Nokia and Sigma Wireless Communications today announced that ESB Networks, Ireland’s foremost energy company, has awarded a contract to Sigma Wireless and its partner Nokia for the development of a leading-edge, mission-critical private mobile network. Nokia will work with Sigma Wireless Communications and ESB to supply and install the new LTE-based private wireless system over a three-year period
This purpose-built, mission-critical telecommunications network is a key enabler for ESB Networks in delivering integration of renewable energy to the grid, decarbonization of the electrical network and electrification of heat and transport amongst other benefits. A dedicated Smart Grid telecoms network forms part of ESB Networks’ Innovation Strategy that aims to bring many benefits to Ireland from an environmental, economic and customer perspective.
Nicholas Tarrant, ESB Networks Managing Director, welcomed the development: “An ever smarter and agile electricity network is key to the delivery of a more sustainable future, with the customer at its core. The purpose-built private telecommunications network now being developed will be a key enabler in delivering integration of renewable energy to the grid, decarbonization of the electricity network and the electrification of heat and transport amongst other benefits. As such, this private, reliable, and secure mobile network will be an indispensable precursor to delivering a Net Zero-ready electricity network.”
Tony Boyle Chairman Sigma Wireless said “Sigma Wireless has a long history spanning back over 30 years working with ESB. We are delighted to be awarded this contract, partnering with NOKIA, to be trusted to provide this state-of-the-art network which is a key enabler to help ESB to achieve its key strategic goals of decarbonization and renewable energy. “
Phil Siveter, UK & Ireland CEO at Nokia said, “Enabling the decarbonizing of energy grids while ensuring resilient critical infrastructure is an opportunity that we are helping customers address across the world. We are delighted that ESB Networks and Sigma Wireless entrust Nokia to deploy private LTE infrastructure running over their converged IP/MPLS backhaul network for critical grid communications to support the modernization and digitization of the energy grid throughout the Republic of Ireland.”
Virgin Media has announced the rollout of 2 Gig full fibre broadband to homes and businesses across Ireland. This will see Virgin Media’s new 2 Gig fibre broadband become available in towns including Tralee, Killarney and Letterkenny, along with ongoing full fibre network upgrades in areas such as Dublin, Cork and Louth.
With lightning-fast speeds of up to 2 Gig and 99.9% reliability, Virgin Media’s new full fibre broadband network is designed to revolutionise the way we connect and experience the digital world.
Today’s announcement also represents a significant milestone in Virgin Media’s three-year transition to a full fibre network, having previously led the charge in making Ireland FASTER with the switching on of 1 Gig broadband across the company’s entire network in 2020.
Virgin Media’s new 2 Gig full fibre broadband will provide customers with even faster speeds and superior reliability than ever before, reinforcing the company’s commitment to delivering the very best digital connectivity to consumers and businesses across Ireland.
Tony Hanway, CEO of Virgin Media said: “At Virgin Media, we always aim to deliver the very best experiences to our customers through our broadband and television services. Today’s announcement marks a step-change for our business as we will now offer superfast and reliable fibre broadband services in new regions across Ireland, resulting in greater consumer choice and increased competition.”
Recent research carried out by Amárach, on behalf of Virgin Media, showed that in this post-Covid world, a consumer’s broadband connection has never been more important than it is today, with over a third of consumers not only relying on their home broadband for their entertainment and streaming needs, but also for their home working needs.
The research also found that over half (53%) have consumed more streaming content over the last two years compared to before the pandemic.
Unsurprisingly, 47% of respondents stated that a reliable broadband connection is the most important factor when it comes to their home broadband connection with 31% stating a high-speed connection as the most important.
Our homes have become our offices, schools, cinemas and everything in between and these findings underline how integral super-fast connectivity is to our daily lives. To find out more go to www.virginmedia.ie
An event is being held in Wicklow today to mark a new chapter for the award-winning Irish Community Archive Network (iCAN), the leading organisation championing and supporting community archives in Ireland.
Since 2009, iCAN has supported the creation of 33 online digital archives in Clare, Cork, Galway, Mayo and Wicklow, and there are three more currently in development. Over 180 volunteers are involved in managing and supporting the existing community archives.
iCAN was established by the National Museum of Ireland and has been developed in partnership with participating local authority Heritage Officers and with support from Creative Ireland*. Today, the Heritage Council is joining iCAN as a new funding partner, which will facilitate an expansion of the initiative and the iCAN team. Together, they have ambitions to support the development of at least 80 digital archives across Ireland by 2028.
