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		<title>Business Leader of the Week: Justin Hotard to lead Nokia&#8217;s transformation</title>
		<link>https://internationalfinance.com/business-leaders/business-leader-week-justin-hotard-lead-nokias-transformation/#utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=business-leader-week-justin-hotard-lead-nokias-transformation</link>
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		<dc:creator><![CDATA[IFM Correspondent]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:32:27 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Business Leaders]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Artificial Intelligence]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[data centre]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Intel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[investments]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Justin Hotard]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mobile network]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Nokia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[technology]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://internationalfinance.com/?p=52083</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Justin Hotard has worked for major tech companies like Santa Clara and Intel during his more than 25 years in the field</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://internationalfinance.com/business-leaders/business-leader-week-justin-hotard-lead-nokias-transformation/">Business Leader of the Week: Justin Hotard to lead Nokia&#8217;s transformation</a> appeared first on <a href="https://internationalfinance.com">International Finance</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Nokia Corporation announced that Justin Hotard will take over as President and CEO, effective April 1, 2025, marking a significant change in the company&#8217;s leadership. He will succeed Pekka Lundmark, who has led the business since 2020 but has chosen to retire.</p>
<p>Justin Hotard has worked in the global technology industry for more than 25 years. His most recent position was as head of Intel&#8217;s Data Centre and AI Group. He has also held executive roles at NCR Corporation and Hewlett Packard Enterprise.</p>
<p>The Nokia Board of Directors has expressed confidence in Justin Hotard&#8217;s leadership skills and strategic vision, which they believe align with the company&#8217;s focus on growth and value creation in the data centre and <a href="https://internationalfinance.com/technology/artificial-intelligence-helping-employees-lets-find-out-truth/"><strong>artificial intelligence</strong></a> (AI) markets.</p>
<p>Lundmark stated that the time seemed appropriate for a changeover and took pride in the team&#8217;s achievements under his direction. He intends to step down on March 31, 2025, and pursue a different line of work, possibly as a board professional.</p>
<p>To ensure a smooth transition, he will remain as Justin Hotard&#8217;s advisor through the end of the year. Along with the announcement, further details regarding the leadership transition were shared at a recent event for media and financial analysts.</p>
<p><a href="https://internationalfinance.com/telecom/nokia-acquire-open-optical-network-provider-infinera-usd-billion/"><strong>Nokia</strong></a> is repositioning itself to seize new opportunities in the technology sector and is continuously evolving its business strategy to optimise growth potential during this leadership change.</p>
<p><strong>Who Is Justin Hotard?</strong></p>
<p>Justin Hotard has worked for major tech companies like Santa Clara and Intel during his more than 25 years in the field.</p>
<p>&#8220;I am eager to get started and look forward to continuing Nokia&#8217;s transformation journey to maximise its potential for growth and value creation,&#8221; the new CEO stated in a video message.</p>
<p>Additionally, Justin Hotard stated that he would support the company&#8217;s efforts to integrate artificial intelligence into its operations and &#8220;establish Nokia as a global leader in connectivity in the AI era.&#8221;</p>
<p>At present, he serves as the general manager and executive vice president of the Data Centre and AI Group.</p>
<p>Before his position at Intel, he worked for Hewlett Packard Enterprise and NCR Corporation. While at NCR Corporation, an IT company based in Atlanta, Justin Hotard closed several deals and made significant investments in the company.</p>
<p>In a single year, he completed five acquisitions totalling USD 72 million, expanding the business into markets adjacent to its self-serve offerings.</p>
<p>Justin Hotard graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and earned an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management in Cambridge.</p>
<p>Nokia is seeking to streamline its operations and grow its business to offset slower growth from mobile operators. Like other telecom equipment manufacturers, the company is facing a decline in 5G gear sales and is exploring new markets while expanding into emerging sectors like AI.</p>
<p>Sari Baldauf, the chair of Nokia&#8217;s board of directors, stated that Justin Hotard&#8217;s experience in the AI and data centre markets will be crucial for Nokia&#8217;s future growth prospects.</p>
<p>According to sources cited by Bloomberg, the company is considering the future of its mobile network business and may contemplate spinning off, selling all or part of the division, or merging with a competitor.</p>
<p>In 2024, Nokia announced a USD 2.3 billion deal to acquire US optical networking firm Infinera, aiming to capitalise on the growing AI-driven data centre investments.</p>
<p>On February 10, 2025, Nokia&#8217;s shares rose 1.6% to 4.7 euros on Helsinki’s stock exchange, outpacing the market’s 0.45% gain. The company&#8217;s shares have risen 27.85% in 2024, though they remain over 90% below their June 2000 peak.</p>
