Syniverse launches Lab to accelerate IoT and 5G business value creation

New environment joins customers and partners to develop and test advanced solutions, drive business value

TAMPA, Fla. – July 19, 2018 – Syniverse announced today the launch of the Syniverse Innovation Lab, a new demonstration, development and testing center that brings together customers, partners and other leading technology players to trial new ways and business models to address the rapid digital transformation. Specifically, the Lab will drive next-generation services for the internet of things (IoT), 5G, blockchain and artificial intelligence.

“Syniverse is committed to leading the industry into a new age of innovation, driven by technologies like IoT and 5G that will create new business value,” said Dean Douglas, President and CEO, Syniverse. “To seize these new opportunities, the Syniverse Innovation Lab is a first-of-its-kind development and testing center where we can collaborate with our customers, partners and other industry players to develop, explore and make the most of the latest innovations.”

Initially, trials in the Syniverse Innovation Lab will focus on the areas of IoT and 5G and will then expand this to other important emerging areas, such as blockchain.

The recently launched Syniverse Secure Global Access is a critical network underpinning the Lab providing private, secure global connectivity that enables businesses to protect their mission-critical data in an age when emerging technologies like the IoT are exposed to greater levels of risk from the public internet.

The Lab’s IoT solutions concentrate on providing secure connectivity and driving new business value for both cellular and noncellular access. In this area, one of the first applications launched in the Lab over Syniverse Secure Global Access includes a smart parking lot that can identify vacant spaces by using noncellular connectivity featuring LoRa, a long-range, low-power wireless communication system.

The markets for the IoT and 5G are predicted to skyrocket in the next few years. According to GSMA Intelligence, revenue from the IoT will reach $1.1 trillion globally in 2025, up from $166 billion in 2016, and applications, platforms, and services will account for the lion’s share of the growth, such as connectivity management, device management, and application enablement platforms. At the same time, the number of 5G connections globally will grow to 1.2 billion by 2025, according to GSMA Intelligence, accounting for around 14 percent of total connections.

“Businesses must transform to capitalize on digital transformation and need to unlock new business value by collaborating with other industry players to develop and test new technologies in a secure environment with global reach,” said Mike O’Brien, Group Vice President, Corporate Development and Strategy. “The Syniverse Innovation Lab has been purpose built with the support of key partners to provide a real-life environment for everything from securing drone control systems to enabling seamless interworking between 5G and legacy technologies.”

Located at Syniverse’s global headquarters in Tampa, Florida, the Lab is launching with a variety of state-of-the-art demonstrations, including Pepper®, the humanoid robot designed by SoftBank Robotics, which will greet visitors and offer information about the Lab.