Cork County Council is the latest local authority to partner with iCAN. Having joined the network last year and taken part in training over the last few months, a new portal for County Cork will be unveiled today. www.heritagecork.org will be home to four digital community archives supported by iCAN – Bere Island Projects Group, Kilmurry Heritage Group, Kilshannig Heritage Society and Youghal Community Archives.
iCAN community archive websites are contributory, which means that anyone, anywhere in the world can contribute their photos, maps, letters, records, stories and documents to help build the collections. As well as documenting information about local heritage sites, traditions and well-known local people, the archives are also a valuable source for genealogy and ancestry projects.
Many of the archives also include oral histories and videos and valuable resources such as local ‘census’ documents dating from before the Famine, and visitors can access digital and searchable archives relating to specific graveyards, townlands, and even houses – which in turn gives a unique and valuable insight into family records. One initiative, which is part of the Clarecastle & Ballyea Heritage archive, is called ‘Who’s been living in my house’ and is unique in Ireland in that it has digitised ‘cancelled books’ or valuation office records – allowing visitors to search who lived in houses throughout the 49 townlands in Clarecastle, County Clare, between 1855 and 1970.
The diaspora uses the iCAN community archives to connect with local groups, who in turn assist with their family history enquiries. These connections frequently result in visits to Ireland with the local group bringing visitors to ancestral homes and graves and re-connecting them with unknown or lost family members.
Several of the archives also have volunteers who are based abroad in countries such the US and Australia. The iCAN network has been visited 2,244,000 times by visitors from 215 countries, or 16,000 cities, across the world – more than 5,750,000 pages of Irish heritage content have been explored.
Members of the iCAN network from around the country are gathering in the Brockagh Resource Centre in Laragh, Co Wicklow today to celebrate the continued expansion of the network and the launch of Heritage Cork. They will also hear from keynote speaker, author, and oral historian Tomás Mac Conmara.
Director of the National Museum of Ireland, Lynn Scarff said; “Inclusivity and collaboration are at the core of iCAN, by recognising collective ownership and empowering local communities to document their own history, heritage, and culture on digital platforms. We are ambitious to support the growth of iCAN nationwide because every community deserves the opportunity to build their own digital archive that recognises the unique value of these resources both for the community and historians into the future. Much of this material is either in people’s homes, memories or in resources unique to their local community – so they are uniquely placed to record it and preserve if for future generations.”
Chief Executive of the Heritage Council, Virginia Teehan, said: “Volunteer archivists can so often be the unsung heroes of a community, doing incredible work to safeguard knowledge, collections, stories and local history. The information they gather and preserve is crucial in providing people with a broader sense of themselves and where they come from, and The Heritage Council is proud to be in position to contribute to this important work.”
Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr Danny Collins said; Cork County Council is very proud to launch our new Heritage Cork portal today. This website will be home to the four digital community archives in Cork that are part of the iCAN network which not only provides a secure and permanent online presence but also gives deserved recognition to the tremendous work being done by these groups to document and preserve their local heritage. The training and support provided by iCAN is wonderful and we are delighted to partner with them on this important initiative.”
Lorna Elms, Development Officer with iCAN, said; “iCAN provides volunteers with practical and technical training to support them as they establish a digital archive for their local community. The work being carried out by volunteers around the country to create and maintain these rich repositories is so valuable. They’re documenting local history and heritage in a special way that brings people from all generations together to celebrate, record and preserve their shared history, and to enjoy a shared pride of place.”
In 2020, iCAN was awarded the ‘Best Network of Archives Award’ at the highly competitiveUK and Ireland Community Archive and Heritage Group (CAHG) Annual Awards. Individual members of the iCAN network have also been the recipients of county, national and international awards for their heritage work and projects.
Members of the public are invited to visit, contribute to and to volunteer with the digital archives in the Irish Community Archive Network (iCAN). The full list of archives is available at www.ouririshheritage.org
Life360, the family locator app and safety membership platform, has today announced a 64% growth in UK premium members over the last year, alongside a range of new features included in its free membership offering, rolling out over the next weeks. This includes further integration with Tile, the leading Bluetooth tracker brand it acquired in 2021.
Used by more than three million people in the UK and 50 million people worldwide, Life360 offers families peace of mind by allowing them to coordinate daily activities in real time, find important items, stay connected with those who matter most, and assist in emergencies.
The Tile integration allows Life360 users’ entire “Circle” of family and friends to see the location of important items within their Life360 map. Life360 members will automatically be able to see Tile and Tile-enabled products’ last reported location, so everyone in their Circle can easily locate shared items or help each other retrieve something that’s been misplaced. Tiles can be attached to everyday essentials like bikes, keys, wallets, bags, and more.
