u-blox AG: u-blox Acquires IoT Communication-as-a-Service Provider Thingstream

Bolsters u-blox's services portfolio with the addition of a complete and comprehensive IoT connectivity solution for customers and accelerates path toward achieving unique silicon-to-cloud differentiation

THALWIL, SWITZERLAND / ACCESSWIRE / April 1, 2020 / u-blox (SIX:UBXN, OTC:UBLXF), a global provider of leading positioning and wireless communication technologies, today announced it has acquired IoT Communication-as-a-Service provider, Thingstream. Thingstream provides a comprehensive, end-to-end solution for global IoT connectivity using the industry standard MQTT protocol. The product is offered "as-a-service" which provides predictable cost and on-demand scalability for customers.

MQTT, short for message queuing telemetry transport, has become a widely used data transfer protocol in the Internet of Things, along with MQTT-SN, which is tailored to the needs of sensor networks. Designed for constrained environments characterized by low power and bandwidth requirements, MQTT transmits messages from one device to one or many others via a broker. To achieve reliable machine to machine communication, users can set the quality of service to the specific requirements of their applications. Thingstream's MQTT Anywhere service offers data transfer across 600+ telecom carriers in 190 countries without necessitating a cellular data plan by transmitting MQTT-SN messages over 2G, 3G, LTE, and LTE-M networks.

"The acquisition of Thingstream and its platform accelerates u-blox's entry into a new dimension of our services business, the IoT Sphere, which will provide customers with a reliable, smart and secure solution to connect sensor data to their cloud enterprise," said Thomas Seiler, CEO of u-blox. "Our customers can focus on scaling their business rather than the complexities of acquiring and establishing a connectivity platform and maintaining the data flow management."

Simplifying cost of ownership and management of an end-to-end solution that is reliable and secure is crucial for the success of any IoT solution. The integration of Thingstream and its platform will drive further momentum in u-blox's roadmap for delivering to customers the most robust service offering in the market, exemplified by improved functionality, secure connectivity and full lifetime support – in short, to make wireless communication and location easy.

The addition of Thingstream's high-performing team of 26 qualified staff will bring decades of experience in telecom services and IoT, augmenting u-blox's functional teams in R&D and sales and marketing.

u-blox acquired the company for CHF 10 million, plus coverage for some deferred staff retention. The acquisition has been successfully closed.

About u-blox

u-blox (SIX:UBXN) is a global provider of leading positioning and wireless communication technologies for the automotive, industrial, and consumer markets. Their solutions let people, vehicles, and machines determine their precise position and communicate wirelessly over cellular and short range networks. With a broad portfolio of chips, modules, and a growing ecosystem of product supporting data services, u-blox is uniquely positioned to empower its customers to develop innovative solutions for the Internet of Things, quickly and cost-effectively. With headquarters in Thalwil, Switzerland, the company is globally present with offices in Europe, Asia, and the USA. (www.u-blox.com)

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u‑blox contact:
Gitte Jensen, Investor Relations Manager
Phone: +41 44 722 74 86
E-mail: gitte.jensen@u-blox.com

About Thingstream
Thingstream is a leading provider of Connectivity-as-a-Service for the Internet of Things (IoT) applications. Thingstream's intelligent Global Connectivity Platform provides low power, low cost, ubiquitous IoT connectivity via MQTT and works in over 190 countries already today. The secure, out-of-the-box IoT connectivity solution leverages both the globally-available telecom network as well as private LoRaWAN implementation to offer immediate, global IoT connectivity that no other low power connectivity provider can today. Thingstream specialises in helping simplify IoT connectivity, reducing costs and operational overheads in the delivery of an intelligent network of connected things. Thingstream is headquartered in Switzerland with offices in the UK, the US and South Africa. For more information visit https://thingstream.io.

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Thingstream contact:
Philipp Bolliger, CEO
Phone: +41 79 329 21 90
E-mail: philipp.bolliger@thingstream.io

SOURCE: u-blox AG via EQS Newswire

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