<p>Nokia’s infrastructure division, which incorporates AI, specialises in communication systems, including data centres, servers, and routers.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Nokia&#8217;s mobile networks unit focuses on mobile communication technologies, managing cell towers and advancing 5G services.</p>
<p><small>Image Credits: intc.com</small></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://internationalfinance.com/business-leaders/business-leader-week-justin-hotard-lead-nokias-transformation/">Business Leader of the Week: Justin Hotard to lead Nokia&#8217;s transformation</a> appeared first on <a href="https://internationalfinance.com">International Finance</a>.</p>
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		<title>Start-up of the Week: SecurityGen is here to rewrite telecom sector’s rulebook</title>
		<link>https://internationalfinance.com/telecom/start-up-week-securitygen-here-rewrite-telecom-sectors-rulebook/#utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=start-up-week-securitygen-here-rewrite-telecom-sectors-rulebook</link>
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		<dc:creator><![CDATA[IFM Correspondent]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 05 Jun 2024 07:32:35 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Telecom]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cybersecurity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[data]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Firewall]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mobile network]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Network Security]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SaaS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SecurityGen]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[telecom]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://internationalfinance.com/?p=50078</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>In the age of 5G and the IoT, network owners need to deal with vulnerabilities within their network, vulnerabilities which SecurityGen believes can't be addressed in a passive/defensive manner</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://internationalfinance.com/telecom/start-up-week-securitygen-here-rewrite-telecom-sectors-rulebook/">Start-up of the Week: SecurityGen is here to rewrite telecom sector’s rulebook</a> appeared first on <a href="https://internationalfinance.com">International Finance</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>In today&#8217;s episode of the &#8220;Start-up of the Week,&#8221; International Finance will talk about United Kingdom-based start-up <a href="https://secgen.com/"><strong>SecurityGen</strong></a>, whose claim to fame is its platform that performs continuous proactive telecom network security assessments.</p>
<p>The platform, featuring AI-enabled breach and attack simulation, automates the process of inspection and detection of telecom networks. Also, the software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform doesn&#8217;t require additional software, reconfiguration, or maintenance costs with constant uptime and availability.</p>
<p>SecurityGen’s other solutions include an intrusion detection (IDS) platform and a next-generation firewall (NGFW). These two elements combine visibility with intelligence and high-powered analytics, enabling telecom providers to build, reinforce, and roll out secure and robust network operations, with a focus on 5G networks.</p>
<p><strong>Knowing The Company In Detail</strong></p>
<p>Headquartered in London, SecurityGen was established in 2022 by thought leaders and pioneers from the domain of network security, with the simple goal of having a global cybersecurity start-up, which will focus on telecom security.</p>
<p>In the age of 5G and the Internet of Things (IoT), network owners need to deal with vulnerabilities within their network, vulnerabilities which SecurityGen believes can&#8217;t be addressed in a passive/defensive manner.</p>
<p>The start-up is helping its clients to stay ahead of threats by delivering a solid security foundation to drive secure telco digital transformations and ensure next-gen enterprise intelligent connectivity.</p>
<p>The overall goal is simple here: to protect the backbone infrastructure of LTE and 5G network, along with the private and legacy ones, proactively detect, evaluate and mitigate attacks upon networks and services.</p>
<p>SecurityGen is covering every aspect of telecom, including the RAN, core, and all interconnections, apart from assessing network, mitigating potential cyber flaws, and boosting subscriber trust and revenue.</p>
<p><strong>Here Comes The Product Line-up</strong></p>
<p>Among SecurityGen&#8217;s flagship products, we have ACE, which is the first-of-its-kind AI-enabled breach and attack simulation platform for continuous inspection, detection, and protection of telecom network.</p>
<p>ACE automates the entire process of inspection and detection by giving network owners continuous and efficient 24&#215;7 protection and saving millions of dollars. The inbuilt AI module enables ACE to constantly learn, enhance performance, and incorporate real-life scenarios and attack vectors from the field, thus strengthening the network security posture.</p>
<p>&#8220;ACE natively integrates with the 5G-ready Next-Generation Signalling Protection Platform (NGFW). This synergy of ACE and NGFW imparts enhanced security coverage by combining the inspect module with detect and protect one. ACE continuously reports the results of security assessments that help to cross-validate and check if signalling protection is ready and up-to-date. With ACE being available 24&#215;7, security teams can now continuously keep a keen watch on the security posture without incurring additional expenses,&#8221; the venture noted.</p>
<p>&#8220;ACE is a SaaS platform that boasts of rapid set-up support, zero maintenance costs, and 24&#215;7 availability. It works remotely and can be installed inside verified systems, with zero ‘agents’ and NO additional software or reconfiguration requirements,&#8221; it added.</p>