Life 360 existing features include; advanced intelligent location sharing between Circle (group) members through Place Alerts, which send a push notification when members leave or arrive at a designated location; Check-ins, which allow a user to send their location via push notification instantly to every member in their Circle and Family Driving Reports, which allow families to see how (and what) drivers are doing behind the wheel to encourage safe habits and more.
Other new free features unveiled today include:
Free Crash Detection, which notifies Circle members and emergency contacts when Life360 detects they are in a car accident. If help is needed or the member doesn’t respond within a five-minute grace period, all Circle members and emergency contacts are notified via a text message with the user’s exact location. The app notification will also play a unique sound on the phone that will repeat for either 10 minutes or until the notification is acted upon. Of course, no one ever expects to be in a car crash, but the truth is that they happen more often than you might think and the time it takes to get help is critical.
Enhanced SOS, which means that after triggering an SOS Alert, a 10 second countdown will begin, after which Life360 will call and text all Circle members and emergency contacts for the Circle the alert was triggered in. Circle members will also receive a push notification. The phone call and text message will say where the user was when the SOS Alert was triggered. SOS alerts are available to all Life360 users, meaning parents of all ages, including new drivers and university students, can be reassured that if a loved one requires emergency assistance but can’t contact 999 because they are unable to talk on the phone, Life360 can help.
David Rice, Life360’s International GM and CSO, said: “There’s a reason why one in eleven UK families already use Life360. The launch of these new services form part of our vision to expand our offering in the UK and to help better connect and protect the people and things that matter most.
“Members can now expand their Circle to include items using Tile and these services combined feed into our mission to deliver safety options for families and their things. So whether you’re retrieving keys lost down the back of the sofa with Tile, or sending your teen driver immediate help following Life360’s crash detection, the ability to confirm the people and things that matter most are safe and accounted for and takes the stress out of everyday life.”
As a top 25 iOS app in the UK, Life360 will be introducing more additional features to the UK market over the coming months.
Audioscenic, developers of innovative 3D audio beamforming technology, today announce the launch of the Amphi Windows Suite, a set of software packages that integrates the company’s Award-winning spatial audio technology into currently available laptop and desktop systems. Audioscenic will be demoing this technology at the Computex 2023 show in Taipei, Taiwan from Tuesday, May 30th to Friday, June 2nd.
“This is a major announcement for Audioscenic as it is a crucial next step in our goal of making spatial audio technology as accessible to consumers as possible without adding any additional hardware,” said Audioscenic CTO Marcos Simón. “Any Windows device with two speakers or more is now capable of a dramatically improved spatial audio experience without headphones, thus allowing consumers to better enjoy the immersive audio available in today’s games, films, and music.”
The software packages include an AI-powered head tracking app that utilises the built-in camera of a laptop to monitor the position of the user’s head in real-time and direct the audio beams accordingly, a control GUI that tailors the experience based on the type of media being consumed and also provides EQ control, and APO software that integrates Audioscenic processing in the Windows environment. Combined, the package provides hardware developers with a powerful tool to sculpt an individualised spatial audio experience for users utilising the existing infrastructure of commonly available laptop and desktop computers. Audioscenic initially debuted a version of this technology integrated into the Razer Leviathan V2 Pro soundbar at CES 2023 where it captured 12 ‘Best of CES’ awards. The Amphi Windows Suite expands the footprint of this technology dramatically and sets the stage for the next generation of integrations into consumer products.
Image: Left, David Monteith. Right, Marcos Simon
“We’re proud of how our company has grown within the last year and are ambitiously pursuing the next generation of our technology within the consumer computing sphere,” said Audioscenic’s CEO David Monteith. “We are very excited at the possibilities that this new software package presents to potential hardware partners, and look forward to seeing how implementing it accordingly will create a new heightened spatial audio experience for consumers around the world.”
For more information about Audioscenic, please click here.
Skullcandy announced today its limited-edition “All Love” Crusher Evo Headphones in partnership with To Write Love on Her Arms (TWLOHA), a nonprofit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide. The limited-edition headphones feature a Pride-inspired
colorway designed to celebrate all love, all year long. The Skullcandy “All Love” Edition Crusher Evo headphones will begin selling May 30, exclusively on Skullcandy.com. A portion of proceeds will help To Write Love on Her Arms fund mental health support programs designed specifically for the LGBTQIA+ community.
