Category: Press Release

VIENNA, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — AUSTRIACARD HOLDINGS AG (“ACAG”), an Austrian Group with an international presence and one of the leading providers of Secure Digital Technology Solutions in Europe, announces that it will apply for listing on the Vienna and Athens Stock Exchanges and merge through a cross border transaction with its 70.79% subsidiary INFORM P. LYKOS HOLDINGS S.A. (“INFORM LYKOS”), a company listed on the Athens Stock Exchange (Bloomberg code LYK:GA, Reuters code LYKr.AT). Subject to approval by the relevant competent authorities and shareholders’ general meetings of both companies, ACAG will absorb INFORM LYKOS and will be listed on the Vienna and Athens Stock Exchanges. This process is expected to be completed by the end of March 2023.

ACAG and its subsidiaries, including AUSTRIA CARD GmbH, INFORM LYKOS and TAG SYSTEMS, provide Secure Digital Technology Solutions and Secure End Products & Services, in two broad categories:

• Secure Digital Technology Solutions, such as Hardware Embedded Security (Internationally Certified Chip Platforms), high added value Payment Solutions, Authentication, Data Capture, Data Mining, Process Automation, AI, Digitalisation Solutions, IoT platforms, etc.
• Secure End Products and Services, such as Banking Smart Cards & Associated Services, Secure Smart Cards for Identification, Health, Driving, Transportation, Billing / Statements, Secure Ballots, Secure Medicine and Alcohol Labels, Electronic Book Publishing and many others, representing a combination of our Secure Digital Technology Solutions, with cutting edge Secure End Products and Services, either in physical or in digital forms.

In 2021, ACAG, on a consolidated basis, had €178.0m revenues and €26.8m EBITDA, while in the first half of 2022 revenue reached €137.1m (69% year-on-year increase) and adjusted EBITDA €19.8m (137% year-on-year increase).

The merger is expected to contribute to an improved group profile with increased geographical and product reach, broader cross selling opportunities and increased economies of scale. The more than 1,400 people employed within the Group today, will benefit from an international, closer knit working environment, which will stimulate knowledge, enhance experience sharing, provide international development opportunities and accelerate group-wide adoption of best practices.

Mr. Panagiotis Spyropoulos, Vice Chairman of the Management Board of ACAG and Group CEO, stated: “Having successfully completed the onboarding of the recently added in the Group talented new team members that joined us from the acquired companies, now it is the right time to fully leverage our global footprint, by making available to our clients the full spectrum of the highly Secure Digital Technology Solutions we have already developed and the ones to come, being yet at an R&D phase. Additionally, our listing on both the Vienna and the Athens Stock Exchange, will provide to the investment community the ability to share into our success.”.

Mr. Manolis Kontos, Executive Vice President, stated: “By implementing this merger, the new group will have a strong portfolio of seamless solutions that are focused in serving our B2B clients which are active in the Banking, Energy, Telcos and Retail in both the Private and Public sectors. With extensive experience of over 125 years in the fields of Information Management & Data Encryption for high-end Secure Communications and with a very customer centric approach, the Group is well positioned to grow its footprint both horizontally and vertically by maximizing internal talent and attracting new.”.

Mr. Jon Neeraas, Executive Vice President, stated: “Through this merger, our market leading position in the Challenger Banking Segment and our market leading position in key European Banking markets, will be underpinned by award winning digital solutions offerings. Our Banking customers, in Regions such as Scandinavia, Austria, Central Eastern and Southeastern Europe, where we are market leaders today, will be able to access products and solutions complementary to the payment card, whilst we enable our Global Challenger Banking customers to procure digital technology platforms, in order to future proof the value which we provide to this fast paced, high tech segment. Our market share will increase in markets such as the United Kingdom, Spain, Germany, Turkey, Middle East and Africa. Additionally, our operation in the USA will be further strengthened with significant upside potential. Sustainability is crucial to our future and essentially, our road map will serve the next generation of Fintechs and Traditional Banks. By utilizing more efficiently the Group’s resources, we shall be able to offer a more solutions-oriented portfolio with end-to-end solutions and services, from card issuance, to payment processing/clearing and advanced high added value payment related solutions. This Embedded Finance model will be a game changer, the first of its kind in our industry”.

Mr. Nikolaos Lykos, Chairman of the Management Board of ACAG and major shareholder, stated: “This merger is a pivotal point in the Group’s history as it is the culmination of a 40-year-old effort to steer the Company from a world, where people were communicating and thinking through ink and paper, to a world, where communication is a pack of bits, instantaneous, global and elusive.

Over the past 125 years our ethos has been hammered to developing the best-in-class solutions and today, we pride ourselves in helping our customers to seamlessly connect to the Digital Era.”

