Comms Dealer

Telematics Wireless and Pangea have joined forces to provide cellular connectivity for smart street lighting solutions.

Pangea will deliver a cellular solution for Telematics' lighting gateways over a secure private network (commonly known as an APN).

"The partnership will enhance our smart street lighting solution offerings to our customers with the necessary cellular connectivity and services needed for smart city deployment," said Eddy Kafry, Chief Executive Officer of Telematics Wireless.

Dan Cunliffe, MD of Pangea, added: "We conducted a trial that demonstrated the capabilities of our SMART Connectivity platform and explained the capabilities of the APN and real-time management to the customer.

"Leveraging the capabilities of our platform we are looking forward to support the customer's rollout in UK and expanding our global market reach in the near future."

Telematics Wireless is a specialist in smart lighting, network and energy management systems with a global presence.

Pangea is a global provider of SMART connectivity and solutions to the Machine-to-Machine and Internet of Things market.

Less than two years after CityFibre began construction on its Gigabit City network, Peterborough City Council has trebled its utilisation of the pure fibre infrastructure with an order for a further 220 new sites via its ICT Managed Service Provider Serco.

The sites comprise CCTV cameras, Wi-Fi connections and a network of Information Traffic System locations. By migrating these sites from legacy connections to CityFibre's pure fibre network the Council increases its technical capabilities and reduces operating costs.

Once connected, the new sites will enable the Council to introduce High-Definition CCTV and Wi-Fi based cameras that can be moved around in place of fixed point cameras.

With increasing reliance on CCTV for security and traffic management purposes, movable HD cameras represent an upgrade to their capabilities.

By leveraging the unlimited capacity of a pure fibre network the technology can be easily accommodated without an increase in costs.

The network architecture deployed by CityFibre in reaching the street furniture associated with the CCTV and traffic control locations is identical to that required in future 4G and 5G wireless small cell deployments.

This means that CityFibre's 37 city footprint can is able to serve as the foundation of large scale small cell deployments across a significant portion of the UK.

The Peterborough Gigabit City network now comprises in excess of 90km of pure fibre and duct infrastructure built originally to connect 107 public sector sites including schools, council buildings and health sites.

The network was made available on a wholesale basis enabling ISPs to offer local businesses gigabit speed Internet services. Hundreds of businesses throughout the city are already connected.

John Harrison, Corporate Director for Resources at Peterborough City Council, said: "This investment in extending our city's fibre network will further enhance Peterborough's reputation as a Gigabit City. These new access points will enable us to improve our CCTV and traffic management solutions while allowing for future roll-outs of citywide Wi-Fi and future proofing the city for future developments in a world of the Internet of Things and Smart Cities.

"It is no secret that we are well on our way to being one of the world's top 'smart cities' after being crowned Smart City of the Year 2015. Our partnership with CityFibre is just one of the many ways we are investing in growth, innovation, skills and sustainability with the goal of making Peterborough a better place to invest, work and live."

Greg Mesch, Chief Executive of CityFibre, said: "Peterborough City Council and the city as a whole have grasped the Gigabit City vision and made it their own. Peterborough has become a model for a true Gigabit City."

Elitetele.com has extended its cloud capabilities with the acquisition of NetCentrix and SystemHOST. Carnforth-based NetCentrix provides bespoke cloud platforms to public and private sector organisations and was founded in 2002. Two years later systemHOST was set-up as a wholly owned subsidiary specialising just in hosted IT solutions.

NetCentrix is Elite's eleventh acquisition since 2008 with more MA& activity in pipeline.

Elite founder and CEO Matt Newing said: "This acquisition brings a third data centre on-net to Elite's UK-wide NGN core network. We have increased our capacity to offer IT and cloud solutions and we have exciting plans for further innovation in the market with NetCentrix and SystemHOST on board."

Phil Scanlon, MD and founder of NetCentrix, added: "Our products complement Elite's existing solutions and we are very much looking forward to launching the combined offering into the market."

RedstoneConnect has acquired smart building software applications provider, Connect IB, in a £1.32m deal.

RedstoneConnect will integrate its smart building technology with Connect IB's application development into a single framework.

Connect IB's 'wayfinding' solution and its frictionless car parking system extends RedstoneConnect's OneSpace capabilities that help organisations manage the occupancy and use of their buildings and beyond into the car park.

Connect IB brings with it a number of long-term blue chip customers including GlaxoSmithKline, Meyer Bergman and Westfield Corporation.

Connect IB's MD Keith Jump will join Redstone Connect as chief technology officer.

Mark Braund, CEO of the Group, commented: "This represents a significant strategic step and one that is highly complementary to our existing business. Connect IB is the first acquisition to be made by our new management team and one which has enabled us to enhance our core offering."

Coms plc has rebranded as RedstoneConnect to reflect the Group's strategy of providing technology and services for smart buildings and commercial spaces through its core businesses Redstone and Connect IB.

RedstoneConnect's strategic priorities include building on the Group's presence in the high growth smart buildings and smart technologies arena, while leveraging cross-selling opportunities throughout the Group's customer base, including many blue chip organisations.

Also top of the agenda is developing and expanding the Group's annuity revenue streams in software, managed services and support and maintenance, and rolling out its new occupancy management software solution called OneSpace.