“Skullcandy actively champions mental health, with a focus on supporting programs dedicated to the LGBTQ+ community during this time of year,” said Justin Regan, VP of Marketing, Skullcandy. “Through our longstanding partnership with To Write Love on Her Arms we’re able to raise awareness, provide critical mental health resources and advocate alongside the LGBTQIA+ community.”
The LGBTQIA+ community faces higher-than-average rates of depression, PTSD and anxiety disorder. TWLOHA is dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with these and other trauma and stress-related conditions. Skullcandy has been a consistent partner with TWLOHA for over three years, and to date, the company has donated over $100,000 for the no profit organization. Last year’s Inequality Crusher headphones alone helped raise over $50,000 for the organization’s LGBTQIA+ focused assistance.
Tech specs tied to each of the Skullcandy “All Love” Edition headphones include:
To Write Love on Her Arms exists to encourage, inform, inspire, and also to invest directly into treatment and recovery. For more information, please visit twloha.com.
For more limited-edition offerings, visit The Workshop — the home of Skullcandy’s exclusive collaborations, limited run designs, and custom audio products.
Dundalk / Dublin, Ireland. Winners of this prestigious award were EpiCapture Ltd and MedWrite. Both start-ups were commended for their outstanding potential to further digital health innovation and provide unique digital solutions to address healthcare challenges across global markets. EpiCapture will receive up to $70,000 Amazon Web Services (AWS) credits, whilst Medwrite has access to $30,000 credits, with both companies receiving access to hotdesks and support at Dundalk Institute of Technology.
EpiCapture Ltd, develops liquid tests for accurate, non-invasive cancer detection and monitoring and MedWrite, reduces healthcare professionals’ administrative workload and enhances the quality of patient care using generative AI software, were selected as winners by an expert panel of judges, which included Amazon Web Services (AWS), Health Innovation Hub Ireland, EIT Health, and Atlantic Bridge Investments.
Ten companies participated in this specialised entrepreneur development programme. DkIT’s dConnect Digital Health Innovation Hub and the Connected Health & Wellbeing Cluster offered masterclasses and mentoring, ranging from customer discovery and validation, through to assessing market opportunity, mapping funding, product and technical roadmaps. AWS offered tailored and one-on-one mentoring to support participants leverage the latest cloud technologies such as data analytics, artificial intelligence, machine learning, procurement in the Public Sector, and an introduction to Amazon’s culture of innovation and mechanisms such as the company’s ‘Working Backwards’ methodology.
Edward Simons, co-founder of EpiCapture said, “We are delighted and honoured to have been declared overall winner of the eHealth Embark 2023 programme. The mentorship and expert AWS support provided during this excellent 10-week programme has allowed us to develop an initial architecture for our software solution and identify AWS services that meet our business needs. The prize allows us to implement this solution supported by AWS and to benefit from their experience across healthcare and cybersecurity as we integrate the EpiCapture-prostate algorithm with commercial laboratories.”
Sean Kirwan, co-founder of the runner up company, MedWrite, said: “The eHealth embark program is a game-changer for health start-ups, offering a comprehensive and invaluable resource for navigating the complex landscape of the healthcare industry. With a tailored focus on crucial aspects like business idea validation, funding, presenting, and practical technical advice from industry-leading experts at Amazon, this program equips entrepreneurs with the tools they need to succeed. It addressed key sticking points such as data privacy, MDR compliance, and cloud architecture for healthcare companies and it provided insights from prominent venture capitalists and Enterprise Ireland, eHealth Embark went way beyond my expectations.”
Carl Power, Director of the dConnect Digital Health Innovation Hub, DkIT, commented: “It has been our pleasure to coach these wonderfully innovative companies who are absolutely determined to make healthcare more efficient, effective, accessible and accountable through the use of technology. I want to congratulate all ten companies who have all received Credits and advice from AWS to develop their technical solutions. I am especially thrilled for the overall winners, EpiCapture Ltd and MedWrite. We encourage digital health start-ups to visit our website to read more about the programme and apply for a place in the next cohort, www.ehealth-embark.ie.”
Breanndán Casey, Manager of the Connected Health Cluster at DkIT which encourages and facilitates increased collaboration between industry, academia, healthcare providers, and enterprise support agencies, said: “Innovation in Digital Health is often dependent on using a wide cross-section of skills, market knowledge, and expertise. We are delighted to see Cluster members, such as AWS, Nova Leah, dConnect, and Enterprise Ireland, come together to create and deliver the eHealth Embark programme. The ten participating companies also benefited from supporting each other, and I’m really looking forward to seeing them further develop their business over the coming years and participate in Connected Health Cluster activity to help them scale their idea.”
