Notes from the sharp end

Talking industrial wireless networks with Graham Wilde

Graham Wilde is Head of 5G Business Development at Three Group Solutions. Here he offers his views on the challenges and opportunities that come with taking an innovative new solution to market....

Extending phone lifetime with Three can have a big impact on CO2

Mobile phones have become ubiquitous – with estimates suggesting more than 90% of the global population now owns a mobile phone. The total number of active smartphones and feature phones around the globe is predicted to rise from 7.78 billion in...

eSIM is heading for exponential growth. So what’s the hype and where is the opportunity?

According to a new report from Counterpoint Research, 83% of smartphones shipped in 2030 will support eSIM. iPhone has supported eSIM since 2018 and most Samsung devices have supported eSIM since 2020.

Tackling 5 of the big myths surrounding 5G private networks

One of the definitions of the word myth is summed up in the line: ‘a widely held but false belief or idea’. Applying this description to the world of 5G network connectivity, there are certainly a number misconceptions that need to be addressed....

The voices of SD-WAN: from challenge to opportunity

There are many voices connected to the SD-WAN conversation, which is inevitable given the potential of the technology. That said, these voices typically share a common view of the ‘big picture’ behind SD-WAN, where those responsible for the network...

Retail: International retailer optimises resilience, uptime and scalability with Three

Rapid expansion; it’s a problem that many companies would like to have, but when your original communications infrastructure is unable to keep up with your plans for growth, it can raise a number of challenges.

Construction: Construction firm builds communications strategy on Three infrastructure

For large construction projects to run smoothly, good communication and collaboration is a top priority. A leading construction firm operating in multiple locations required their contractors to be easily accessible on site and to have the ability...

Watchovers:WatchOvers chooses Three’s IoT to bring new wearables product to market.

WatchOvers offers a range of 24/7 SOS wearables designed to work both indoors and outside. The device offers a GPS tracker, personal alarm and a voice-only mobile phone and is designed to be worn by people in vulnerable groups, such as the elderly...

Tirecheck:TireCheck accelerates international growth with Internet of Things (IoT) communications.

TireCheck is an international vehicle safety company offering its product as a pre-installed application on a ruggedised smartphone. The app is designed to provide reliable, accurate real-time data that provides customers with all they need to know...

Ports: Private Network delivers essential reliability for one of the UK's busiest ports.

As large ports face increased cargo volumes and demands for faster turnaround times, reliable connectivity has become critical. One of the UK's busiest ports needed a robust, port-wide network that would help it increase operating efficiencies and...

Airport: Private Network delivers enhanced team collaboration and reliable coverage at one of the world’s busiest airports.

Increased passenger demand is leading to a significant growth in air travel, and airports all over the world are dealing with record numbers of aircraft and people. At one of the world’s busiest airports, an aircraft takes off and lands every 45...

Utility companies

Smart meters are poised to revolutionise the energy sector, but these meters need reliable connectivity to transmit their data to the utility companies. In Sweden, utility companies wanted to roll out smart meters on a massive scale but inconsistent...

CKHIOD Launches Three Group Solutions

CKH IOD is re-branding its Enterprise, Wholesale & IoT operation as Three Group Solutions to emphasise its close relationship with the local B2B operations of CK Hutchison’s mobile operators around the world, many of...

What's in store for digital signage in 2020 and beyond?

The digital signage market is poised for substantial growth in the next five years with the retail sector leading the charge in adopting this technology. We chat with digital signage, marketing technology and retail experts Harry Horn of Scala and...

Unlocking a sustainable future with predictive analytics

The roll out of electric vehicles (EVs) to the mass market has been a perennial challenge we have looked to overcome to meet our net zero emissions target by 2050. With most globalised economies committed to phasing out fossil fuel-powered vehicles...

SD WAN is a critical building block to overcome the digital transformation challenge

Digital transformation is literally transforming the way enterprises do businesses, but more than that, the shift to digital is causing a deep revolution at the heart of organisations around the world. The very foundations on which companies operate...

Real-time data can help global economies bounce back better

As the world recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, real-time data will push society towards a knowledge-sharing economy, allowing companies to secure and share faster, more accurate knowledge, says Geoff McGrath.