<p>ACE breach and attack simulation solutions ensure that mobile network operators proactively assess and safeguard against possible vulnerabilities even after network changes. The system helps to evaluate and ensure that adequate security countermeasures are in place and provides valuable information in case network security levels are lowered.</p>
<p>There is an increasing concern among banks, crypto-wallets, and online payment platforms about the inability of communication service providers to withstand fraudulent SMS interception. ACE ensures customer security by performing comprehensive checks to keep SMS data content thefts at bay.</p>
<p>Next is IDS (Intrusion Detection System Platform), which, powered by business intelligence (BI) modules, ensures comprehensive security monitoring and signalling traffic analysis.</p>
<p>In a digital world driven by critical infrastructure and sensitive data, all legacy networks, 2G, 3G, 4G, LTE, and even 5G are easily exploitable. Flaws in signalling protocols allow attackers to compromise subscriber privacy, intercept calls, track subscriber locations, carry out fraud, and cause a denial of service.</p>
<p>Network providers therefore require a strong deterrent to the more advanced cyber threats. SecurityGen’s IDS platform is the perfect solution here as it empowers telecom operators to respond to threats as they occur. It offers end-to-end coverage, from security monitoring and up-to-the-minute anomalous-activity detection, to protecting signalling network perimeter across HTTP/2, Diameter, GTP-C and SS7 signalling protocols.</p>
<p>IDS offers end-to-end network coverage, from security monitoring and up-to-the-minute anomalous-activity detection, to protecting signalling network perimeter across HTTP/2, Diameter, GTP-C and SS7 signalling protocols. Coupled with rich analytics and reporting capabilities, the IDS platform prevents hacker attacks, and protects the client&#8217;s core network while enhancing the company&#8217;s goodwill among subscribers.</p>
<p>The platform provides complete visibility of the core telecom network and easily integrates with SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) and SOAR (Security Orchestration) systems empowering SOC (Security operations centre) with real-time threat detection.</p>
<p>Next is NGFW, which is a 5G-ready next generation signalling firewall advanced telecom signalling security system.</p>
<p>&#8220;The massive environment created by 5G, and edge-based computing presents a new and highly vulnerable threat landscape. As cloud, data, and IoT threats merge, it provides a pathway for adversaries to spread malware via IoT network, disrupt core functions and use routers as IoT botnets to launch DDoS attacks. Given that 5G network currently interoperate with existing 4G legacy network, and a minority of 5G network will be built base up, CSPs would require a fundamental shift in security approach to ensure holistic signalling security across both 5G and legacy LTE network,&#8221; SecurityGen remarked.</p>
<p>&#8220;Built using cutting-edge technologies and our team&#8217;s global expertise in advanced telecom security systems, SecurityGen’s Next Generation Signalling Firewall (NGFW) is a state-of-the-art platform built on cutting-edge technology that combines comprehensive visibility, with intelligence and high-powered analytics to protect the 5G and LTE network ecosystem. It also provides enhanced protection by integrating detection and protection capabilities and allows for complete application-level inspection and intrusion prevention,&#8221; it added.</p>
<p>NGFW scans incoming traffic for malicious attack patterns, and upon detailed analysis, verified messages are looped back and passed to the client&#8217;s core network. With SecurityGen&#8217;s signalling firewalls, the client then can quickly analyse and secure core networks and subscriber data. SecurityGen&#8217;s signalling firewalls can simultaneously detect and analyse cross-protocol attacks, a new class of threats targeting all network protocols in tandem.</p>
<p>SecurityGen is also working actively on the GTP (GPRS Tunnelling Protocol) front. GTP, defined by the 3GPP standards, has been a fundamental protocol in the evolution of mobile networks. GTP has evolved from connecting and enabling seamless roaming access in GPRS to acting as a liaison between old and new technologies across 3G and 4G.</p>
<p>The GTP protocol, despite its widespread usage in 4G and 5G networks, is also known for inherent vulnerabilities. One of them is the absence of a robust and built-in security mechanism. These vulnerabilities can result in the protocol being the hotbed of malicious acts like denial of cellular service, data interception, fraud, subscriber impersonation and data disclosure. These incidents can undermine the security and reliability of 5G networks.</p>
<p>Addressing the above worries, &#8220;GTP Firewall&#8221; shields mobile networks from potential risks associated with GTP. The firewall, a vital part of SecurityGen&#8217;s Telecom Security Guard (TSG) platform, provides robust security for 3G, 4G, and 5G networks, maintaining secure and seamless telecom services.</p>
<p><strong>Covering A-Z Of Telecom Security</strong></p>
<p>SecurityGen has started its &#8220;5G Security Programme&#8221; to help mobile network operators (MNOs) reinforce their security strategy and offers comprehensive guidelines for maintaining the reliability and resiliency of 5G network and services.</p>
<p>How is the programme helping the MNOs? by identifying the threats the businesses are facing and evaluating the challenges, along with offering clear, actionable recommendations for ongoing 5G security strategy, providing guidance for immediate remediation of critical weaknesses and vulnerabilities, assuring security for a range of service offerings and last by not the least, verifying compliance with industry recommendations.</p>
