W-Locate expands with Tata Communications platforms

W-Locate, the Singapore-based Internet of Things (IoT) startup, has selected Tata Communications, a global digital infrastructure provider, to accelerate its international growth. The partnership will help to accelerate W-Locate’s international expansion in Asia, reducing roaming costs and enabling W-Locate to offer seamless IoT-enabled services.

W-Locate provides real-time location-based information to enterprises across Singapore, Hong Kong, Jakarta and Malaysia. It is looking to extend its presence to South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and elsewhere in Asia by harnessing Tata Communications’ IoT and private cloud computing capabilities.

W-Locate’s XimLoc and FIND (fleet intelligent dynamics) services integrate machine-to-machine (M2M) telematics, big data and cloud computing with location intelligence. With XimLoc, any SIM card-based device can be located without relying on GPS alone. FIND caters for industries that are always on the move such as ready-mixed concrete supply, telematics and logistics.

By equipping these solutions with the Tata Communications MOVE platform, W-Locate aims to extend its reach across different industries in Asia. W-Locate will store all XimLoc and FIND data in the Tata Communications IZO Private Cloud to help it scale up.

Tata Communications MOVE platform eliminates the need for W-Locate to negotiate separate data connectivity agreements with different local MNOs in each country as it leverages on Tata Communications’ relationships with more than 600 mobile network operators (MNOs) around the world.

Stevie Ooi, Founder and CEO, W-Locate said, “We’re a fast-moving startup, and we want to work with like-minded businesses to accelerate our growth. The Tata Communications MOVE platform helps us do just that, and offers borderless connectivity to our customers in new markets. We estimate that working with a single global IoT partner like Tata Communications will help reduce our capex by 35% while giving us the agility we need to stay ahead in this constantly changing industry.”

One of W-Locate’s first customers using Tata Communications MOVE and IZO Private Cloud is LafargeHolcim Malaysia, part of the LafargeHolcim Group. The group manufactures building materials and has a presence in around 80 countries. W-Locate will leverage Tata Communications’ IoT and cloud capabilities to collect and manage LafargeHolcim Malaysia’s data securely and seamlessly across borders.

Anthony Bartolo, Chief Product Officer, Tata Communications said, “IoT startups that are looking for swift global expansion need to capture, move and manage information seamlessly, reliably and securely worldwide. Through the ubiquitous nature of the Tata Communications MOVE platform, businesses like W-Locate are able to give their global customers the secure and seamless IoT experiences they expect - without making huge investments in their own infrastructure in new markets.”

The Tata Communications MOVE platform is part of the company’s aim of creating truly global, borderless mobile experiences for people and things. IZO Private Cloud is part of Tata Communications’ IZO cloud enablement platform. Both these solutions are underpinned by Tata Communications’ global network, which today connects four out of five mobile subscribers and carries over 25% of the world’s Internet routes.

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