Data can enable tourism recovery with insights into mobility trends

With the launch of the Mobility Insights Explorer, data specialists CKDelta are preparing for the economic recovery of the post-pandemic period.

Three Austria accelerates IoT adoption with the launch of Narrowband IoT

In a move that will accelerate the adoption of IoT nationwide, Three Austria has launched Narrowband IoT. Three Austria is initially making the technology available to selected companies before rolling out the network country wide in mid-July.

IOT SENSORS AND UTILITIES – THE PERFECT MATCH

The utilities sector has long been a pioneer when it comes to technology adoption, but recent developments in network connectivity and sensors have opened up a whole new world of opportunities. At the Integrated Transport Electricity Gas Research...

Stepping into the future workplace with smart building systems

Building management systems have long provided a way for organisations to manage their energy usage, but new, smarter systems are opening up the doors to greater control and insight, and offering organisations the...

Utilities: the IoT trendsetters

For utility companies, digital transformation has a unique complexity and urgency. With dispersed infrastructures, including network elements that may be decades or even centuries old, it's challenging for utilities to achieve business objectives...

Data analytics and the connected car: Part 2 - Capitalising on connected car data

In Part 1 of our data analytics and the connected car series, we talked about the role that data will play in driving transformation across the transportation industry and in particular, connected vehicles.

Fast-tracking the move to digital services in 2021

Digital transformation in some sectors has been underway for over a decade, but there’s never been an accelerator like COVID-19. The immediate changes that were forced on people and businesses in 2020 have given proof to digital investment business...

Data analytics and the connected car: Part 1 - Why guess when you can know?

When scientists and filmmakers shared their visions of the future in the 1960s, they imagined unmanned flying cars and superhighways sprawling across the sky. While some level of success has been achieved with aerial vehicles, it is the connected...

Ensuring business continuity with cellular backup and end to end network visibility

For robust network connectivity, where there is often a seamless transition from a fixed line to a cellular network in the event of an outage, a high level of sophistication, visibility and control is required behind the scenes. Richard Taylor, IoT...

Northumbrian Water Innovation Festival – IoT innovation to improve efficiency and safety of field workers and assets

The 2020 Northumbrian Water Innovation Festival was, in many ways, the most interesting yet, as CKH IOD sponsored a design sprint that attempted to tackle a big question in just a few days, in a multi-stakeholder workshop that was completely...

5G private networks – Part 2: laying the foundation for digital twins

Wind Tre brings the global power of CK Hutchison and Telefónica to Italian enterprises

This article is also available in Italian / Questo articolo è disponibile in Italiano.

At Wind Tre, we serve around 30 million customers across Italy with telecommunications solutions that span mobile, fixed and Internet services. And now we're...

Accelerating global trade in the port of the future

Today's ports are facing mounting challenges. The rise of the megaship with its massively increased container capacity and sheer size has created bottlenecks in ports all over the world with vessels regularly experiencing longer waiting times. As...

Cultural change is key to meeting the digital transformation challenge

The pace of digital transformation continues to escalate as enterprises around the world invest in technologies to transform their business processes, products and work practices. Indeed, IDC expects digital transformation spending to reach $1.2...

5G private networks – Part 3: driving the future of the factory floor

SD WAN helping businesses become more flexible and agile

This article is also available in Italian / Questo articolo è disponibile in Italiano.

Businesses across the globe are pushing forward with digital transformation projects as organisations look to increase efficiencies, become more flexible and...

Getting fit for the future means choosing cloud and an enterprise network that keeps pace with change

This article is also available in Italian / Questo articolo è disponibile in Italiano.

The historical model of the enterprise, with in-house staff based around a corporate headquarters and a handful of branch offices, is a good fit for traditional...

A strategic partnership - A Q&A with Telefónica and CKH IOD

This article is also available in Italian / Questo articolo è disponibile in Italiano.

In March we announced our strategic partnership with Telefónica and the new opportunities and enhanced capabilities that would be generated for large enterprise...

What can we learn from the Nordics about IoT?

