Greater Zurich start-ups shine at 5G competition

The Swisscom StartUp Challenge was held globally for the first time this year. For this, the organizers cooperated with both Ericsson and Qualcomm CDMA Technologies. The focus of this year’s competition was on 5G technology and, as revealed in a press release, a total of 125 applications were received from start-ups based in 30 different countries. The jury has now announced the winners.  

Four of the five winners hail from Switzerland. These are Fotokite, Hegias AG, qiio AG and the Robotic Systems Lab of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH). All four of the Swiss winners are headquartered in Zurich. The fifth winning firm was the US start-up ZaiNar.

Fotokite impressed with its cable-operated drones that offer photo capture and video recording processes from the air. The drones are operated by fire brigades and other emergency services.

Hegias shone with its cloud-based solution for the visualization of construction projects, which also makes communications easier during the construction planning phase. Hegias also took home the public prize for this development.

Qiio garnered plaudits for its Internet of Things (IoT) solution. This facilitates bidirectional communication between devices, which can help, for example, in the monitoring and control of industrial systems.

The Robotic Systems Lab is working to bring automation and heavy machinery to product level. Its unmanned solutions can, for example, help with the safe disposal of ammunition.

ZaiNar, a US company, offers 3D location services for all 5G devices within a meter.

The five winners are all set to take part in a week-long program in March when they will have the chance to test their developments “in one of the world’s most advanced 5G networks and in Swisscom’s 5G Lab”, the press release states. During this time, they will be supported by mentors.

Friederike Hoffmann, Head of Connected Business Solutions at Swisscom, was quoted in the press release: “The exploration program gives us the chance to experience at first-hand the opportunities offered by the latest 5G technology. You have to see the applications in action to grasp the true potential of 5G”.