FROM LEFT: David Patton, Don Dhaliwal, Emanuele Borasio, Nuno Muralha and Nuno Folhadela during the interview with The Peninsula. Pic: Baher Amin/The peninsula
Vodafone Qatar, in its earnest drive to enable Qatar to become one of the most connected countries in the world, is set to harness the power of connected technology with the support of 5 Top Global startup companies. Vodafone Qatar showcased these companies, which could make real use of 5G, in the just-concluded QITCOM 2019.
The startups, which have been identified as top five global success stories by Vodafone Group’s 5G challenge, told The Peninsula they are ready to share their expertise to make Vodafone Qatar’s vision to create Qatar a ‘5G GigaNet Society’.
Don Dhaliwal, Partner of CONiGITAL, an autonomous vehicle company using deep AI and automation techniques sees Qatar as an exciting market. “Qatar has already shared their interests in our AI”, Dhaliwal said.
The UK-based CONiGITAL is currently developing its own platform, ConICAV, which targets the £907bn connected autonomous vehicle (CAV) market. ConICAV allows self-driving vehicles to work together in real-time using 5G connectivity. Conigital’s software includes automation in the vehicles and their environments, and makes it easy and efficient for autonomous vehicles to slot into existing transportation systems.
ONTOP, the real world gaming experiences that can unite millions of players and spectators alike, is also looking for potential partners in Qatar with the support of Vodafone Qatar. This Portuguese company brings AR fun with well-crafted social mechanics for smartphones and smartglasses. A new type of entertainment that adds digital worlds over our own reality through AR and 5G technologies.
“We are involved in reality entertainment with more focus on gaming. We believe with the support of Vodafone Qatar, we can find potential partners in Qatar”, said ONTOP CEO Nuno Folhadela.” Supponor, the British sports marketing company use 5G to offer incredibly low latency in augmented reality (AR) tech. David Patton, VP Business Development, Supponor believes the company can be the game changer in FIFA 2022 livestreaming.
The startup is pioneers in the new field of virtual replacement for live sports broadcasting. That means instead of the same few logos around the pitch being seen by everyone watching a football match, rights and media owners can work with local sponsors and partners to show relevant localised advertising in AR.
“We are an augmented virtual advertisement technology company. We focus very much on live sports and on increasing opportunities in media companies and broadcast owners to target the messaging and advertising within live real time sports and to enable them to create relevant messages for audiences around the world. With the 5G emerging standards, we can create high quality video page and content in a stadium environment”, said Patton.
Supponor is already working closely with a number of global sport federations, including FIFA. Patton believes FIFA2022 will be a great opportunity for Supponor.
SurgeonMate and WeAr are the other two Vodafone Group success stories which were showcased by Vodafone Qatar at QITCOM.
Hailing from Portugal, SurgeonMate is a content storage company that helps surgeons create their own library of medical records and interactive media. “SurgeonMate uses a combination of hardware and software to broadcast surgical skills across the internet, resulting in a powerful ‘telementoring’ tool that connects medical professionals around the world. Mentors wear proprietary smart glasses to record, share and access a huge range of modern teaching materials in real-time using 5G”, said its Co-Founder Nuno Muralha.
WeAR, the Italian start-up specialises in user-generated manuals that are delivered through mobile and wearable devices in AR and mixed reality (MR).
“We are very much interested in Qatar, because there are very important projects coming up in Qatar in the smartcity space. Millions of items are connected per square kilo metere. We think 5G is the best solution for our platform. Our partnership format is founded by Vodafone Group and now we are looking for potential partnerships in Qatar,” said Emanuele Borasio, CEO WeAR.
