Go Ignite partners seek 5G use cases in global call for startups

Following the success of its previous global calls for startups, Go Ignite, an alliance of four leading global telcos, has launched Go Ignite: 5G Open Call for Startups to engage startups or venture capital-backed companies which are developing 5G products or services catering to the consumer or enterprise sectors.

Go Ignite comprises hubraum, Orange Fab, Singtel Innov8 and Connected Open Innovation, the open innovation arms of Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Singtel, and Telefónica respectively.
Interested participants can submit their proposals by 7 September 2020 through the alliance’s website at  www.go-ignite.com.

The alliance members will evaluate the proposals based on each project’s degree of technological innovation, feasibility, rapid implementation time and maturity. Selected startups will have the opportunity to present their proposals to key management of the Go Ignite alliance members in an online workshop on 21 - 23 September 2020. The workshop is designed to help the selected startups validate their proposals by engaging the business units of the alliance members. From their feedback, the startups can refine their solutions and sharpen their strategies to better align their innovations with market requirements.

Startups which successfully complete the online workshop would be better positioned to launch their 5G products or services to the market given the Go Ignite members   combined customer base of more than 1.2 billion customers across Africa, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Australia.

Axel Menneking, Head of hubraum said: “The tech incubator of Deutsche Telekom has already carried out successful 5G programs with startups, from which interesting projects have emerged. We are looking forward to new interesting use cases that demonstrate the potential of this technology."

Karine Dussert Sarthe, Executive Vice President Product Marketing & Design in Orange’s Innovation Division, said: “We look forward to engaging with startups to develop 5G new use cases.  We are convinced that 5G could bring value by accelerating digital transformation in a world facing unprecedented economic and ecological challenges. We strongly believe that leveraging a newly emerging 5G ecosystem will accelerate 5G value creation for everyone’s benefits.”

Edgar Hardless, CEO of Singtel Innov8 said: ''Through this global call, we look forward to engaging startups which have exciting ideas for 5G and to help them bring their innovative solutions to the markets across the Southeast Asian region where the Singtel Group is rolling out 5G. Ecosystem innovation will enable us to harness 5G’s potential as a game-changer to accelerate enterprises' digital transformation and provide innovative and differentiated consumer offerings.”

Miguel Arias, Global Entrepreneurship Director of Telefónica said: “Telefónica is committed to 5G technology, which will open up our telecommunications ecosystem to a wide range of vertical industries where startups with scalable products and global impact may develop concept tests on the new services, products, experiences and business models in the future.”

www.orange.com

go-ignite.com