<p>Using the ACE SaaS model, SecurityGen is reinforcing measures to control signalling threats and ensure heightened security. ACE is enabling independent testing of signalling network. Once enabled, apart from conducting a thorough security assessment of the client&#8217;s signalling premises, creating a report highlighting critical issues and delivering it to the relevant teams.</p>
<p>Under the &#8220;Telecom Security Assessment,&#8221; SecurityGen&#8217;s expert team is providing complete visibility into the actual state of signalling protection throughout the telecom infrastructure, with the goal of highlighting potential attack vectors on signalling network and other risks, thus keeping the network and subscribers safe. These professionals are also running programmes related to fraud risks and telecom incidents (probing vulnerabilities in a signalling network).</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://internationalfinance.com/telecom/start-up-week-securitygen-here-rewrite-telecom-sectors-rulebook/">Start-up of the Week: SecurityGen is here to rewrite telecom sector’s rulebook</a> appeared first on <a href="https://internationalfinance.com">International Finance</a>.</p>
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		<title>Start-up of the Week: Bloxtel &#038; blockchain-based 5G revolution</title>
		<link>https://internationalfinance.com/telecom/start-up-week-bloxtel-blockchain-based-5g-revolution/#utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=start-up-week-bloxtel-blockchain-based-5g-revolution</link>
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		<dc:creator><![CDATA[IFM Correspondent]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 20 Dec 2023 04:09:13 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Telecom]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[5G]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[blockchain]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bloxtel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[data]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dSIM Technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mobile network]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Open6GC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[telecom]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[United States]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://internationalfinance.com/?p=48766</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Bloxtel assigns its dedicated site technicians to implement the client's private 5G network deployment</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://internationalfinance.com/telecom/start-up-week-bloxtel-blockchain-based-5g-revolution/">Start-up of the Week: Bloxtel &#038; blockchain-based 5G revolution</a> appeared first on <a href="https://internationalfinance.com">International Finance</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>In today&#8217;s episode of the &#8216;<a href="https://internationalfinance.com/?s=Start-up+of+the+Week"><strong>Start-up of the Week</strong></a>&#8216;, International Finance will talk about the United States-based Bloxtel, which enables blockchain-based 5G mobile networks. The start-up’s breakthrough product is its decentralised eSIM (dSIM) technology, which forms the foundation of its web3 mobile connectivity platform, Open6GC.</p>
<p>Open6GC mainly offers asymmetric and symmetric mobile network authentication, hardware-backed root of trust, and intelligent cross-chain offloading.</p>
<p><a href="https://bloxtel.com/index.html"><strong>Bloxtel</strong></a> provides a comprehensive solution for the web3 decentralised ecosystem, thereby enabling the integration of blockchain for mobile network deployment, apart from supporting decentralised networks by facilitating integration with progressive mobile operators.</p>
<p><strong>Why The Venture Is Unique?</strong></p>
<p>For providing the world&#8217;s most advanced 5G standalone platform featuring decentralised SIM technology. Bloxtel&#8217;s dSIM comes with user pros like 70% threat reduction for the network (no single failure point and tokenization ensuring cyber attackers are unable to disrupt network operations), 80% latency reduction (peer-to-peer local breakout and packet loss mitigation, which enables faster real-time processing for mission-critical AI-enabled IoT devices), 90% cost reduction (decentralised serverless infrastructure ensuring a zero CAPEX/OPEX strategy for a fully autonomous 5G network) and ten times more capacity muscling up (blockchain-native network core architecture, along with network slicing, significantly scaling up network capacity).</p>
<p>Also, Bloxtel&#8217;s decentralised 5G standalone network core software, integrated with dSIM technology, provides superior features like:</p>
<p><strong>Asymmetric Authentication:</strong> Public key cryptography allows Bloxtel&#8217;s client&#8217;s devices (personnel and IoT) to connect instantly and securely with the start-up&#8217;s network infrastructure. The venture calls it &#8216;6G AKA&#8217; in comparison to traditional symmetric authentication known as &#8216;5G AKA&#8217;, provided by its rivals.</p>
<p><strong>Identity Tokenization:</strong> Bloxtel&#8217;s clients can associate tokenized proofs of ownership with their network subscriptions to prevent costly SIM swap attacks.</p>
<p><strong>Electronic Subscriptions:</strong> With a single click, Bloxtel&#8217;s clients can order, issue or manage batches of dSIMs electronically. The product works with both eSIM-compatible hardware and older-generation devices.</p>
<p><strong>Integrity Verification:</strong> Bloxtel deploys 5G access gateways and small cells in its client&#8217;s website, which make the latter tamper-resistant with remote boot attestation and runtime integrity measurement.</p>
<p><strong>Intelligent Slicing:</strong> Bloxtel clients can create dedicated virtual access point names (APNs) with Quality-of-Service (QoS) rules and AI-based policy enforcers for a multitude of enterprise applications in their business websites.</p>