The Group will broaden its intellectual property applications to a wider spectrum of smart environments and invest in research and development.

Acquisition opportunities that support the Group's strategy will be considered.

Mark Braund, Chief Executive of RedstoneConnect, commented: "We have successfully repositioned the business to focus on a defined strategy to use technology and innovation to make buildings and commercial spaces smarter. Our new name and identity reflects this strategic direction.

"At the core of our offering is the Redstone operation, an IT network and smart building systems integrator, with a blue chip customer base and a 30 year heritage. This has been enhanced through the acquisition in March of Connect IB, a smart buildings software and solutions business.

"The opportunities for deploying smart technology into buildings and commercial spaces continues to grow at pace and we are delighted to have already secured a number of new contracts which utilise services from across the Group."

Oriium has acquired London-based application transformation and cloud migration company add3 in a seven figure deal.

Oriium is a channel-only infrastructure and data management specialist and has extended its capabilities to include cloud migration, application transformation and application packaging as portfolio services.

The combined businesses provide Oriium partners with a route to capitalise on the growing trend of application migration to cloud providers such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure and private cloud suppliers.

Oriium MD Chris Kiaie said: "This acquisition expands our service capabilities and brings considerable value to our partners and clients.

"We have gained an application practice with a southern presence and high profile customer base.

"While some businesses may be apprehensive in light of recent political and economic events, we are confident we have created the foundations for a solid, scalable business and this acquisition underlines our confidence."

The founders of add3, Danny Clarke and Andy Hopkins. retain an interest in the company.

Clarke said: "Oriium is a complementary fit to our application practice and we share the same values.

"Having worked together on a number of occasions we have a proven model that delivers increased value to our customers and partners."

Oriium Chairman Ryan McCarry added: "This acquisition is the first of several that delivers against our strategic growth objectives.

"We are well positioned to take advantage of the growing trend of transitioning applications to cloud.

"In the last few years, Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure have extended their market dominance and the add3 acquisition ensures we are aligned and will benefit by providing complimentary services."

VoIP distributor ProVu Communications has added Sangoma's PBXact UC systems to its line up of IP phones from the vendor.

The extended product range builds on a four year partnership and according to Sangoma's Director of Product Management and Product Marketing, Simon Horton, 'IP-PBX deployments can now be completed quickly and easily'.

"Previously this was a complex task but developments to our deployment wizard and zero touch provisioning of phones makes it a more seamless process," he said.

The UC systems offer fully featured solutions for 10 to 5,000 users and incorporate an enhanced user interface and a simplified dashboard.

ProVu Sales Director Ian Godfrey (pictured) said: "With our recent launch of the Sangoma IP phone range, the PBXact systems are a seamless option for users looking to easily manage their communication solutions."

HPE Cloudline servers, built on the Open Infrastructure based on Open Compute Project specifications, are being offered across Europe by distributor Azlan, along with access to demonstration units and pre-sales and technical support to service providers.

Steve Cant, Director, Enterprise, Infrastructure and Communications, Azlan, said: "HPE Cloudline servers have been built on an open design philosophy to increase adaptability and make integration easier. They are designed to be scalable and resilient. HPE also offers a fast turnaround on build-to-order, so they can be deployed at relatively short notice.

Several models are available with different designs suited to cloud, web caching and search workloads, providing hosting and Big Data capabilities.

Avnet partners can bundle services from different cloud suppliers, combine them with Avnet's IT services and offer one-stop-shop solutions via their own branded cloud shop front following the launch of the distributor's Cloud Marketplace across the UK and France.

The Marketplace offers products from Amazon Web Services, Avnet, Brocade, Cisco, F5, IBM, NetApp, Oracle, SoftLayer and VMware; with payment options through a consumption or subscription-based model and tools to monitor cloud consumption and optimise cloud solutions.

Michael Fischermanns, VP Cloud Solutions, Avnet Technology Solutions, EMEA, said: "We've designed the Marketplace based on our insights across a range of public, private and hybrid cloud environments, creating a one-stop-shop for partners to deliver solutions that help organisations make the transition to a cloud-based business model."

Rollout to additional countries including Germany, Netherlands and Poland will continue through 2016/2017.

Cindy Rose has joined Microsoft UK and will take over UK leadership as Chief Executive Officer from Michel Van der Bel on November 1st. Van der Bel will move into a new role.

Rose joins from Vodafone UK where she was MD of the Consumer Division. She will be responsible for all of Microsoft's product, service and support offerings across the UK.

Jean-Philippe Courtois, President of Microsoft International, said: "Cindy brings a real strength in driving complex, customer-focused businesses and a deep understanding of the digital space. As we continue to transform as an organisation and support our customers' digital transformation, Cindy's experience will be invaluable."

Rose has served in a variety of regional roles throughout her career.

Prior to being MD of the Vodafone UK Consumer Division she was Executive Director for Digital Entertainment at Virgin Media and Senior Vice President & Managing Director, EMEA at Disney Interactive Media Group.

She also held Senior Vice President & Regional Managing Director (UK, Ireland, Southern Europe & Middle East) and Vice President, Legal & Government Relations at The Walt Disney Company.

Rose said: "I'm excited by the possibilities of our mission to empower every person and organisation on the planet to achieve more, and I look forward to working closely with our customers, partners and employees to do just that."