Cyan plans to acquire Connode to expand global reach and portfolio

John Cronin, executive chairman of Cyan

Cyan has announced its intention to acquire standards-based software company Connode, subject to shareholder approval.

Headquartered in Stockholm, Connode is a leading supplier of wireless communication products for IoT and has successfully deployed over 650,000 legacy units with utilities. Connode provides a standards-based IPv6 6LoWPAN solution for developed markets in Europe and Asia including a £25m ($35.43 m) software license and support contract for the UK smart meter rollout to provide the radio network for households where there is no cellular network coverage.

The UK Government has identified smart meters as key energy efficiency technology and is aiming for approximately 53 million smart meters to be installed in 30 million homes and businesses in the UK by 2020.

As well as being successful in developed markets Connode has recently partnered with Reliance Energy, part of Reliance Industries Limited the Indian conglomerate with over 6.4 million customers, to build a smart sustainable city network pilot in Mumbai.

In the first pilot project, smart meters, streetlights and distribution automation equipment will be connected using Intel® IoT Gateways and Connode’s IPv6 based wireless solution. This will be the first rollout in India of smart meters fully compliant with the communication standards recently adopted in the machine-to-machine roadmap by the government of India.

The acquisition of Connode will accelerate Cyan’s product roadmap with the addition of IPv6 6LoWPAN, expand Cyan’s geographic coverage from the major emerging markets (including India, Iran, Africa and China) to developed markets (including Europe and other western markets, potentially North America) and allow the combined company to become the world number one in narrowband mesh networks.

John Cronin, executive chairman of Cyan commented: “As our clients in developing markets realise the benefits from our proprietary end-to-end solutions, we believe that they will want to converge their networks and this will require standards-based technologies.

Convergent networks require a standards-based core language to enable the rapid development integration and consolidation of applications. The acquisition of Connode will be transformational for Cyan, and will give us the capability to build these functions into our core products, enabling us to future proof our customer solutions and provide standards-based interfaces for additional connectivity as required for the Internet of Things (IoT) and smart cities.”

Bjorn Lindblom, chief executive officer of Connode, commented: “This change in ownership will help us to further boost the global sales of our mature IoT platform. The combined entities will be a market leader in dedicated IoT communications networks with the resources needed to continue our global expansion.

Connode has a unique position as a proven supplier of highly scalable, easy to deploy, IPv6 6LoWPAN based, wireless Neighbourhood Area Networks. It is a great opportunity to broaden the scope of work for both technical and commercial staff.”

Cyan currently focusses on smart metering and lighting in emerging markets that have a pressing requirement to reduce energy losses and improve revenue assurance. The company partners worldwide with utilities, system integrators and meter manufacturers to create global ecosystems that deliver significant benefits for energy providers, consumers and the environment.

Cyan uses a proprietary communication platform which is optimised for exceptional performance at an affordable price.  The low power solution uses compressed data over narrowband frequencies, which provides reliable, long range communications as well as a self-forming and self-healing mesh network to ensure resilience.

The acquisition is subject to shareholder approval to be sought at a general meeting of the company to be held on 30 June 2016.

Comment on this article below or via Twitter: @ VanillaPlus OR @jcvplus

RECENT ARTICLES

Connectbase expands baltic connectivity with Bitė partnership

Posted on: March 28, 2024

Connectbase has announced the addition of Bitė to its ecosystem. This partnership marks a step forward in enhancing connectivity options within the Baltic region, providing a link between local and

Read more

IOT Solutions World Congress 2024 connects semiconductor chips to industry

Posted on: March 27, 2024

Essential to manufacture computers, smartphones, cars, refrigerators or any electronic device, semiconductors are critical elements in the implementation of the Internet of Things. For this reason, IOT Solutions World Congress

Read more