The rapid growth of the Internet of Things (IoT) has ushered in what we now know as the “fourth industrial revolution” and the “second digital revolution”. By the year 2020, it is estimated that the number of connected devices in use worldwide will...

Enhance your business and drive efficiencies with IoT

Smart retailers embrace intelligent building management systems

As retailers face a challenging future, smart building management could help the sector make significant cost savings. Managing everything from utility bills to energy consumption is an opportunity for retailers to...

Unlock the value of data for decision-making in challenging times

Digital transformation and the drive to deliver closer integration between online and off-line shopping was already a clear challenge for fast-moving consumer goods companies. But the unexpected crisis of 2020 has posed even greater difficulties,...

5G private networks – Part 1: the power behind the autonomous vehicles revolution

Here’s how private networks are powering digital transformation across industries

Private networks, and increasingly 5G private networks, are the powerful backbone behind digital transformation in some of the world's largest industrial companies. With low latency, high availability and broad coverage, 5G is fuelling the move...

Why latency matters in 5G private networks

The Digital Transformation Challenge: making progress demands a practical approach

This article is also available in Italian / Questo articolo è disponibile in Italiano.

The past couple of years have been dominated by talk of digital transformation. From keynote speeches to boardroom meetings, it's been a recurring topic. But...

Tomorrow's airports will deliver an enhanced customer experience

Airline passenger figures have hit an all-time high, surpassing 4.5 billion people. An increase in low-cost airlines, the growth of the middle class and a boost in airport infrastructure spending have contributed to this phenomenal growth. But as...

The power of a reliable communications infrastructure in the age of digital transformation

The real strength of any communications network lies in its ability to maintain essential business communications while at the same time facilitating technological advancement. And with enterprises today firmly focused on digital transformation,...

Part 1: A Blueprint for the Modern, Digital Factory

SD WAN a true enabler of digital transformation

Remote working here to stay in Italy and around the world

The new world of work for large campuses: private networks

Private networks are fast becoming synonymous with enabling digital advancement, particularly in sectors with large campuses that have struggled to find a connectivity solution they can rely on. In our latest...

Part 2: A Blueprint for the Modern, Digital Factory

Enterprises discover efficiency gains of advanced asset tracking

How 5G private networks shine in a campus environment

Private networks based on 5G technology have revolutionised operations at large campuses such as ports, manufacturing plants and airports. With faster speeds and throughput rates, lower latency and extended coverage, 5G private networks have...

Northern Gas Networks at InTEGReL: IoT and the 2050 Net-Zero target

For most people, 30 years seems far away, but it feels like next week to those of us working to meet the UK government's 2050 target for Net-Zero carbon emissions. Both for myself at Northern Gas Networks and for my colleagues in other utilities,...

Tackling the digital transformation challenge in 2020 demands new capabilities

We wrote last year about the ongoing complexities of the digital transformation challenge, and it's still true that this kind of fundamental change is difficult.

Dive deeper with anonymised data

At the helm of data science business, CKDelta, I see first-hand the possible roles that anonymised data can play in supporting governments and businesses to weather the COVID-19 storm. The application of anonymised data is increasingly yielding rich...

The great recovery: the role of data science and simulation in infrastructure

Data-led insight has a significant role to play in supporting the governments and businesses – from SMEs to Multinationals – to weather the COVID-19 storm and prepare for the coming challenges of post-lockdown planning. The opportunities and...

The path to 2030: predictive analytics and electric vehicles

In a mere 10 years, the UK is set to ban the sale of new petrol, diesel and hybrid cars. The alternative put forward by the government and ‘green’ campaigners: electric vehicles (EVs). In my role as Head of Product and Business Development atCKDelta

The success of EVs depends on the power of data

The rollout of ‘green’ automotive technology will not happen overnight. The promotion of electric vehicles (EVs) depends on the industry embracing the art of the prediction through quality data and machine learning.

The security of your IoT network is a clear and present danger

The rise of the Internet of Things (IoT) has created a magnitude of new connected devices and in turn, a magnitude of entry points waiting to be breached. An even bigger issue is that many IoT devices are easier to target than conventional devices,...

