Subex Awarded 6-Year Contract from VodafoneZiggo to Revamp Billing Platform and Optimize Revenue

Subex, a leading telecom solution provider, announced that it has been awarded a six-year deal with VodafoneZiggo, an integrated communications and entertainment services provider, to deploy its ROC Partner Settlement and Route Optimization Solutions. The solution will be deployed on a SaaS-based model for VodafoneZiggo’s new Interconnect Billing Platform, replacing three different existing legacy billing systems with a single solution, to reduce complexities and optimize costs. This deployment will also help VodafoneZiggo further reduce its operational costs through the Subex Managed Service Center of Excellence, to which certain business operations will be outsourced.

VodafoneZiggo is a Netherlands based operator offering fixed, mobile and integrated communication and entertainment services to consumers and businesses. VodafoneZiggo is a joint venture of Liberty Global, the biggest international TV and broadband internet company, and Vodafone Group, one of the world’s biggest telecommunication companies. Post the merger in 2017, VodafoneZiggo has begun an IT transformation and system consolidation project. As a part of the project, the service provider selected Subex’s solutions for their Wholesale Department, to achieve business objectives through Subex’s expertise in Wholesale Management and Managed Services. Apart from reducing operational costs, the deployment will also allow VodafoneZiggo to generate more revenues through the new functionalities of the ROC platform, in addition to improving interconnect billing and reconciliations.

“It gives us great pride to secure a multi-year contract from VodafoneZiggo to deploy ROC Partner Settlement. Using ROC Partner Settlement, VodafoneZiggo will be able to address the dynamics of the entire partner ecosystem through a comprehensive wholesale solution. Deployment of this solution will enable flexibility as well as scalability to meet all business needs by the organization. For Subex, this partnership further strengthens our foothold in the European market.” Vinod Kumar, CEO & MD, Subex, said.

Michiel Peters, Director Wholesale, VodafoneZiggo said, “The partnership with Subex will definitely help us foray into newer and undiscovered segments with the revamping of our interconnect  billing platform. Subex’s track record of successful deployments in the Wholesale Management domain, as well as its leading-edge ROC platform functionality and lower cost offshoring Managed Service capabilities made them the ideal partner of choice to help us drive our business objectives towards our 2020 plan of offering ‘the network of the future’.”

Subex’s ROC Partner Settlement offers a complete overview of interconnect agreements that will allow partner organizations to optimize revenue margins. It enables organization to focus on profit centers by providing robust coverage across revenue processes of order-to-cash and procurement-to-pay. Deploying this solution will help provide accuracy and completeness in billing and settlement. Further, it will allow real-time monitoring of the billing platform. 

How Technology, Privacy and Security are Changing Each Other?

New technologies have brought unprecedented convenience and connectivity to our lives. Their evolution has also inherently created security and privacy challenges.

A Transforming Workplace

Wireless networks allow employees to work from anywhere, often using their personal devices. So how are businesses balancing staffer freedom and the protection of corporate data? Wireless networks have transformed how we work. Many employees can now work from anywhere with a steady signal, such as coffee shops, airports and airplanes. Within offices, they can roam freely, bringing laptops to meetings or quiet rooms while continuing to collaborate and access files online. Personal smartphones double as work devices. Cellular data has played a big role here, as has Wi-Fi, allowing data transfer at speeds previously reserved for wired connections. This freedom of movement has far-reaching implications for employee creativity if security can be kept in check.

The Varied 5G Landscape

The speed and increased bandwidth of 5G technology will be beneficial to consumers, but will also potentially enhance certain threats, like faster propagation of malware and bigger distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks. Compared to 4G, 5G networks have an improved ability to process information. That is, the ability to prevent threats by using enhanced intelligence. With the collected data, network operators can have better profiling for attackers and get intelligence from the widest range of sources possible – Yang Xiang, IEEE Senior Member, Dean of the Digital Research and Innovation Capability Platform, Swinburne University of Technology (Australia)

Public Wi-Fi and the Tradeoffs of Convenience

Public Wi-Fi can feel like a lifesaver when trying to work on the go, but there’s the risk that a hotspot has been set up deliberately to intercept traffic and tamper with data. Part of the set of enhancements recently announced by the Wi-Fi Alliance is a protocol called OWE (Opportunistic Wireless Encryption), which always encrypts a connection. You’re not getting the authentication. But it’s a replacement for open networks, and data is now always encrypted. No one can, in the clear, look at all the data being transmitted – Dorothy Stanley, IEEE Member

About Droom

Droom is the 3rd largest E-commerce company in India in terms of GMV and the largest online auto marketplace for buying and selling new and used automobiles with over 78% market share of the automobile transactions online.