<p><strong>Confidential Access:</strong> &#8220;Have the peace of mind that all of your data traffic from and to connected devices (personnel &#038; IoT) in your private 5G network will never transit through a remote third-party network function server. Your network, your data,&#8221; states the American telecom start-up.</p>
<p>Bloxtel assigns its dedicated site technicians to implement the client&#8217;s private 5G network deployment. These professionals relay installation and operating parameters into an FCC (Federal Communications Commission)-certified Spectrum Access System (SAS).</p>
<p>The SAS then enables the Bloxtel clients to use the shared 3550-3700 MHz radio band, known as Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS). For other markets, the start-up works with the principle of setting up agreements with public operators to sublicense their unused spectrum in tthe clients&#8217; business websites.</p>
<p>&#8220;To get started, we ship you an Operator Evaluation Kit that includes a plug-and-play 5G small cell and 5G access gateway. Once installed, you can configure and manage your network including remotely provisioning your IoT devices with dSIMs from a decentralised web application called Operator dApp,&#8221; Bloxtel remarked further.</p>
<p><strong>Taking A Product Tour</strong></p>
<p>Among Bloxtel&#8217;s key products, the first is &#8216;Indoor 5G Coverage&#8217;. Unlike earlier forms of 5G deployments, which used to rely on existing 4G infrastructure (known as non-standalone/5G NSA), Bloxtel&#8217;s 5G Standalone operates without depending on older network infrastructures.</p>
<p>Deploying a private 5G network for indoor cellular coverage helps organisations enhance their connectivity options, improve efficiency, and maintain control over their network infrastructure. Bloxtel&#8217;s solution also provides superior indoor cellular coverage compared to traditional Wi-Fi/public cellular networks.</p>
<p>Bloxtel&#8217;s &#8216;Indoor 5G Coverage&#8217; comes with pros like ultra-low latency (ideal for applications like robotics and automation that require real-time data transfer), high bandwidth (enabling efficient transfer of large amounts of data, which is beneficial for applications like high-definition video streaming, virtual reality, augmented reality, and IoT devices), enhanced network security (especially for sectors like healthcare, finance, and manufacturing), easy to customise (client ventures can tailor private 5G networks to their specific needs), network slicing (creating virtual networks within a single physical network), high reliability and reduced interference (Bloxtel provides dedicated and interference-free network operation environment).</p>
<p>Also, the client ventures can stay future-proof in its connectivity infrastructure, while facilitating long-term cost savings and complying with data regulations.</p>
<p>Bloxtel&#8217;s &#8216;Sim Swap Attack Protection&#8217; uses the start-up&#8217;s patented dSIM technology to set up the digital proof of ownership. The process involves electronically providing evidence that helps the client enterprise to have legal control over their dSIM assets.</p>
<p>Bloxtel&#8217;s AI-powered video analytics involves machine learning algorithms analysing video footage in real-time/post-processing to detect, classify, and respond to various objects and events.</p>
<p>AI algorithms are trained to recognise and detect specific objects/entities in video feeds. Bloxtel&#8217;s AI can even identify defects in products in a factory&#8217;s assembly line. The start-up&#8217;s AI-powered video monitoring can perform facial recognition to identify individuals in the video footage, which comes in handy during critical security situations.</p>
<p>Bloxtel&#8217;s AI-powered video analytics has been tailored to analyse the behaviour of objects/people in video streams to detect unusual activities. The application can even detect vehicle accidents, fires, break-ins, or crowd disturbances, through multiple camera feeds.</p>
<p>The solution can create virtual boundaries and trigger alerts when an object/person enters the restricted area. It can analyse historical video data to predict/identify trends. This solution comes in handy for retailers looking to optimise store layouts based on customer traffic patterns. The tool can even assist smart city initiatives like efficient traffic management, waste management, and public safety enhancements.</p>
<p>Bloxtel also assists its client ventures with 5G neutral hosting, which is an emerging business model in which a business can securely share its deployed private 5G infrastructure to support offloading from other paying mobile operators. Last but not least, we have Bloxtel&#8217;s &#8216;Peer Node Validation&#8217;, where the start-up&#8217;s private blockchain offers a different level of transparency from public blockchains.</p>
<p><strong>Gaining A Decisive Market Edge</strong></p>
<p>While others provide expensive and complex to deploy 5G NSA products, Bloxtel, with its patented dSIM technology, makes its client&#8217;s private 5G standalone look and act like Wi-Fi.</p>
<p>While the start-up&#8217;s industry peers provide everything-in-the-cloud solutions, Bloxtel sees the approach as a traditionally centralised one, which comes with deployment complexity.</p>
<p>Bloxtel has disrupted the above trend with its white-glove and turnkey serverless platform, which comes with a guaranteed carrier-grade Service Level Agreement (SLA) of 99.999% of uptime, with an average of less than six minutes of downtime per year. The whole infrastructure can be deployed in a manner as simple as configuring a Wi-Fi router. The client needs &#8216;Power&#8217; and &#8216;Backhaul Connectivity Sources&#8217;.</p>
