2 12 月, 2020

Habitat for Humanity Announces Participants in ShelterTech’s Latest Affordable Housing Accelerators

MANILA, Dec 2, 2020 - (ACN Newswire) - Habitat for Humanity's ShelterTech today announced the 20 startups and scaleups that will join the platform's newest accelerators -- one in Southeast Asia, the other in the Andean region of South America -- to advance housing solutions for low-income families. An initiative of Habitat's Terwilliger Center for Innovation in Shelter, ShelterTech provides mentorship, masterclasses, connections to investors and partners and a wide range of additional support to businesses that hold the potential to tackle affordable housing challenges. The newest accelerators, which join existing ones in India, Kenya and Mexico, will be conducted online, with special focus on solutions that work in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.Over 100 ventures applied for the ShelterTech accelerators in Southeast Asia, vying for a chance to be part of the world's leading platform for affordable housing innovation. Prior to the final cohort announcement, startups went through a review with technical experts and ecosystem partners, diligence interviews and presentations before a selection committee. "We were very impressed by the quality and potential from applicants. It was not easy narrowing it down to ten startups, but these are the ventures we believe hold the greatest potential to grow and multiply their impact," said Lizan Kuster, associate director for entrepreneurship & innovation at Habitat's Terwilliger Center.ShelterTech selected startups with products and services that address housing livability and affordability, in sectors related to materials, labor, finance, land, markets, energy and water and sanitation. In Southeast Asia, the cohort is comprised of:- AffordAble Abodes, Malaysia- Nay Yar Housing, Myanmar- Billion Bricks, Singapore- Pounamu, Myanmar- Cubo Modular, Philippines- Sampangan, Indonesia- Gradana, Indonesia- Social Light, Philippines- My Dream Home, Cambodia- TapEffect, CambodiaWhile the startups are unique in their solutions, they share a common mission of making homes sustainable and resilient. In the Philippines, Social Light develops affordable Wi-Fi monetization strategies, where plastic waste can be used as a digital currency for affordable internet packages. My Dream Home, a Cambodian social enterprise, aims to bring down construction costs by producing affordable and environmentally friendly interlocking bricks, which are made of waste materials and abandoned soil purchased from local farmers. Read about the work of each startup here habitat.org/sheltertech/portfolio.Starting in December, the accelerator participants will go through an intense program, including technical trainings, refining their venture's value proposition and business plan, product demonstrations and one-on-one mentorship and support from housing sector experts. Regional mentors include Steve Melhuish, co-founder of PropertyGuru, Asia's largest online property portal group, Slater Young, founder and CEO of Liteblock and Tean Li, managing partner at Seeva Capital.A corresponding accelerator in the Andean region of South America also selected 10 startups for its cohort. Following the acceleration phase, startups and scaleups will have the opportunity to establish connections with global players in housing and impact investment, meeting investors, gaining exposure to funding opportunities and joining events to promote their products and services.About ShelterTechShelterTech is a global innovation platform advancing entrepreneurial housing solutions that radically improve the lives of low-income families. Supported by Habitat's Terwilliger Center for Innovation in Shelter and its partners, ShelterTech puts entrepreneurs at the center of a highly connected ecosystem of mentors, investors, peers, alumni and technical experts who share a passion for revolutionary ideas in affordable housing. For more information and opportunities, visit shelter-tech.orgAbout Habitat's Terwilliger Center for Innovation in ShelterThe Terwilliger Center for Innovation in Shelter, a unit of Habitat for Humanity International, works with housing market actors to expand innovative and client-responsive services, products and financing so that households can improve their shelter more effectively and efficiently. The goal of the Terwilliger Center is to make housing markets work more effectively for people in need of decent, affordable shelter, thereby improving the quality of life for low-income households. To learn more, visit habitat.org/tcis.About Habitat for HumanityDriven by the vision that everyone needs a decent place to live, Habitat for Humanity began in 1976 as a grassroots effort and has since grown to become a leading global nonprofit working in more than 70 countries. In the Asia-Pacific region since 1983, Habitat for Humanity has supported millions of people to build or improve a place they can call home. Through financial support, volunteering or adding a voice to support affordable housing, everyone can help families achieve the strength, stability and self-reliance they need to build better lives for themselves. To learn more, donate or volunteer, visit habitat.org/asiapacificNotes to EditorsTo set up interviews, receive photos or gain additional information, please contact Julia Ferraz at jferraz@habitat.org, +852 61001806 or Michele Soh MSoh@habitat.org, +65 9233 1544. Copyright 2020 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. www.acnnewswire.com

1 12 月, 2020

NEC Participates in the UK Government-led 5G Open RAN Trial Program with the NeutrORAN Testbed

