For the Internet of Everything to be realised, the way connected devices communicate with the network is going to have to change. But the latest start-up to join our innovation centre IDEALondon could have the answer.
Enter Nwave, which is set to accelerate this digital revolution.
Their innovative communications technology for the Internet of Everything allows devices to communicate over very long distances using tiny amounts of power. This will be hugely beneficial in areas poorly served by traditional cellular or short-range technologies.
In urban areas this could be up to 10km, connecting up the likes of traffic lights, parking bays and sewerage systems, which puts us on the road to smart cities. There are applications in agricultural too, and the technology could allow a range as much as 30km in rural areas. This creates the potential for farmers to monitor crops and livestock in incredibly remote locations.
It means the possibilities for where sensors can be placed are only limited by human imagination. So as well as smart cities and agriculture, there are opportunities in oil and gas, healthcare, logistics, and more. And each of these sensors can be powered through a single AA battery, lasting for up to 10 years.
Now at IDEALondon, Nwave are poised to supercharge the Internet of Everything.
Making waves at IDEALondon
The team moved into IDEAL nearly two months ago. Now they are firmly settled in, it’s great to catch-up with Nwave’s CEO, Yury Birchenko, to find out how things have been going so far.
“We were born out of a technological need, rather than having a technology first then looking for a problem to solve,” he said. “Analysts believe that by 2023, four billion devices are expected to need this sort of technology – that’s a huge opportunity.”
But what makes Nwave unique? “We’re committed to opening up the Internet of Things (IoT) to everyone, and we are the first to use a worldwide open standard for IoT technologies,” Yury says. “This allows us to tap into a global pool of talent, encouraging them to build their own apps and devices.
“By opening up the technology to developers, this will really accelerate the adoption of IoT. We truly want to make the world a better place.”
But where did such an innovative idea come from? The original concept was developed by Nwave’s R&D team in Moscow, who were approached by an outside company to develop solutions for smart city applications.
“In particular, they were trying to help tackle the parking problems in the city with a smart parking solution, as nothing out there at the time really fitted the bill.
“We have grown, and now have offices in Dallas and London, as well as our team in Moscow.
“Our aim really is to become the predominant provider of standards-based fixed IoT network solutions for low data transmission. We want to be involved with everything to do with any sensor that produces small amounts of machine-generated data.”
After founding the company, Yury has been focused on globally expanding the technology and solutions, including building relationships with ecosystem partners and telecom carriers..
The key milestones so far include winning a grant from InnovateUK, and Nwave is also working with BT and Digital Catapult on a Smart Cities projects.
To top it all off, they were named by CBR in the top 10 ‘most influential IoT start-ups’ in October last year.
Making the move to London
Nwave was previously involved in one of the most ambitious start-up programmes in Denmark, having been among the nine successful applicants out of more than 300 – something that they feel ‘really proud of’.
Now with a base at IDEAL, they’ve been at the bustling heart of London’s Tech City for just over a month and a half. How have they been finding it so far?
Yury said the team are enjoying life and the friendly atmosphere at the London branch of their growing international company, as well as the natural proximity to the likes of Cisco.
“It’s a fantastic location, and IDEALondon is full of bright people and interesting companies,” he said.
“I’ve found it’s given us access to brilliant people, and brilliant resources. We really want to make the most of it, and we plan on using the space in the future for hackathons and events.
“You see it in London in general, particularly at IDEAL – the tech community here are very generous. There is always a lot of interest in sharing ideas and looking for synergies between very exciting for young companies.”
With so many exciting applications for the Internet of Everything, we can’t wait to see how Nwave’s story develops.
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