<p>Bloxtel will provide its client &#8216;Operator Evaluation Kit&#8217;, which will include a plug-and-play 5G small cell and 5G access gateway. The client, then, can configure and manage its network including the IoT devices from a decentralised web application called &#8216;Operator dApp&#8217;.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://internationalfinance.com/telecom/start-up-week-bloxtel-blockchain-based-5g-revolution/">Start-up of the Week: Bloxtel &#038; blockchain-based 5G revolution</a> appeared first on <a href="https://internationalfinance.com">International Finance</a>.</p>
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		<title>Start-up of the Week: Optasia &#038; AI route to enhance MENA’s financial inclusion</title>
		<link>https://internationalfinance.com/fintech/optasia-ai-route-enhance-menas-financial-inclusion/#utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=optasia-ai-route-enhance-menas-financial-inclusion</link>
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		<dc:creator><![CDATA[IFM Correspondent]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 04 Oct 2023 04:20:56 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fintech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[banking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Congo]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FinTech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[investment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MENA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Micro-Lending]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mobile network]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mobile wallet]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Monetization]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Optasia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[telecom]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Vodacash]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Vodacom]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://internationalfinance.com/?p=48070</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Optasia reportedly enables credit decisions for a monthly average of 88 million customers and had over 560 million addressable subscribers in 2021</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://internationalfinance.com/fintech/optasia-ai-route-enhance-menas-financial-inclusion/">Start-up of the Week: Optasia &#038; AI route to enhance MENA’s financial inclusion</a> appeared first on <a href="https://internationalfinance.com">International Finance</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Optasia (formerly known as Channel VAS), through the help of AI, is now enabling instant access to financial solutions for millions of under-banked individuals and SMEs across over 30 countries, including the ones in the MENA.</p>
<p>Optasia’s AI-led data engine and proprietary algorithms analyze alternative data from mobile and other digital ecosystems to provide relevant instant credit decisions to its partners, including mobile network operators, mobile money operators, banks, and payment gateways.</p>
<p><strong>Using AI To Open New Revenue Streams</strong></p>
<p>Established in 2012 and headquartered in Dubai (with Athens being the new operational hub), Optasia reportedly enables credit decisions for a monthly average of 88 million customers and had over 560 million addressable subscribers in 2021.</p>
<p>In 2023, the venture opened its business in Congo through a partnership with VodaCash, a Vodacom Congo subsidiary.</p>
<p>Optasia empowers its clients with a versatile and data-driven B2B2X (business-to-business-to-customers and SMEs) financial platform, which helps mobile wallet operators and financial institutions to come up with accurate credit scoring patterns.</p>
<p>In 2022 alone, Optasia enabled credit decisions for an average of 103 million customers a month, as it is continuously working with &#8216;Tier-1 Distribution Partners&#8217; and &#8216;Financial Services Partners&#8217; in over 30 countries, apart from having an impressive portfolio of over 750 million accessible subscribers.</p>
<p>Optasia, which has a long line-up of banking and telecom partners like MTN, Ecobank, Airtel, Robi, Access Bank, and Vodafone, states, &#8220;1.7 billion adults, most of them in emerging markets, remain underbanked, without proper access to traditional financial establishments. We are here to bridge this gap by empowering our partners to provide credible financial solutions where they are needed the most. Emerging markets are a space of clear opportunities to support local populations and SMEs, while enabling our partners to grow.&#8221;</p>
<p>Through its partners, the venture enables micro-financing solutions to underbanked and unbanked populations in Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Europe, and Latin America. Optasia&#8217;s B2B2X platform helps the fintech venture to build and offer tailor-made financial solutions for both individual consumers and enterprises.</p>
<p>&#8220;We have been chosen as an investment opportunity by top firms such as Abu Dhabi’s Waha Capital in 2017, and Ethos, a leading South African investment company in late 2018. The company also obtained ISO 27001 Certification in late 2021,&#8221; the venture stated further.</p>
<p>Optasia&#8217;s platform-as-a-service features advanced capabilities based on learnings from multiple deployments and client engagements across the mobile and banking industries. The fintech platform then helps its client businesses to optimize their campaigns, limit infrastructure costs and seek to maximize their monetization potential.</p>
<p>Apart from offering multiple financial products from the same platform, Optasia&#8217;s platform-as-a-service comes with features like real-time profiling and credit scoring, configurable remarketing campaigns and supporting all types of credit products, including BNPL (Buy Now Pay Later).</p>
<p><strong>Optasia&#8217;s &#8216;Enabled Solutions&#8217;</strong></p>