Droom is headquartered in Gurugram, India, with a team size of 365+. Droom has four marketplace formats i.e. B2C, C2C, C2B and B2B, and three pricing formats - Fixed Price, Best Offer and Auction. The platform offers a wide range of categories from bicycle to plane and all automobile services such as warranty, RSA, insurance and auto loan.

Droom has in-built tech and data science tools to create the entire eco-system around used automobiles, including OBV (pricing engine), Eco (121 points vehicle inspection), History (200 million vehicle history records), Discovery (dozens of pre-buying tools) and Credit (India’s first and only marketplace for used vehicles’ loans). The company is currently generating $1 Billion+ in annualized GMV run rate and growing at a rate of 150% Y/Y. Droom has a presence in 735+ cities across India (India’s largest hyper-local marketplace), 275K+ auto dealers (largest auto dealer platform in India), 44 Million+ monthly visitors, nearly 11 Million+ app downloads and 6.3 Million+ Facebook followers.

Droom is a Singapore Holding Company with subsidiaries in India and the United States. The company has so far raised close to $125 Million dollars over six rounds of funding. Some of the prominent investors are Lightbox, Beenext, Beenos, Digital Garage, Toyota Tsusho Corporation, Integrated Assets Management and Family office of Japanese based investor Joe Hirao, Founder ZIGExN. 

Droom's Eco Aims to Certify Over 750k Vehicles in 2019, 15x Jump from 50k Vehicles it Certified Until 2018

Droom, India’s largest and pioneering online automobile transactional marketplace, achieved another milestone on its stellar journey of transforming automobile transactions with its automobile health evaluation tool ECO crosses 50,000+ inspections till date since its inception in March 2016 and aiming to cross 750K inspections in 2019 which is 15x jump. To mark the occasion, Droom also launched a highly innovative, convenient and uniplug-and-play play IoT enabled ECO Smart device that connects with a car’s OBD II port, integrates with the car’s sensors, hardware modules, data transmitters, control units and allows one to track their performance, health, and damage factors. 

ECO is the most scientific, comprehensive as well as unbiased inspection and verification service in the country providing a thorough 121+ point auto inspection for used vehicles. Out of the 50,000 inspection queries, 45% were generated from Delhi-NCR, while the rest came from more than 100 cities across India. In terms of category breakup, 56% and 44% inspections were done for four wheelers and two wheelers respectively. With the launch of the ECO Smart Device, this demand is expected to grow much higher, and at a more robust pace.  The device scans through more than 1000 sensors (checkpoints) to monitor the engine health of any vehicle. At present, Droom is successfully running a pilot of this device in Delhi-NCR and has plans to soon expand its operations across the country.

Commenting on ECO’s success journey and the launch of ECO Smart Device, Sandeep Aggarwal. Founder and CEO, Droom, said, “We are more than overwhelmed by the responses ECO has received and we strive to keep providing our customers with a seamless experience. Reaching the 50,000-orders mark is undoubtedly a reflection of the hard work and dedication put by the entire Droom team. Especially, the credit goes to our certified inspectors without whom we couldn’t have achieved this remarkable milestone.”

“The Internet of Things (IoT) is breaking fresh ground in the automotive sector by introducing entirely new layers to the traditional concept of car servicing. With the ECO Smart Device, we look forward to offering more convenience, transparency and accuracy about the engine health of a car, which is an important factor influencing the customers’ buying decision,” he further added.

With a geographical reach of 150+ cities across the country, Droom’s ECO Inspection Service has over 1400+ certified inspectors on its platform. In just a short span of time, ECO has paved its way to become one of India’s leading doorstep inspection service.

Toyota Kirloskar Motor Takes Giant Strides Towards Achieving Zero Carbon Emission Manufacturing Facility

Guided by Toyota’s ‘Global Environmental Challenge’ 2050 in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, till January ‘19 [in FY 2018-19] - Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) successfully sourced 87% of electricity from renewable source of energy for its operations in Bidadi facility.