Tokyo and London, Dec 1, 2020 - (JCN Newswire) - The UK Government and NEC Corporation today announced the launch of the NEC "NeutrORAN" project, which will showcase the latest innovations in the Open Radio Access Network (RAN) space.The project will be used to test and demonstrate a multiple operator, neutral host solution using an Open RAN ecosystem. NEC considers the planned architecture to be scalable and to have potential on a global scale beyond the UK. The project objectives are to reduce costs and drive efficiencies enabling rural communities and businesses to prosper by removing the digital divides that still exist in the UK and the rest of the world.This pioneering project will see 5G Open RAN live within the UK in 2021, testing solutions to deploy 5G networks in cost effective, innovative and secure ways.NEC is leading the drive on open standards with the establishment of a Global Open RAN Center of Excellence in the UK. The NeutrORAN will be one of the first solutions delivered by the Center of Excellence."I am delighted to welcome NEC to Wales for this innovative trial. It will help give mobile companies greater choice and flexibility in how they build their networks so we can diversify the global telecoms supply chain."The project is another step in NEC's growing commitment to the UK and follows the establishment of the company's Global Open RAN Center of Excellence in the UK," said Oliver Dowden, UK Government Digital Secretary."We see this project as a catalyst for NEC introducing Open RAN into the UK and enabling the acceleration of 5G deployment,"said Chris Jackson, CEO of NEC Europe Ltd.About NEC CorporationNEC Corporation has established itself as a leader in the integration of IT and network technologies while promoting the brand statement of "Orchestrating a brighter world." NEC enables businesses and communities to adapt to rapid changes taking place in both society and the market as it provides for the social values of safety, security, fairness and efficiency to promote a more sustainable world where everyone has the chance to reach their full potential. For more information, visit NEC at https://www.nec.com. Copyright 2020 JCN Newswire. All rights reserved. www.jcnnewswire.com

23 10 月, 2020

IDC Industry Will Benefit from the Growth of Cloud Computing GDS to be Listed on the HKEx

HONG KONG, Oct 23, 2020 - (ACN Newswire) - According to South China Morning Post, Internet Data Center (IDC) industry is a crucial component of the strategic emerging industry, which plays an important role in promoting and driving economic transformation and upgrading and social development, and is also a key industry leading the innovation and development of the information industry in the future. Recently, GDS, the leader of the IDC industry, officially launched its public offering on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.Unique platform attracts renowned customers in different industriesGDS is the largest carrier-neutral data center service provider in China, focusing on developing and operating high-performance data centers, with a 21.9% revenue market share of the carrier-neutral market in 2019. As of June 30, 2020, GDS operated 42 self-developed data centers also with 17 data centers under construction. As of the same date, GDS had an aggregate net floor area of 266,260 sqm in service, 94.1% of which was committed by customers.At the same time, GDS has established good relationship with large, fast-growing, and diversified customers, allowing its customers to expand rapidly. As at June 30, 2020, GDS has served 673 customers, including hyperscale cloud service providers, large internet companies, financial institutions, telecommunications carriers and IT service providers, and large domestic private sector and multinational corporations. Many of GDS's customers are leaders in their respective industries. Among them, there are renowned internet giants and cloud service providers such as Alibaba, Tencent, Baidu, Microsoft, ByteDance, JD, etc. Strategic layout strengthens leading market positionStrategically, GDS firmly seizes the opportunity of rapid growth in cloud computing and emerging technologies, enabling cloud service operators to expand their data center capacity flexibly and continuously in key markets. GDS also leverages the operational benefits provided by its unique platform of interconnected data centers in Tier 1 markets hosting leading clouds to become the preferred provider of cloud-related managed services to enterprise customers. In addition, GDS will continue to expand unique platform of interconnected, high-performance data centers in China's Tier 1 markets, and will assist its business growth by acquiring data centers in the first-tier markets, thereby further strengthening the Company's core competitive advantages in the domestic market, consolidating the Company's leading market position.At present, the business landscape of GDS has been extended to four major domestic regions, including the Yangtze River Delta, Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and Chengdu-Chongqing region. GDS also continues to promote the national regional layout. In addition, in order to meet the huge market demand, the company may further expand its business to overseas markets such as Southeast Asia in the future.In recent years, relevant departments in China have issued a series of regulations, standards and relevant policies to promote the development of the cloud computing industry. Benefiting from the rapid development of cloud computing, big data and the Internet, the demand for IDC in China has grown rapidly, and the volume of data transmitted, processed and stored has increased by multiples, demand for carrier-neutral data center services in China estimated to increase by a CAGR of 31.8% in the next five years, according to iResearch. The booming cloud computing market will drive a large amount of demand for data centers. In addition, the PRC government has promoted the concept of "new infrastructure" which includes hyperscale data centers, artificial intelligence and industrial internet. Such policy orientation is ushering in new waves of investment at all levels of the economy, which will give rise to numerous opportunities benefiting the data center industry. As a leading company in the IDC industry, GDS will continue to benefit from it in the future. After listing, GDS will have long-term investment value. Copyright 2020 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. www.acnnewswire.com