<p>Optasia&#8217;s micro-lending solutions can be quickly embedded in the client business&#8217; ecosystem and give life to a growing number of highly composable products that address the credit needs of these ventures&#8217; customer base.</p>
<p>Optasia&#8217;s embedded finance solution streamlines the offering of micro-lending products, in a digital-first model.  </p>
<p>&#8220;Smarter lending starts with better decisioning, which is delivered by the AI-led, cutting-edge proprietary credit decision engine, the heart of our solution. It pulls thousands of data points to provide real-time approval of loan applications while satisfying the most demanding underwriting requirements,&#8221; the fintech platform stated.</p>
<p>Optasia&#8217;s bullet/instalment-based micro-loans for retail and merchant segments instantly get approved and disbursed to a store of value like a mobile wallet or bank account. These loans also deliver a seamless check-out-on-credit experience for the wallet user.</p>
<p>Optasia&#8217;s &#8216;XtraFone&#8217; is a device financing product which comes with built-in capabilities of device management and locking, thus covering a wide range of device manufacturers. &#8216;XtraPay&#8217;, on the other hand, is a buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) product for online and in-store payments. Last but not least, we have &#8216;XtraFloat&#8217;, an overdraft credit product for merchants/agents, which is basically a very high digital wallet activity designed to enable transactions when the customer is out of funds.</p>
<p>Optasia&#8217;s other flagship financial solution is &#8216;Airtime Advance Solutions&#8217;, which the venture states as &#8220;airtime, data and package (bundle) advance solutions for mobile network operators. Our flexible go-to-market solutions are powered by an AI-led technology platform that delivers real-time scoring, supports omnichannel delivery and allows implementation of contextual and personalized marketing.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;For prepaid subscribers, being able to continue making calls or using data services when they are running low on balance, makes all the difference. Our airtime advance solution safely extends airtime capitalizing on our proprietary AI-led scoring and decisioning engine. Moreover, it manages the interaction with the subscribers across all channels through personalized offerings,&#8221; it states further.</p>
<p>The marketing of the Airtime Advance Service is an integral part of Optasia&#8217;s financial solution. It targets the individual subscriber level. The fintech platform brings its &#8216;High-Throughput Stream Analytics Technology’ that taps into the mobile network operator&#8217;s infrastructure and then translates real-time subscriber’s interaction with the network into actionable events.</p>
<p>Optasia currently has over 30 airtime advance solutions live worldwide.</p>
<p>Last but not least, let’s talk about Optasia&#8217;s &#8216;Data Monetization Solutions&#8217;, which is a &#8216;Turn-Key Product-as-a-Service&#8217; solution for mobile network operators to leverage their data and create new revenue streams by serving the market with core financial infrastructure services.</p>
<p>The fintech platform dubs this solution as an elastic one for all mobile network operators. &#8216;Data Monetization Solutions&#8217; gets deployed on-site and is capable enough to collect and digest data from the telecom operators&#8217; resources.</p>
<p><strong>Optasia In The News</strong></p>
<p>VodaCash, a Vodacom Congo subsidiary, and Access Bank have been using Optasia&#8217;s AI-led platform’s capabilities to deliver their latest micro-lending solutions in Congo, since March 2023.</p>
<p>Optasia&#8217;s Micro Lending overdraft service is now offered in Congo through VodaCash under its branding M-Pesa, together with Access Bank as the financial partner, under the commercial name “M-Pesa Rallonge”. This offering will further enhance the African country&#8217;s financial inclusion, thereby opening up financial services to the underbanked populations in the remote areas of the country.</p>
<p>Optasia is now weighing strategic options, including a sale/initial public offering in the Middle East, as per the reports. The fintech venture has appointed global investment bank Moelis as an adviser.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://internationalfinance.com/fintech/optasia-ai-route-enhance-menas-financial-inclusion/">Start-up of the Week: Optasia &#038; AI route to enhance MENA’s financial inclusion</a> appeared first on <a href="https://internationalfinance.com">International Finance</a>.</p>
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		<title>Vodacom KZN deploys 84 base stations in coastal South African province</title>
		<link>https://internationalfinance.com/telecom/vodacom-kzn-deploys-84-base-stations-in-coastal-south-african-province/#utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=vodacom-kzn-deploys-84-base-stations-in-coastal-south-african-province</link>
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		<dc:creator><![CDATA[International Finance Business Desk]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 07 Jun 2021 12:37:17 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Telecom]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[3G network]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[4G network]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mobile coverage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mobile network]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rural area]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[South Africa]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Vodacom]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://internationalfinance.com/?p=41404</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Vodacom has announced that they will use the funds to provide 95% 4G coverage in the province by 2022</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://internationalfinance.com/telecom/vodacom-kzn-deploys-84-base-stations-in-coastal-south-african-province/">Vodacom KZN deploys 84 base stations in coastal South African province</a> appeared first on <a href="https://internationalfinance.com">International Finance</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Vodacom KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) announced that they are bringing mobile network coverage to far-flung regions of KwaZulu-Natal by building 84 base stations. The initiative is a part of the company’s rural coverage acceleration programme. Vodacom plans to build 84 bases and aims to provide 95 percent 4G coverage in the province by 2022. </p>
