devices and the Internet of Things (IoT). CSPs need 5G-ready solutions now so they can introduce new services and business models quickly and easily, an essential need in competitive markets and an imperative for full-scale 5G deployments.

“Implementing Matrixx’s 5G-ready solution provides operators a head start on innovative packaging and pricing ahead of 5G standalone deployments,” explained Marc Price, Matrixx CTO. “Matrixx is working with operators to plan 5G standalone deployments, where 5G services will demand the agility of a cloud native digital commerce platform.”

Matrixx Software is at the forefront of enabling CSPs to rapidly launch new services and fueling network agility with an all-digital, product-first approach. Using Matrixx Digital Commerce, many leading CSPs, including Telstra, Swisscom, Orange Poland, Vodafone New Zealand, Ooredoo and Zain, have gained traction and market share by quickly upgrading their monetisation platforms and launching new business models and service offerings.

“An architecturally agile, elastic charging engine with support for standardised interfaces is key for the effective monetisation of new services enabled by 5G,” said John Abraham, principal analyst, Analysys Mason. “Matrixx has a well-regarded monetisation platform that is favorably positioned to support CSP’s new 5G use cases.”

The newly released Matrixx Digital Commerce Platform delivers operational efficiencies and cost benefits by harnessing microservices and containers orchestrated with Kubernetes. It features open-source Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) components with web scale advantages enabling platform independence.

It also supports the full spectrum of monetisation across 3G, 4G and 5G networks, providing a single platform on which operators can standardise their offerings while simplifying their IT infrastructure. The extreme scalability coupled with the business configurability of Matrixx Digital Commerce enables new use cases requiring ultra-low latency and dynamic network slices, including right-sized Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and pricing.

This newest version of the Matrixx Digital Commerce Platform release supports:

  • Auto-healing
  • 3GPP-compliant 5G Convergent Charging (CHF/CCS)
  • 3GPP-compliant 5G Services Based Architecture (SBA)
  • Real-time transaction processing for all network events and digital channel engagements with an average latency of less than 10ms
  • Unmatched scalability with a cloud native architecture that supports stateful transaction processing for all events

With Matrixx Digital Commerce, CSPs can support dynamic and personalised offers across a wide range of use cases such as:

  • Enhanced mobile broadband– Let consumers access the fastest network speed when they need it most, for example, downloading a 4K UHD movie in seconds just before they get on a flight.
  • Cloud based gaming– Provide cloud-based computing resources combined with high speed, low latency connectivity to deliver rich gaming experiences to a much wider audience.
  • Consumer IoT connectivity– Encourage users to connect all their SIM and eSIM devices through multi-device discounts, shared balances, real-time alerts and usage controls.
  • Hyper-segmentation of services– Provide new service propositions that appeal to specific segments that can be created quickly, scaled to meet demand, then taken down when no longer needed.
  • Enterprise IoT connectivity– Enable enterprises with solutions that provide real-time product diagnostics, telemetry and other machine-to-cloud use cases.

Designed and built for the modern era, the multi-patented, award-winning Matrixx Digital Commerce Platform enables a digital-first reinvention of Telco. Harnessing a cloud native architecture, it allows operators to scale a new generation of services quickly and effectively while ensuring the high availability of distributed systems. Built to scale for digital, 5G and IoT services, the Matrixx Digital Commerce Platform provides operators the agility and elasticity needed to compete and win now and in the future.

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StreetWise claims UK’s most technically advanced commuter research trials in self-driving vehicles

The StreetWise consortium has launched commuter research trials with invited participants. This is the UK’s most advanced demonstration of self-driving vehicles on mixed-use public roads, deploying advanced technology developed by FiveAI, who lead the project.

Through StreetWise, FiveAI is partnering with Direct Line Group, one of the UK’s largest car insurance providers, and TRL, the global centre for innovation in transport and mobility, amongst other partners, to run an invite-only self-driving research trial across a fixed route in the London boroughs of Croydon and Bromley.

As part of the StreetWise project, which researches the technology, safety validation methods, insurance and service models required to deliver a viable, shared self-driving service, these trials aim to gather insights into self-driving vehicle services from the research participants. Although these research trials are not open to the wider public, ultimately FiveAI believes self-driving services could offer citizens a safer, greener, more convenient and increasingly affordable alternative to the urban commuter car.

FiveAI’s role in the project has been to develop and provide the reference software stack that powers all key aspects of the self-driving system. The stack was developed and trained using a data set from complex UK roads and cities, including London. Rigorous safety practices govern all of the on road testing, where highly trained safety drivers sit behind the wheel at all times. FiveAI’s participation in the consortium comes with the desire to power the development of the industry through commercial partnerships.

