British firm given major boost in one of the fastest growing telecoms sectors

LONDON, UK, November 23rd 2009 – New remote connectivity and machine-to-machine (M2M) specialist Arkessa, has been given a major boost through a new partnership with Telehouse and its Japanese parent company KDDI Corporation, a communications and technology giant. The partnership enables UK firm Arkessa to offer services in the fast-growing market of wireless M2M connectivity to businesses throughout Europe and the rest of the world.

Arkessa already has 140 clients that are benefiting collectively from tens of thousands of wireless internet connections to remote equipment. However, having the ambition to grow quickly, Arkessa initiated discussions with Telehouse and KDDI Europe, leading providers of global data centres and managed ICT services to deploy a new M2M infrastructure.

The agreement will see Telehouse and KDDI Europe provide a range of managed ICT and data centre services to Arkessa resulting in a cutting-edge M2M infrastructure. KDDI Europe and Telehouse will gain access to Arkessa’s UK-based M2M customers, while Arkessa will now offer remote connectivity on 3G and GPRS platforms to both companies’ European and global customer base. The move will also allow the three parties to collaborate on new initiatives within the sector.

According to market watcher Beecham Research, the global market for the services that are enabled by the wireless connectivity offered by Arkessa is tipped to exceed $45 Billion in a little more than five years time.

“Arkessa is now creating a pan-European infrastructure for ‘an internet of things'”, said Arkessa’s CEO Ian Orrock.

“We are working with KDDI Europe to offer service levels and agreements that are comparable to mobile telephony networks and other world-class service providers. This is a first in the European M2M arena and I’m delighted that, with KDDI Europe, we’re leading the way.”

Mr Mitsui, Managing Director of KDDI Europe, said: “We recognise the rising importance of wireless connectivity and M2M business. This is rapidly becoming an important aspect of the global telecommunications infrastructure. I’m delighted Telehouse and KDDI Europe are working in partnership with Arkessa to develop services that will become the industry model for M2M business into the next decade.”

Arkessa’s data processing and switching centre is being established in Telehouse’s Docklands campus. Based in the heart of London the Telehouse facility will enable Arkessa to offer service levels beyond that of any of its competitors, including ubiquitous coverage. The new M2M infrastructure supports mission-critical IT systems using secure, private, 2G and 3G connectivity across European mobile wireless networks.

“With no limit to the scalability of our service all client requirements can be provided for, whether they need one or one million connections, a simple control message or a major data exchange”, said Ian Orrock.

Telehouse is a subsidiary of KDDI Corporation, a Global 300 company. KDDI manages telecoms infrastructure requirements for many of the World’s largest corporations and governmental organisations via a global network covering Europe, America and Asia/Pacific.

Arkessa is operating in a market that has, until now, been ignored largely by the major mobile phone networks. A key problem for these network operators is the need to guarantee network coverage at all remote sites and at all times. Arkessa is able to do this because of its operating independence, elements of its technology and the fact that it has service agreements with so many network operators.

About Arkessa

Arkessa uses internet technology over 2G and 3G mobile phone networks to link things with things. Sometimes called M2M (machine to machine) this connection enables a wide range of companies to offer services to end users by virtue of being able to manage, control and monitor equipment and processes remotely.

A new company, Arkessa was formed from a management buyout of the M2M division of Vianet, a company based in Scotland. The new venture is relocating to the Cambridge area, and taking advantage of the strong culture of technology and innovation that exists in what is one of Europe’s greatest technology clusters and is pre-eminent in the wireless sector.

Arkessa is a founding partner in the “m2mglobal” network, which enables it to provide services throughout Europe, the Americas, the Far East and Australasia.

About Telehouse Europe

Telehouse offers data centre facilities and connectivity, providing a secure and resilient platform for mission critical IT systems. Established in 1988, Telehouse became Europe’s first purpose-built neutral colocation provider. Today, the company is at the heart of the Internet and telecommunications infrastructure, serving over 1,000 major customers worldwide, from small start-ups to multinationals across a wide range of industries. It is a subsidiary of Japanese corporation KDDI, a Global 300 company and is able to offer a global network covering Europe, America and Asia/Pacific.

About KDDI Corporation

KDDI is a Global Fortune 300 company and leading provider of international telecommunications and collocation facilities around the world. KDDI provides extremely high-quality network solutions to clients with telecommunication needs throughout the wider Asia-Pacific region, where it is particularly strong. KDDI is a pioneer and innovator in the Ethernet world, being the first telecom provider to provide switched Ethernet services between Asia and the United States. KDDI is also a leading provider in international data center facilities and value-added services colocation provider through its group company, TELEHOUSE, in the United States, Europe and Asia. For more information, please visit www.kddi.com/english/

For Arkessa, contact:

Media enquires
Andrew Watts
T: 07776 046335
E: [email protected]

Technology and Commercial
Paul Green
T: 07974 223398
E: [email protected]

For Telehouse and KDDI Europe, contact:

Dionne Aiken
Marketing Manager
T: +44 (0)20 7512 4451
E: [email protected]

James Delves
T: +44 (0)1628 628 080
E: [email protected]