Driving the Best Performance from Private Networks

This decade is all about performance, and enterprises will compete and win on their ability to deliver faster, with more efficiency and better communication right across the organisation.

Transforming the enterprise demands a stable foundation

Digital transformation initiatives are showing results across industries, and while strong leadership and a clear vision of objectives are vital for success, so is a flexible communications infrastructure. This is the case no matter which sector an...

Transportation companies tap mobility data to make informed decisions and plan routes

This article is also available in Italian / Questo articolo è disponibile in Italiano.

In my most recent blog I discussed how mobility data can give supermarkets and other retailers insights that can guide their decisions and marketing...

Northumbrian Water Innovation Festival – IoT innovation to improve efficiency and safety of field workers and assets

Utilities, as we’ve mentioned previously in our posts about digital transformation, face the unique challenge of having a highly dispersed and often aging infrastructure that comprises a diversity of moving and stationary parts. But there are clear...

Why Every Global IoT Deployment Needs eSIM

Global IoT services can prove challenging for organisations to implement efficiently, cost-effectively and with certainty throughout the device lifetime. Fortunately, eSIM makes this go-anywhere, always-on connectivity feasible.

5G private networks are powering the agile business

In the ever-evolving business landscape the successful organisation is agile and has the know-how and capacity to adapt. Sectors ranging from Manufacturing, Ports, Airports to Energy are using technology to help them to react quicker to market...

IoT in 2020 and beyond

By 2025 there will be 42 billion connected IoT devices generating almost 80 zettabytes of data. But what benefits are enterprises gaining from these connected devices and all of that data? As we enter into a new decade, Tom Gardner, Head of IoT &...

IoT and automation help reduce social contact and keep businesses moving

The Covid crisis of 2020 has obviously changed daily life, but it's also changing companies' ideas about technology, and how more automation and more connectivity can help them stay productive during lockdown and social distancing.

Digital transformation takes on new importance for retail

Never before have consumers turned to the online channel for shopping as much as they do today. With retailers suddenly needing to cater for much heavier volumes online, it raises new questions about how successful a retail organisation is at...

In the year of unthinkable operational changes, what other digital transformations are possible?

This article is also available in Italian / Questo articolo è disponibile in Italiano.

What tools can help enterprises manage office and retail reopening and sustain working-from-home?

Companies know that the initial measures they implemented as a tactical response to the crisis of 2020 must now mature into something more sustainable. Many enterprises are now looking at how they can sustain working-from-home in the long-term and...

Tackling the Digital Transformation Challenge in retail means bridging the online-offline gap

This article is also available in Italian / Questo articolo è disponibile in Italiano.

Retail is in the middle of a seismic shift. Bricks and mortar stores are disappearing from the high street as consumers continue to transition to digital...

Solving IoT’s last-mile problem with Narrowband-IoT

Deep beneath a manhole cover, miles away from its nearest hub, a smart meter wakes up, sends packets of analytic data into the cloud and goes back to sleep again. While this may not sound groundbreaking, the technology that drives this process is a...

Trash talking: How IoT is transforming waste management

In both the developed and developing world, huge volumes of waste are created daily. When you throw away a coffee cup or dispose of your newspaper, you might not pay much thought to how and when that waste is collected. However, it must be collected...

The Internet of Secure Things: How resilient does an IoT network need to be?

The Internet of Things (IoT) is comprised of a hugely diverse range of devices, from smart consumer gadgets to sophisticated solutions that operate in utility, industrial, manufacturing and defence systems. Given the massive breadth and scope of IoT...

The power of data to solve the Digital Transformation Challenge

This article is also available in Italian / Questo articolo è disponibile in Italiano.

The transformational power of data has been well documented, however, less than 50% of organisations are using it to drive efficiencies. Data as an asset is...

From source to shelf: Automated supply chains in action

Imagine a completely automated supply chain where processes combine with technology solutions to deliver products without any human intervention. A consumer places an order, the order is transmitted to 3D printers that print the final product using...

IoT has the power to re-energise high street retail

Today’s consumers expect personalised services and products that suit their individual situations and needs. They are also starting to expect meaningful and contextual interactions through their preferred digital channels and devices. For retailers...