TRL is undertaking all participant research and analysis, assessing researching participants’ willingness to use and pay for a shared self-driving service as well as measuring their attitudes towards safety and trust. TRL is also establishing the safety case for the wider StreetWise project and generating an independent database of scenarios for simulation testing.

Direct Line Group is providing research participants for the trials. As part of the broader StreetWise consortium, Direct Line Group insures operations based on TRL’s safety case, and more broadly, is working to understand the conditions needed to insure software – rather than human – drivers.

Stan Boland, co-founder and CEO of FiveAI, said, “Shared, self-driving vehicle services promise a better way for people to get around, we’ll be working with forward-thinking partners to make these services a reality in European urban environments. The lessons learned through StreetWise provide an important step towards that goal.”

Paul Gadd, interim deputy director for Land Transport, UKRI, said, “By bringing together cutting-edge technology and world-class research with insurers and the government, the UK is placing itself at the forefront of self-driving vehicle technology. StreetWise is a fine example of how the UK is becoming a premier development location for connected and automated vehicles.”

David Hynd, chief scientist at TRL said, “This is a significant milestone not only for the StreetWise consortium but for the entire CAV sector in the UK and beyond. Automated vehicles represent the future of transport and have the potential to deliver tangible, wide-reaching benefits in relation to reduced congestion, faster and cheaper commutes, fewer collisions and cleaner air. We’re very excited about entering this phase of the project to create credible and real-world insights on the willingness to use and attitudes towards a shared, automated service, which will go a long way to helping us understand how these services can meet the needs of end-users.”

Neil Ingram, head of Motor Product at Direct Line Group said, “As technological advances continue at pace and self-driving cars become a reality, insurers need to understand how that changes risk; cars will increasingly be controlled by software rather than humans. Working closely with our StreetWise partners, including FiveAI and TRL, provides DLG with unique insight that will help to develop innovative insurance solutions for new tech enabled mobility services.”

UK Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps said, “The untapped potential of self-driving vehicle technology is huge — it could enhance road safety, tackle isolation, and create economic opportunities. The Government’s Future of Mobility: Urban Strategy sets out how it is planning for the introduction of self-driving vehicles, and Street​Wise’s successful trial ​will be a major step to rolling out the next phase of the UK’s transport revolution.”

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End-to-end IoT cybersecurity ‘password-free’ solution ELIoT Pro unveiled at IoT Solutions World Congress in Barcelona

Cyberus Labs has launched its IoT cybersecurity solution ELIoT Pro (Easy & Lightweight IoT Protector) simultaneously at both the IoT Solutions World Congress in Barcelona and the Cybersec Forum in Katowice, Poland. The solution is said by the company to be simple-to-use and ultra secure.

ELIoT Pro is described as ‘the comprehensive and universal end-to-end cybersecurity system specifically designed for IoT networks’ protecting users, devices and data. Now, IoT systems in the automotive, Industry 4.0, Smart City and Smart Building sectors can be better protected, as ELIoT Pro eliminates the need for passwords – the weakest point in cybersecurity.

Jack Wolosewicz

Jack Wolosewicz, Cyberus Labs co-founder, CEO & CTO will be presenting ELIoT Pro live to the IoT Solutions World Congress in Barcelona – the largest IoT event in the world to get inspired with new ideas, solutions and people. The presentation will be simulcast in Katowice, Poland, at the Cybersec Forum – one of the most important cybersecurity policy making conferences in Europe.

During The Cybersec Forum in Katowice hosted by The Kosciuszko Institute, there was also a demonstration of the first pilot integration of ELIoT Pro with the smart city systems of the City of Katowice. The partnership between the City Office of Katowice and Cyberus Labs will increase the level of cybersecurity in the connected city, protecting its citizens from the threats of cybercrime.

We’re proud to be officially launching ELIoT Pro at two of the biggest events on the European tech calendar”, said Jack Wolosewicz. “With ELIoT Pro, we are introducing a revolutionary solution to IoT cybersecurity – removing the risk of stolen passwords or credentials and preventing, rather than reacting to, security threats.”

“Our comprehensive lightweight encryption is specifically designed for the wide range of IoT devices to make any type of IoT networks safer than ever. The strong point of ELIoT is also that is designed to be fully compliant with current and upcoming EU legislation, so you can rest assured that your IoT network will be fully protected well into the future.”

ELIoT Pro is the most comprehensive and universal cybersecurity solution available to protect IoT systems. By combining secure Human to Machine (H2M), and Machine to Machine (M2M) authentication and communication with revolutionary lightweight encryption specifically designed for IoT, ELIoT Pro makes IoT networks safer than ever before.