With key focus on its energy challenge, Toyota has been swiftly moving from non-renewable to renewable sources of energy across its business operations, as electricity consumption being one of the major sources of energy in manufacturing sector. TKM has been able to prove its eco commitment with continuous improvements in remarkable green energy sourcing trends year- on-year. Toyota Kirloskar Motor’s vision, philosophy and guidelines are true reflections of its commitment for a sustainable future. Its focused on achieving harmony between its manufacturing activities and the environment based on the concept of 'a plant that optimally utilizes natural resources while operating in harmony with the natural environment, thus working towards one of the national issues of energy security.

Toyota being a leader in the environmental stewardship started its journey towards greening its energy source since 2015-16 and has made substantial step-up over the years. TKM has gradually increased Green Energy Procurement and Investment in renewable energy sector to meet its energy requirements. The company has installed in-house solar power plants at roof tops and ground in its facility at Bidadi, which has a combined capacity of 8.4 MW of electricity. Toyota Kirloskar Motor has explored various possible avenues to increase its renewable energy share including inhouse solar parks, outside solar parks, open access sourcing etc. The renewable energy sourcing has increased from 15% in FY 15-16 to 65% in FY 17-18. The below reference tables showcase TKM’s energy source patterns over the years, towards optimization of renewable power usage at its plant facility:

Coal and other fossil fuels, which have taken three million years to form, are likely to deplete soon. Indian power sector being highly dependent on the coal based thermal power plants is one of the major sources of CO2 emission. For sustainable development, there is an urgent need to adopt energy efficiency measures with renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, etc. [replacing fossil fuels], being priority choices by wide varieties of manufacturing sectors. With these restructuring of energy supplies, we aim to reduce the emissions & its implications on the climate change. Also increasing renewable energy significantly allows to achieve cost effectiveness, providing economic advantage.

Speaking on Toyota’s commitment to environment protection and sustainability, Mr. Masakazu Yoshimura, Managing Director – Toyota Kirloskar Motor said, “Business can play a significant leadership role in accelerating the transition to a lower-carbon economy, we see renewable energy to be a key component of climate action efforts. As a responsible corporate citizen, we at Toyota strongly believe in the philosophy of “Respect for the Planet”. Reiterating our commitment to enable greener environment, TKM sources clean energy and adopts smart manufacturing systems towards Toyota’s ultimate global mission of ‘Zero Carbon Emission”.

Over the years, TKM has been stringently working towards reduction of dependency on non- renewable energy resources by implementing various energy management procedures to achieve environmental sustainability. Our renewable energy strategies prioritize energy efficiency and policy advocacy, well aligning with Government’s initiatives. I am very proud to declare that during October 2018, we achieved 100% renewable power source for our energy requirements. Through such significant goals, TKM could effectively contribute towards emission reduction by over 51,000 tons of Co2 during first three quarters of FY 2018-19.” He added.

In addition to these efforts, TKM has also devised strategies to reduce the Co2 emissions at its manufacturing facilities through energy “Consumption Reduction” and “Conversion Efficiency”. Under Conversion Efficiency enhancement approach, TKM aims to improve the operational efficiency by transforming energy from one form to another form through continuous

improvements which has been contributing effectively towards maximization of green energy adoption at TKM’s manufacturing plant.

Additionally, through various initiatives like adoption of reverse refrigeration system, centralized control of chillers, adoption of smart ACs, TKM has been reducing significant quantity of Co2 releases over the years. The company has also been vesting enormous efforts to reduce its energy consumptions through controlling and reducing daily energy consumption in each of the operational processes instilling stringent & systematic monitoring to track energy usages.

Recognising these efforts on reduction of emission in TKM’s manufacturing plant with key contributor being optimisation of renewable energy, TKM was recognised as a “Model Plant” under its “Zero Co2 plant” challenge among the Toyota Asia-Pacific affiliates.