Contact:
Tel: +43161065-352
marketing@austriacard.at
www.austriacard.com

JAKARTA, Indonesia, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — PT PLN (Persero) today outlined its focus on providing infrastructure to accelerate Indonesia’s electric vehicle ecosystem, aimed to reduce the carbon emission on transportation.

Minister of State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN) Erick Thohir said the government is fully committed to develop the electric vehicle ecosystem, mainly after President Joko Widodo released Presidential Regulation Number 55 of 2019 on the Acceleration of the Battery Electric Vehicle Program for Road Transportation.

For this reason, the Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN) is in full support by assigning a number of SOEs, including PLN, to accelerate the electric vehicle ecosystem in Indonesia. “We all should keep national energy security in appropriate condition, which at this time we import 1.5 million barrels per day for fuel-oil based (BBM) or the equivalent of Rp 200 trillion per year. Electric vehicles are the solution to reduce the foreign exchange abroad,” he said.

Minister Thohir explained that the transition of electric vehicles has many benefits, both for the economy and the environment. This is in line with the national goal to continue to encourage sustainable economic development. “Electric vehicles are more eco-friendly transportation. The emissions produced are lower than fuel-oil based vehicles, so it will reduce air pollution as well as noise pollution,” said Minister Thohir.

Moving quickly, the Ministry of SOEs has also assigned a number of SOEs, including PLN, to collaborate on accelerating the electric vehicle ecosystem in Indonesia. President Director of PLN Darmawan Prasodjo stated that PLN is ready to support the acceleration of the electric vehicle ecosystem from upstream to downstream. Besides securing power supply for charging electric vehicles, PLN has also prepared supporting infrastructure and services to facilitate users towards switching to electric vehicles.

Currently, PLN has developed 150 units of Public Electric Vehicle Charging Stations (SPKLU) spread over 120 locations. PLN plans to expand 110 units more of SPKLU in 2022. Darmawan said that PLN is pleased to welcome business entities to collaborate in partnerships to provide SPKLU. A new scheme for the provision of SPKLU is the Partnership Investor Own Investor Operate (IO2) in which the Partner prepares investment funds according to the type of SPKLU service, land provision and operation and maintenance. “PLN also cooperates with state-owned banks or Himbara for EV banking service products, car installments and the SPKLU franchise,” he said.

In addition, for electric motor vehicles, PLN has also provided a General Electric Vehicle Battery Exchange Station (SPBKLU). Currently there are 16 units installed in Jakarta, and 2 units in Surabaya. In 2022, it is planned that 70 SPBKLU units will be expanded with a total of about 300 batteries and locations spread across Java and Bali.

“Considering the experience of electric vehicle users, charging is mostly done at home when the vehicle is not in use. Usually at night. For this reason, PLN has also collaborated with ATPM or electric vehicle distributors,” he said.

Through this collaboration, PLN customers who purchase electric vehicles will immediately be assisted with the installation of home charging and discounts fee on new installation for electric vehicles, namely the ‘Super EVeryday’ promo. “PLN also provides a 30 percent discount fee for use from home charging electricity from 22.00 WIB to 05.00 WIB,” he said.

Electric vehicle users are also facilitated, Darmawan said, by Electric Vehicle Digital Services (EVDS). The EVDS is a platform for complete electric vehicle services. “EVDS will improve customer experience by digitizing and integrating all customer service systems for users or potential users of electric vehicles,” he explained.

PLN is also actively collaborating with other SOEs institutions to scale up an end-to-end EV Battery supply chain through the Indonesia Battery Corporation (IBC). Darmawan explained, the potential for nickel in Indonesia will be able to support the acceleration of EV in Indonesia, because the battery component is the most expensive component in an electric vehicle.

Therefore, PLN has joined the IBC, a consortium of 4 SOEs, which consists of PLN, Antam, Pertamina and Mind ID, that will engage the mining and energy sectors. “In 2022, PLN will increase the fund up to IDR 513 billion to IBC to develop the battery industry,” said Darmawan.

BANGKOK, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Huawei’s 13th Global Mobile Broadband Forum (MBBF) kicked off in Bangkok today with a keynote from the company’s Rotating Chairman, Ken Hu.

“5G has grown faster than any previous generation of mobile technology,” began Hu. “In just three years, we’ve seen solid progress in network deployment, consumer services, and industry applications.”

“5G is in the fast lane,” he continued, “and we should all be proud of the progress we’ve made. But there’s more we can do to maximize its value. We need to work together to fully unleash the power of 5G networks and expand into services like cloud and system integration. Together, we can drive leapfrog development in 5G networks, applications, and the industry as a whole.”

As of October 2022, more than 230 carriers around the world have launched commercial 5G services. In total, the industry has set up over three million 5G base stations, serving more than 700 million subscribers.

In telecoms, consumer services still account for the bulk of carrier revenue. As 5G becomes more prevalent, its vastly superior experience is driving new shifts in consumer behavior, including a sharp rise in high-definition video traffic. New mobile applications that take advantage of 5G’s greater speeds and lower latency have doubled average user data consumption (DOU) and are increasing average revenue per user (ARPU) by 20%–40%, contributing to steady growth in carrier revenue from connectivity.