And, its AI engine creates an adaptive, self-healing IoT environment to anticipate system failures, identify attacks, and automatically react so users receive “Just in Time” device upgrades and replacements to keep IoT systems fully operational. 

ELIoT Pro has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program via the SME Instrument and will launch in Spring 2020.

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Most enterprises believe 5G will help customer acquisition and generate new revenue streams, says Infosys Research

Infosys Knowledge Institute (IKI), the global thought leadership and research arm of Infosys, has unveiled new market research titled, ‘State of 5G – The Road Ahead’. The research was aimed at gathering insights around the current state of 5G adoption and identifying current and future initiatives that can serve as a guide for business and technology leaders across enterprises in their 5G digital transformation journey.

For this research, Infosys surveyed 850 senior executives representing firms from 12 industries, with annual revenues over US $1 billion (€0.90 billion) across US, Europe, UK, Australia and New Zealand. The study gathered empirical evidence to show how mass machine communication is expected to be the most transformed application with 5G and why data security emerges as the most critical barrier to its adoption.

Key findings of the survey include:

  • A staggering 90% of the respondents are either actively investigating 5G business cases or defining various use cases and service portfolios with ecosystem partners.
  • Nearly 60% of respondents mentioned cost and effectiveness as the primary criteria for use case adoption, while 57% of surveyed enterprises are looking at 5G for new revenue streams.
  • Over 50% of enterprises are looking for 5G use cases that can help them disrupt the market or drive their brand forward
  • Data security (59%), finding the right talent (57%), and device readiness (57%) were identified as key barriers in 5G adoption.
  1. Industry wise, Energy and Utilities call out Integration while Manufacturing mentions virtualised 5G core deployment as key challenges
  2. Maintenance of the new technology (47%) and defining a roadmap for AI and ML technology advancements (33%) emerged as key challenges post implementation
  • Nearly 50% enterprises firmly believe that system integrators play a vital role in 5G deployment.
  • 50% respondents cited that mass machine communication is expected to undergo a major transformation, followed by ultra-reliable and low latency services (48%) and enhanced cellular broadband (43%).
  • State of 5G across industries:
  1. Consumer Retail and Logistics (CRL) and Energy and Utilities (E&U) industries are leaders in 5G strategy with experiments around In-Store Experience and Smart Grids respectively. There is also traction in interactive experiences around media delivery, smart spaces, and remote healthcare.
  2. Telecom industry is driving more use case experimentation (57%) that can help them disrupt the market.
  3. Supply side industries have migrated beyond the business case stage, focusing more on prototyping. On the other hand, industries on the demand side are driven by the cautious nature of users while contemplating business cases.
  • While standards organisations are seen as the preferred partners in 5G evolution among nearly 50% respondents, understanding of 5G and seamless transitioning capability were called out as the key partner selection criteria.

Nitesh Bansal, SVP and global head, Engineering Services, Infosys said, “5G holds significant transformation potential for both network providers and enterprises that will consume it. For network providers there are significant opportunities for network virtualisation, AI and automation, while considerably lowering associated costs and enhancing delivery of network-based services.”

“For enterprises, on the other hand it unlocks significant value with the addition of use cases that were not possible without low latency and high bandwidth network coverage. Through our research, ‘State of 5G – The Road Ahead’, we are looking to present a comprehensive view of the adoption and barriers in implementing 5G. The research also highlights relevant use cases that will serve as a ready reckoner for businesses looking to explore new opportunities in the 5G space.”

For a full copy of the report, click here

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Consumers would trust their energy suppliers more if they offered access to transparent cost breakdown

Lucid has unveiled new research which demonstrates a trust and transparency gap between consumer and supplier within the UK energy sector. The report, delivered in partnership with PwC, found that 74% of consumers would have greater trust in their energy supplier if they were offered access to a more transparent cost breakdown.

The research comes as Lucid announces itself within the UK energy sector, aimed at enabling energy retailers to improve their customer relationships through its robust and secure platform, which enhances customer engagement, reduces the cost to serve, and increases profitability.

An intelligent energy optimisation platform, Lucid allows energy retailers to deliver new levels of transparency to their customers through a variety of Energy Insight features. Lucid provides personalised and actionable insights which help customers to better understand their energy consumption and related costs, meaning they can in turn maximise the value of their energy.

The research findings reveal the importance of such transparency to customer retention, with 59% of people stating they would be more likely to stay with their current provider were they to offer an app with the 11 features provided by the Lucid Energy Insights platform.

Within the further context that 28% of respondents have switched energy supplier within the last 12 months, and 41% are “likely” to do so within the next 12 months, the research demonstrates the role the greater transparency and control offered by such apps can play in reducing customer churn within an industry where it is prevalent. Features such as real-time consumption updates and forecasts, energy budget tracking, and usage by activity, are central to this.

