Contxto – The government in Chile had inaugurated its 5G lab “WOM,” in March of this year. These facilities were enabled to encourage startups to research and develop products using the “next level” in mobile network connectivity.
And to keep up with that momentum, authorities almost immediately launched a competition to help scale startups working with 5G tech. Now this week, officials have announced the three winners.
Correspondingly, they’ll be working with experts at the WOM to further develop their projects. Then, two and a half months from now, they’ll have a fully-functioning pilot.
- Related article: Protests erupt in Uruguay over national 5G network
The 5G lab was inaugurated months ago before this larger-than-life pandemic showed up in Latam. However, Covid-19 has accelerated our use of tech and digital solutions. As we now prepare for a more online-oriented world, 5G will certainly have a big role to play in taking our connectivity to the next level.
Anyway, without further ado, here are the chosen three.
Nextonia
This Colombian startup mixes multiple forms of tech to build on customer experience. Namely, Nextonia works with facial recognition, Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), and big data.
By mixing and matching this tech it helps shops soak in a lot of data about the shoppers that go through their doors. For example, it can segment walk-ins by market, study their behavioral patterns, as well as their consumption habits.
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Odd Industries
Like Nextonia, Odd Industries works with AI and IoT technology—although for a very different audience.
This Chilean startup uses computer vision technology to oversee industrial processes. The data it gathers is then processed by the startup’s algorithm to offer businesses insights on how to operate in a more optimized and safe way.
Thomas & Thomas
This winner wants to revolutionize the mining industry of Chile. Using 5G networks, Thomas & Thomas wants to monitor particulates in mines in real-time.
Particulates are (as the name might suggest) floating solid particles mixed with liquid suspended in midair. And in order for a company to mine, it needs to quantify the number of particulates there are. Thomas & Thomas intends to do so via special sensors and data.
Related articles: Tech and startups from Chile!
-ML