Apart from the above stated key environmental conservations, TKM has been successful in adopting effective energy conservation techniques on factory floor and outside the company:

-   Aligning with the eco-commitment, TKM have been considerably focusing on environmental factors beginning with the plant design stage, the second plant facility at Bidadi was established, being “Eco-factory”. With this concept, TKM installed state-of- the-art technologies like servo press, global body welding line, wet on wet painting with enhanced energy efficiency levels of the manufacturing equipment, resulting in the overall reduction of Co2 emissions

-   With the concepts of Yosedome – flexibility to alter the scale as per production needs and ‘Kara- kuri' [an innovative process that converts electricity driven processes in to gravity and mechanically driven process], TKM has been driving continuous improvements to simplify and streamline the manufacturing processes, developing to become more energy efficient

Toyota is set to challenge the goal of ZERO CO₂ emissions by 2050. From fuel efficient vehicle to developing ever better eco techniques & approaches, TKM focuses on environmentally sustainable solutions in each of its business operations and every single vehicle that is manufactured in the plant facility.

The market dynamics are changing, the industry needs to acquire or develop alternate technologies to cater to future mobility needs. We at Toyota primarily focus on solving larger issues faced by the nation than just manufacturing world class cars. Such thinking way drives Toyota’s production system, products and services, national campaigns and all routine operations ensuring low emissions, fuel saving, energy conservation, safety as a prerequisite.

As pioneered makers of eco-cars leading the way for a better tomorrow, Toyota recently launched The All New Camry Hybrid Electric Vehicle. Toyota’s strong hybrid technology not only aims at creating harmony with man, nature and machine, but also positioned as the future of eco-mobility. The Camry Hybrid or self-charging electric vehicle is a strong hybrid and the only hybrid which is locally manufactured at Toyota Kirloskar Motor’s second plant located at Bidadi [Bangalore, Karnataka] in India. Toyota celebrates global cumulative hybrid sales of more than 12 million with the reduction of 94 million tons of Co2.

JCB Commits a Further Investment of Over Rs. 650 Crore in India

The new factory will be located in Vadodara in Gujarat and will manufacture parts for global production lines as the company prepares to meet increased demand. JCB Chairman Lord Bamford laid the foundation stone for the new plant which will be JCB’s sixth factory in India – a country which has been JCB’s biggest single market since 2007.  The announcement follows the start of work on a new £50 million factory to build cabs for JCB machines in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, UK which will be completed later this year.

JCB Chairman, Lord Bamford said, “With major investment in manufacturing capacity in the UK and India, we are very well placed to grow our business in the future. This year we celebrate 40 years of JCB India and our success over those four decades is down to our continual investment. It’s fitting that we mark the 40th anniversary with an investment in a factory which will give us enormous manufacturing capacity.”

JCB India already has factories in Delhi, Pune and Jaipur. Production at the new facility at Halol-II, Vadodara on a 44 acre site will begin next year. It will house the most modern laser cutting, welding and machining technology and will be a fork-lift free operation. It will be capable of processing 85,000 tonnes of steel annually

JCB India MD and CEO, Vipin Sondhi said, “This new factory will be manufacturing engineered components and sub-assemblies for JCB’s many factories around the globe. It will add to the capacity at our existing plants in India. Vadodara presents us with the advantage of being located close to the Surat port and also to our key suppliers.”

About JCB India: 

JCB is a leading manufacturer of Earthmoving & Construction equipment in India. It has five world-class factories at Delhi-NCR, Jaipur and in Pune, where it also has a Design Centre. Through an indigenised supply chain, it manufactures over 60 different products in eight categories. Products made in these factories have been exported to over 100 countries. It introduced the iconic Backhoe Loader in India four decades ago, a machine which is today seen at virtually every work site across the country. Today JCB India is a full range infrastructure equipment partner and provides solutions for customers by integrating its Range, Reach and world-class Product Support.

JCB India today employs over 5,000 people in its Indian operations. It has a network of more than 60 dealers and 700 outlets spread throughout India. The network also extends to the South Asia Region of Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Srilanka, where JCB businesses are managed by the Indian Operations.

It is pioneering the use of Digital Technology in it machines through advanced Telematics called JCB Livelink. It works with 54 Government schools and 14,500 students on age appropriate learning. JCB aspires to promote Indian literature through the JCB Prize for literature & supports the market creation and upskilling of artisans of Indigo dye.

NetApp’s Start-Up Accelerator Program Welcomes Six Innovative in Space of Quantum Security, Cloud, Analytics and AI

NetApp has announced the fourth batch of start-ups chosen for the NetApp Excellerator, the company’s flagship accelerator program. Six start-ups were shortlisted from over 300 applicants, following a rigorous screening process including a bootcamp for the top twelve. The NetApp Excellerator program has mentored 18 start-ups through its last three cohorts and is set to accelerate a new batch of innovative enterprises.