“Lucid brings a dynamic new offering to energy retailers at a time when competition is rising and consumer demands are rightfully centred around greater transparency and trust, as well as managing costs,” said James Hunt, business development director at Lucid. “Within a fast-evolving industry, it’s important for energy suppliers to recognise and react to these needs. Lucid is well-placed to enable them to do so, in particular by providing the platform to instigate the functional, technical and behavioural change required to transition to the smart energy economy.”

Originally developed and supported by Toshiba, and in association with PwC, Lucid leverages the strength and heritage of the two brands. It has already signed partnerships with several energy companies to deliver its Energy Insights service. Lucid is hardware-agnostic and will work with the energy retailer’s chosen IHD/CAD partner. It has its own CAD, and can offer firmware and device management.

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Thingstream supports LTE-M (Cat-M1) radio tech for low cost, global, low power connected devices

Thingstream, a global low-power MQTT network provider, now supports the LTE-M (Cat-M1) radio standard as part of its end-to-end ‘MQTT Anywhere’ Connectivity-as-a-service offering.

The news announced at IoT Solutions World Congress, means that device manufacturers can now offer ubiquitous global IoT coverage in a low power small form factor with fixed and predictable pricing guaranteed.

Until now Internet of Things (IoT) device manufacturers have struggled to build devices that are cost-effective and often face issues with global roaming capability. By leveraging modems which support both LTE-M (Cat-M1) and 2G, which are significantly cheaper than regular LTE modems, Thingstream solves this problem, giving customers a solution that works worldwide and with the same price everywhere.

Commenting on the announcement, Jose Garcia, regional sales manager for Western Europe, SIMCom Wireless Solutions, said, “Our device manufacturer customers can now unlock the opportunity to sell in volume thanks to Thingstream MQTT Anywhere solving the low power global ubiquitous connectivity problem.“

“As the demand for affordable globally roaming devices increases we are innovating to ensure that demand is met. With the addition of LTE-M support our MQTT Anywhere service offers connected product manufacturers a clear path for low power always connected affordable solutions”, said Bruce Jackson, chief technology officer, Thingstream.

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The odd, unpredictable expansion of IoT

What makes a product a game-changer in the IoT world? For every bona fide success like Amazon Echo or Google Home, you’ll find dozens of “smart” products that are anything but. We all may see huge potential in a cutting-edge home surveillance system like Nest, but an internet-connected toaster only prompts ridicule, says Carsten Rhod Gregersen CEO and founder of Nabto.

Consumers decide which technologies succeed and which ones fail by voting with their wallets. Tech companies will continually iterate, innovate, and (at times) instigate controversy by promoting new connected products. Some will become the next killer device; others will land with a thud and be quickly forgotten.

With all the new products and systems in the IoT pipeline, where should consumers keep their focus? Let’s look first at where the industry is headed to decide how we, as consumers, can navigate an increasingly interconnected world.

2020: The age of IoT

As previously mentioned, Google and Amazon have made the largest IoT breakthrough with their smart speaker products. Looking ahead into the next decade, the growth in the home market remains massive.

Smart city with modern skyscrapers: they are connecting to the internet network, sharing data and services online

A home appliance that can save consumers time and money by tracking energy usage and providing useful metrics is an upgrade over our current ‘dumb’ appliances. Any device with health benefits, such as an IoT air monitor that can alert users immediately to gas or CO2 leak, can potentially save lives.

IoT will have a similar effect on a societal level. The term ‘smart cities’ will really come into its own in the coming years, as public administration melds further with technology. In fact, smart cities in 2019 are already reaping substantial economic benefits from their IoT deployment, using services like blockchain, AI, and biometrics.

Overall, the future of IoT is bigger than a mockable product or a finicky software update. The trend toward beneficial growth is already affecting us on a global scale – and that should excite us as much as it scares us.

The privacy flaw in the IoT

The more information a city collects about its population, the more public officials can benefit the health and safety of their citizens. At the same time, this massive trove of data comes with immense risks.

Isometric smart city with skyscrapers, industrial area, residential area, people and vehicles; location pins on the top of the buildings

Massive privacy breaches and database hacks are unfortunately no longer the stuff of science fiction. Equifax’s infamous 2017 breach revealed the names and addresses of nearly 127 million people. What happens when that vulnerable database contains the personal medical information of everyone in the city – or the nation?

Tracking short-term trends in the IoT world can be fun and, at times, profitable. Yet in order to ensure the brightest possible future for our connected world, we can’t lose track of the privacy we’re asked to give up.

Consumers offer trust when companies show they take privacy seriously. Amazon regularly updates its Echo line with features like auto-deleted [...]

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