<p>Regarded as South Africa’s biggest mobile network provider, Vodacom is investing R100 million and is on a mission to cover even the most far-reaching regions of KZN in a period of three years. The benefits of this programme are already being enjoyed by nine district municipalities, along with 14 local municipalities, that includes Jozini, uMhlabuyalingana, uMfolozi, uMlalazi, uMsinga, uMzumbe, urgent, Ray Nkonyeni, Mandeni, eNdumeni, eDumbe, Msunduzi, Newcastle and Nqutu. Prior to this, these areas had zero mobile coverage. </p>
<p>Vodacom Kwazulu-Natal Executive Head of Operations, Ishmael Mathinya said in a statement, “In a bid to ensure the widest and first-class network that is accessible to all South Africans, we made a deliberate decision to invest in the region and are making great progress so that we leave no one behind. Critically, with these new base station sites, we have connected previously unconnected areas enabling scores of people to use innovative digital services in their daily lives that will empower themselves in a digital age.” </p>
<p>After Vodacom deploys new 3G and 4G sites, school kids can now have access to the internet for the first time. This will also aid people who are actively looking for jobs since now they can apply online. The new investment is also expected to strengthen the local economic development and empower small to medium enterprises (SMEs) while benefitting over 80 communities.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://internationalfinance.com/telecom/vodacom-kzn-deploys-84-base-stations-in-coastal-south-african-province/">Vodacom KZN deploys 84 base stations in coastal South African province</a> appeared first on <a href="https://internationalfinance.com">International Finance</a>.</p>
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		<title>Mexican Telecom Partners could be sold off for $1 bn</title>
		<link>https://internationalfinance.com/telecom/colony-macquarie-eyeing-mexican-telecom-partner-sale/#utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=colony-macquarie-eyeing-mexican-telecom-partner-sale</link>
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		<dc:creator><![CDATA[International Finance Business Desk]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 28 May 2021 11:53:45 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Telecom]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cellular tower]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mexico]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mobile network]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sale]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[telecom]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://internationalfinance.com/?p=41297</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Digital Colony and Macquarie Mexican Infrastructure Fund, the parent companies of Mexican Telecom Partners are working with an adviser </p>
<p>The post <a href="https://internationalfinance.com/telecom/colony-macquarie-eyeing-mexican-telecom-partner-sale/">Mexican Telecom Partners could be sold off for $1 bn</a> appeared first on <a href="https://internationalfinance.com">International Finance</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Mexico Telecom Partners, the largest cellular tower company in Mexico might soon be sold off for $1 billion, according to media reports. Digital Colony and Macquarie Mexican Infrastructure Fund are considering selling MTP.  Both the firms are currently working with an adviser to consider suitable options for MTP, revealed a source who has asked not to be named. </p>
<p>The source told the media, “It is a sale that makes sense. We&#8217;ve multiplied that business by almost seven times since we formed it. It is a natural ‘inside cleaning.’ The asset was formed a long time ago, it is stable, a market leader. We received a lot of interest from several sources and we think it was worth testing the market.”</p>
<p>It has also been reported that the company might fetch $1 billion or more. MTP works with major carriers in Mexico and has over 3,000 towers, according to the company website. </p>
<p>Digital bridge, which is the predecessor of Digital Colony and Macquire Mexican Infrastructure formed Mexico Telecom partners in 2014. Back then, the company had 550 towers in its network. </p>
<p>Apart from MTP, the Macquarie group also owns Generadora Electrica San Rafael, a hydropower generator; Decarred, a road concessionaire in Durango; and Parque Solar Coahuila, a 22.5MW solar park. Talking about Digital Colony, the company has three major investments in the tower segment region. Apart from MTP, the telecom infrastructure fund also owns Andean Telecom Partners (ATP), which operates fiber and towers in Chile, Peru and Colombia; and Highline do Brasil. In 2017, Andean Telecom Partners announced that they have acquired Torres Unidas (TU) from Berkshire Partners., which, in turn, added 1,644 sites to ATP’s portfolio.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://internationalfinance.com/telecom/colony-macquarie-eyeing-mexican-telecom-partner-sale/">Mexican Telecom Partners could be sold off for $1 bn</a> appeared first on <a href="https://internationalfinance.com">International Finance</a>.</p>
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