The start-ups that have been selected for the fourth cohort are QuNu Labs, SecurelyShare, Zappy.ai, Ecolibrium Energy, Eder AI and UniQreate. While the core technology for all these start-ups is data driven, they function in the areas of Quantum Security, Analytics, Artificial Intelligence and Cognitive RPA. Following the international reach of the program in the third cohort with two Singapore-based startups, this cohort has a UK-based startup.

Commenting on the launch of the fourth Cohort, Ajeya Motaganahalli, Senior Director, Engineering Programs and Leader of the NetApp Excellerator program, said, “We have been able to influence tangible commercial success in our cohorts so far in terms of customer acquisition, raising venture capital and successful exits. With the fast-paced evolution of the start-up landscape, the selection of our fourth cohort was predominantly governed by our focus on investing in futuristic technologies in data and security. I’m very excited to welcome the gamut of start-ups working on game-changing ideas in quantum computing, AI and cognitive RPA to this four-month journey of disruptive innovation in solutions and processes. We aim to realize the innovation potential of this ecosystem in terms of transformative outcomes.”

The success of the program’s alumni has reaffirmed NetApp’s contribution in promoting the growth of the start-up ecosystem. Adya, an alumnus from NetApp’s first Cohort, recently got acquired by Qualys, a leading provider of cloud-based security and compliance solutions. LightMetrics, also an alumnus from the first Cohort, secured a new series of funding.

“Our startup accelerator program has been associated with some of the best startups in the B2B space. We have focused on companies that are paving the way towards innovation in the data management space. The market is extremely competitive and through our expert technical and business mentorship, we can help the startups scale their businesses to solve global challenges. We will strive to expose our startups to customers both in India and overseas to take advantage of relevant opportunities,” said Deepak Visweswaraiah, Senior Vice President and Managing Director, NetApp India, on the company’s vision and the program.

As the four-month program kicks off, each of these start-ups will receive technical and business mentorship and support to develop market ready products and solutions, an equity-free grant of $15,000, access to NetApp’s technologies, a co-working space and HR, legal and tech support. In addition, the start-ups will be given networking opportunities with potential investors, partners, and customers.

NetApp has also formed strategic alliances with select startups from each cohort to co-create solutions and go-to-market with them. FirstHive, Cardiotrack, ZScore, Scalend, BlobCity, SigTuple, and Nanobi are the strategic alliance partners from the previous cohorts.

Fortis Steps into AI Based Patient Care, in Partnership with Phable

Fortis Hospitals Bangalore announced its partnership with Phable, India’s first autonomous care start-up. Through this partnership, Fortis’ patients will now have access to AI-powered ailment management solutions at the comfort of their homes. This will positively impact thousands of Fortis patients, who suffer from chronic illnesses.

Phable aims to make healthcare patient-centric, easily accessible and pocket-friendly. Their app-based virtual assistant improves the quality of life of patients by helping them manage medication, tests, diet, exercise etc. Phable integrates several home-care health devices and can detect anomalies in health conditions, thereby becoming a potential life-saver. Phable supports over 18 major chronic ailments and uses AI to deliver personalised guidance to patients.

A Spokesperson from Fortis Hospitals, Bangalore, said “Fortis Hospitals has always been dedicated towards providing the best quality care to its patients. Phable’s AI-powered guidance and prediction system will help patients and doctors by alerting them on early warning indicators, thereby, significantly improving the health outcomes of our patients.”

Speaking about the partnership, Prasanth Reddy, Co-Founder, Phable, said “We are glad to partner with one of the leading chains of hospitals in India. Our unique technology makes care delivery hassle-free, instant and most importantly, continuous for India’s many chronic illness patients. We are very confident that this partnership will help us deliver world-class digital care to the patients who need support at their homes.”

Powered by cutting-edge deep learning technology, Phable aims to integrate healthcare by bringing together medical expertise, patient data and health devices on to a single platform. According to CII, with the increased digital adoption, India’s healthcare market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 23% to US$280 billion by 2020. Digital healthcare players are estimated to accelerate a good portion of this growth and Phable, as the world’s largest medical IoT integrator, is steadily on its way to lead the digital health transformation.