At the same time, B2B 5G applications are also becoming a new engine for carrier revenue growth, producing considerable value in industries like oil and gas, manufacturing, and transportation.

These applications are not only innovative – they’re generating real commercial value for carriers. In 2021, for example, Chinese carriers brought in over CNY3.4 billion (roughly USD500 million) in new revenue from more than 3,000 industrial 5G projects. What’s more, these projects also generated 10 times that amount from related data and integrated ICT services.

B2B 5G applications are poised to become the fastest growing revenue stream for carriers. 5G is enabling new service scenarios, applications, and business models, paving the way for unprecedented growth opportunities in the industry.

“To seize these opportunities,” said Hu, “there are a few things we need to do.”

Building out networks for better user experience

Beyond expanding coverage, networks should be built in a way that optimizes different types of user experience. For example, Chinese carriers have optimized their networks for TikTok and other popular video services, reducing first input delay by 50% and frame freeze by 90%. This much smoother video experience has doubled data consumption and is attracting new users to 5G services.

Driving the development of 5.5G

To push 5G to the next level, Huawei worked with carriers and industry partners to propose four features for 5.5G, the next evolution of 5G technology: 10 Gbps downlink, 1 Gbps uplink, support for 100 billion connections, and native intelligence.

“The industry needs to come together to define standards, prepare the spectrum, and build out the ecosystem,” said Hu.

Driving service innovation to maximize the value of 5G

With large bandwidth and low latency, 5G can be integrated with cloud and AI to provide entirely new services for consumers and businesses alike. Carriers can deliver new experiences like extended reality (XR), cloud gaming, and enriched calling services for individual consumers, and provide enterprises with more comprehensive digital transformation solutions. These open up new revenue streams, presenting an opportunity for carriers to go beyond connectivity and move into cloud services and system integration.

Industry digitalization is the next wave of global economic development. As a key enabler of digital transformation, 5G opens up a world of new opportunities. But the ICT ecosystem needs to work together to make the most of them. “If we work together, we can drive leapfrog development in 5G networks, applications, and the industry as a whole,” Hu concluded.

The Global Mobile Broadband Forum 2022 is hosted by Huawei, together with its industry partners GSMA and GTI. This annual forum gathers mobile network carriers, vertical industry leaders, and ecosystem partners from around the world to discuss how to make 5G a commercial success, as well as other high-priority industry topics like green development, intelligence, and 5G evolution. For more information, please visit:

https://www.huawei.com/en/events/mbbf2022.

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Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1928828/Ken_Hu_speaking_MBBF_2022.jpg

TAIPEI, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Infortrend® Technology, Inc. (TWSE: 2495), the industry-leading enterprise storage provider, debuts HA (high availability) Service on their EonStor GS unified storage solutions. The new feature significantly improves storage redundancy, ensures continuous operations, and minimizes service disruption in unforeseen events.

EonStor GS is a unified storage system with dual redundant controllers designed for enterprises. Companies using the storage solutions can enjoy nonstop services when a single PSU/controller fails. However, continuous services are hardly guaranteed when encountering unforeseen locality events such as power outages and network disruptions. Planned events like system update may still lead to operation downtime and revenue loss.

To help enterprises overcome these issues, Infortrend offers HA service on EonStor GS to deliver uninterrupted operations with site resilience, realizing near-zero Recovery Time Objective (RTO) and zero Recovery Point Objective (RPO).

To implement the HA Service, an enterprise deploys two storage systems at near sites. When one of them fails or malfunctions, the other immediately takes over all services. This operation is based on the “Auto failover / Auto failback” mechanism where it constantly monitors the status of these two systems to ensure an automated, swift service transition. Besides, identical copies of data are stored on both systems, so that the high avaliability mechanism ensures the services are take over seamlessly without users noticing.

“EonStor GS coupled with HA Service brings great benefits to operations requiring continuous services, such as finance, telecommunication, government and public sectors, energy, high-tech manufacturing, medical industry, etc.,” said Frank Lee, Senior Director of Product Planning at Infortrend. “Additionally, HA Service is also available on EonStor GSe single-controller unified storage to help SMBs provide continuous service even when one site malfunctions”

Learn more about EonStor GS and EonStor GSe

Contact Infortrend to Make an Inquiry

About Infortrend

Infortrend (TWSE: 2495) has been developing and manufacturing storage solutions since 1993. With a strong emphasis on in-house design, testing, and manufacturing, Infortrend storage delivers performance and scalability with the latest standards, user friendly data services, personal after-sales support, and unrivaled value. For more information, please visit www.infortrend.com

Infortrend® and EonStor® are trademarks or registered trademarks of Infortrend Technology, Inc.; other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.