Nokia acquires US IoT start-up SpaceTime Insight
Helsinki, May 7: Nokia on Monday said it has acquired California-based start-up SpaceTime Insight to expand its Internet of Things (IoT) portfolio and IoT analytics capabilities.
SpaceTime Insight provides machine learning-powered analytics and IoT applications for some of the world's largest transportation, energy and utilities organisations, including Entergy, FedEx, NextEra Energy, Singapore Power and Union Pacific Railroad.
Besides the US, the company has offices in India, Canada, UK and Japan.
Designed specifically for asset-intensive industries, the machine learning models and other advanced analytics of SpaceTime Insight predict asset health with a high degree of accuracy and optimise related operations, thereby helping its customers cut cost and risk, while increasing operational efficiencies and reducing service outages.
Without divulging the terms of the deal, Nokia said the acquisition will accelerate the development of the company's IoT offerings to deliver high-value IoT applications and services to new and existing customers.
"Adding SpaceTime to Nokia Software is a strong step forward in our strategy, and will help us deliver a new class of intelligent solutions to meet the demands of an increasingly interconnected world," Bhaskar Gorti, President of Nokia Software, said in a statement.
"Together, we can empower customers to realise the full value of their people, processes and assets, and enable them to deliver rich, world-class digital experiences," Gorti added.
The addition of SpaceTime Insight will also broaden the company's ability to deliver new, advanced applications for key vertical markets, including energy, logistics, transportation and utilities, the Finnish telecom equipment-maker said.
Rob Schilling, who had been CEO of "SpaceTime", will become the head of Nokia's IoT unit, TechCrunch reported.
IoT today is a fairly small part of Nokia's business, the report added.
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'I am calling it off': Arijit Singh retires from playback singing
New Delhi (PTI): "I am calling it off, it was a wonderful journey," said Arijit Singh on Tuesday, announcing that he will not be taking up any new assignments as a playback singer, a decision that sent shockwaves across his fan base.
In a message shared on his social media pages, Singh said he has decided to step away from playback singing, a move that comes at the peak of his career as one of the most popular and in-demand voices in Hindi cinema.
“Hello, Happy New Year to all. I want to thank you all for giving me so much love all these years as listeners. I am happy to announce that I am not going to be taking any new assignments as a playback vocalist from now on. I am calling it off. It was a wonderful journey,” he wrote.
The 38-year-old, however, clarified that he would continue to make music independently and complete existing commitments.
“God has been really kind to me. I am a fan of good music and in future will be learning more and do more on my own as a small little artist. Thanks again for all your support. I still have to finish some pending commitments, will finish them. So you might get some releases this year. Just to be clear that I won’t stop making music,” he added.
While Singh did not elaborate on the reasons behind his decision, the announcement was met with disbelief with many fans expressing their dismay in the comments section.
"Too soon sir, can’t be real," wrote one user.
Another person said, "This cannot be true."
"Arreey but whyyyyyy ??????? Why are you doing this to us ??? Please don’t go man. We need you for atleast 20 more years," read a comment.
Singh's rise in the Indian music industry has been nothing short of meteoric.
He started out as a contestant on reality show “Fame Gurukul” in 2005 and made his playback debut in 2011 with “Phir Mohabbat” from the Emraan Hashmi-starrer "Murder 2".
He broke into the big league with the soulful hit “Tum Hi Ho” from “Aashiqui 2” in 2013. The success of the song made him a household name.
After that, Singh quickly became the voice of many moods, be it love, heartbreak or happiness. He went on to deliver a string of chartbusters such as “Channa Mereya”, “Agar Tum Saath Ho”, “Raabta”, “Kesariya”, “Gerua”, “Ae Dil Hai Mushkil” and "Chaleya".
Over the years, he has lent his voice to nearly all of Hindi cinema’s leading stars -- from superstars Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan to actors like Ranbir Kapoor and Ranveer Singh.
Singh recorded songs in multiple Indian languages, including Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Marathi, and collaborated with leading composers and filmmakers.
His work earned him numerous Filmfare Awards, including multiple Best Male Playback Singer honours.
In July last year, Singh edged past global pop stars Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran to emerge the most followed artist on music streaming platform Spotify with 151 million followers.