Mark Finlay, Head of Public Sector at AWS Ireland said: “AWS is delighted to support these two innovative and worthwhile Irish start-ups. The impressive digital solutions that these companies have put forward embody creativity, collaboration and entrepreneurship. AWS is committed to supporting technological advancement and maintaining Ireland’s reputation as being at the forefront of innovation. I look forward to AWS continuing to support these organisations and seeing how they positively impact healthcare for administrators, medical staff, and most importantly, patients, in the years ahead”.
Participants offered enthusiastic feedback on the programme. Robert Kelly of Heart Rhythm Ireland said, “The eHealth Embark programme has been quite an experience. Working with other innovators in Digital Health was interesting – it’s a tough path, but overcoming the challenges is part of what makes it rewarding. Sharing knowledge was key, and seeing how each company has grown over the months leading up to the final pitch day has been very inspiring.”
CWSI, Ireland’s most experienced mobile and cloud security specialist, today announces that it has been named Company of the Year at the 2023 Tech Excellence Awards. The awards, which are the premier awards for the technology industry in Ireland, have been running for more than two decades and recognise excellence in the design, implementation and support of technology solutions and services in Ireland.
CWSI received the award during a black-tie ceremony at the Royal Marine Hotel in Dun Laoghaire, in front of over 450 attendees. It was recognised for its impressive growth and expansion across Ireland, the UK and increasingly in mainland Europe. Over the past year, CWSI received significant new investment to fund ambitious growth plans to make strategic acquisitions, launch innovative new services and increase headcount including senior business leaders joining the team.
Having secured the funding, CWSI proceeded to acquire two companies in mainland Europe in quick succession. It acquired BLAUD, a Dutch mobility and security specialist based in Utrecht and mobco, a modern workplace and mobility specialist based in Belgium and Luxembourg. Both companies have been successfully integrated into the CWSI group.
These acquisitions served to further accelerate CWSI’s growth. In 2022, CWSI services reached 500,000 active end-users, and it plans to double this to 1 million by 2025 through its enhanced service proposition, expertise and geographical reach.
In addition to its Company of the Year award, CWSI was also shortlisted alongside eir evo for Public Sector Project of the Year for their work together on securely mobilising An Garda Siochana.
Ronan Murphy, CEO and co-founder, CWSI, said:“We are so proud to have been named 2023 Company of the Year at the highly prestigious Tech Excellence Awards. The past year has been hugely successful as we grew from strength to strength with the addition of so many new customers, team members and of course BLAUD and mobco bolstering our European presence. We remain a very ambitious company with continued growth plans and we’re very excited for the future.”
Skillnet Ireland, the national talent development agency, and IRDG, Ireland’s business-led innovation network representing companies working together to achieve excellence in innovation, today announce a new partnership which will empower businesses to succeed through innovation with world-class skills training.
Since 1992, IRDG has identified and pioneered key areas of innovation skills training for industry in Ireland including Design Thinking, Lean Product Development, Applying Technological Innovation (5G, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, IoT) as well as Innovation Strategy and Management. Businesses that are members of the IRDG Innovation Skillnet Business Network, will have access to ways of upskilling their workforce within these areas as well as other relevant elements of industry innovation.
Commenting on the new initiative, Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Simon Coveney, said: “IRDG Innovation Skillnet’s mission is to raise the level of technical education in innovation, to develop and to deliver world-class training for existing and emerging leaders. It will support the adoption of ISO innovation management frameworks within businesses across the country to redefine effective innovation practices and equip industries with the skills to continually renew their business in a world of permanent change and flux.”
Dave Flynn, Director of Business Networks, Skillnet Ireland, said: “Strengthening our innovation capabilities is crucial for maintaining our competitive edge in an increasingly lean, green, and digital landscape. We are pleased to partner with IRDG on this national imperative in this, the EU Year of Skills,”
Dermot Casey, CEO of IRDG, added: “We will help organisations establish the leadership, internal culture and support required to successfully make innovation an ongoing activity that produces results – rather than leaving it to pockets of work or to chance inspiration. Globally we expect we’ll see an emerging profession of Innovation Management over the next decade and through the IRDG Innovation Skillnet and we look forward to being at the forefront of that progression.”
The IRDG Innovation Skillnet will work with businesses to;
Develop world-class innovation capabilities and resilience to change
Deliver innovation strategies effectively and create cultures of innovation
Navigate uncertainty and reduce the risk involved in innovation
Rise to the challenges of digitalisation and sustainability
