Reports and coverage APAC

Sendai City and Nokia successfully conducted a test flight of a Nokia drone on a private LTE network provided by Nokia Digital Automation Cloud. They tested the potential use of drones during a tsunami or other disasters to help in prevention and mitigation efforts. The test verified that using a private LTE network to control and communicate with the drones is an effective means for enhancing situational awareness and communicating with the affected population during a disaster. This is the first time in the world this type of trial has been conducted.

Tourists visiting Singapore can now check in at some hotels using facial recognition technology under a pilot programme that could cut waiting times and help tackle a labour crunch.

Japan’s Seven Bank has recently partnered with NEC to introduce ATMs that implement facial recognition into their systems, incorporating biometric authentication along with a QR code scanner. This new system would not only allow banks to identify its customers, but also allow people to open bank accounts on the spot.

At MWC Shanghai 2019, Telecom Review attended a panel discussion titled ‘Future Tech Today’ which featured some key startup representatives and emerging tech experts who all spoke of the ways in which they plan to help societies of the future through the innovation of healthcare, education, agriculture and architecture, among many others. The panelists included Saathealth’s Founder and CEO Aakash Ganju, Strelka KB’s AR/VR expert Ivan Puzyrev, AWA’s Head of Innovation Cathrin Johansson, Eduardo Alarcon, CEO of Tokylabs, George Palamarizis, CEO & founder of Erga Plus and Director of Emerging Technologies at Ultrahaptics Jonny Codling. The panel was moderated by Telecom Review’s very own founder and Editor-in-Chief, Toni Eid.

E-Agriculture is an up and coming area in the digital age which could affect farmers, businesses, economies, regulators and operators. This is an exciting time for traditional industries like agriculture, to leverage the benefits posed by emerging tech.