Month: October 2022

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IPLOOK Completed Full Interoperability Test between its Mobile Core Network and PortaBilling OCS

A complete, affordable, and fully customizable MVNO solution is now a possibility after IPLOOK IMS and P-GW perform a successful 3GPP-compliant interoperability test with the PortaBilling platform from PortaOne.

HONG KONG, Oct. 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — IPLOOK Technologies, the leader in end-to-end mobile network solutions, announced it has completed its interoperability test (IOT) with PortaOne, a global provider of charging and service platforms for communication services providers, validating the SIM card activation/deactivation flow and real-time charging for voice, data and SMS services between IPLOOK’s IMS and P-GW with PortaBilling OCS. The combined solution provides new MVNOs of any size with a unified platform to launch a deployment with reduced total cost of ownership (TCO) and ability to quickly integrate it with third-party systems (such as point-of-sale activation terminals or online signup portals) for improved customer experience (CX).

IPLOOK’s mobile core networks enable telecom operators and enterprise users to rapidly deliver affordable and customized 3G/4G/5G networks. PortaOne offers a flexible real-time billing & service monetization platform for prepaid voice, data and messaging services.

“The win-win cooperation between us enables both products to better meet the needs of customers effectively,” said Jarod Wang, VP at IPLOOK. “Implementing our mobile network solution, combined with PortaBilling OCS, will launch a full MVNO offering as well as provide voice and data services with a flexible charging system while keeping the cost and time-to-market under control.”

“This powerful joint solution gives operators the power to deploy faster and control their budgets while creating a fully customized solution to meet the needs of their own unique market niche. Combining IPLOOK’s end-to-end core network with our resilient and flexible charging platform capitalizes on both products’ proven record of reliable performance and simple maintenance,” said Klaus Haertel, Director for Global Channel and Alliances at PortaOne.

About IPLOOK

Founded in 2012, IPLOOK is an industry-leading mobile network provider. Its virtualized 3G/4G/5G core networks can be deployed for Mobile Network Operators (MNO), Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNO), Wireless Internet Service Providers (WISP) and Enterprises.

More info: www.iplook.com. Follow IPLOOK on LinkedIn @IPLOOK Technologies

About PortaOne

PortaOne, a global telecommunication software platform developer, supplies integrated and flexible BSS, OCS, and softswitch solutions for operators, telecommunication service providers, and carriers. It has helped over 500 telcos from 100+ countries become market leaders while keeping their costs under control.

More info: www.portaone.com

Contact us

info@iplook.com

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aespa and artist Blake Kathryn create first-of-its-kind NFT collection

connecting dotts and INVNT.ATOM™ bring artists together for a Limited Edition NFT Drop and Auction, Available Exclusively through Sotheby’s Metaverse

Singapore, Oct. 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — aespa, the massively popular and future forward female K-Pop group from SM Entertainment, which includes four real members as well as their respective online avatars, is joining forces with visual artist and NFT queen Blake Kathryn, to launch an exclusive NFT collection. The collection marks the world’s first collaboration between a K-pop group and a global NFT artist and will be available from Thursday, October 13, 5pm EST to Friday, October 21, 11am EST through Sotheby’s Metaverse. This collaboration was jointly facilitated by connecting dotts, an APAC/U.S. strategy agency connecting brands, consumers, talent and content creators and INVNT.ATOM™ , a global innovative brand experience agency at the forefront of the digital frontier.

Each piece of artwork in the æ girls NFT collection incorporates the personality, elements and signature identity of each band member and their avatars; perfectly combined with surreal futurist aesthetics of Blake Kathryn’s work, creating the ultimate collaboration between the artists. The ambience used is specially composed for this collection by SM Entertainment.

The æ girls NFT collection includes a 3-part series:

  • MY Pass – Open edition NFT, an access key for any fan and collector. Each MY Pass comes with a free NFT from a collection of 16 different works that are specially personalized and prepared by each member of aespa.
  • Altars – A total of 32 Special and Limited Editions, four (4) fine art executions of each aespa member created in editions of eight (8). Each digital artwork embodies their iconography, aespa metaverse world, KWANGYA aesthetics, and includes utilities such as a GLB file, and a personalized recording by each aespa member talking about the collaborative artwork. Edition 01 of each Altars series will go to the highest bidder and also include a signed autograph print by the members and Blake Kathryn.
  • Dreamspace – Super exclusive single edition 1:1 artwork that is an environmental reflection of each aespa member. This artwork offers the ultimate fan experience that includes a GLB file, a video recording of aespa and Blake Kathryn talking about the artwork, a virtual meet-and-greet with Blake Kathryn, and an all expenses paid meet-and-greet with aespa in Seoul at their concert along with a physical print signed by each aespa member + Blake Kathryn.

The æ girls collection will be open to all buyers and bidders, with each series available between a 48 hour time period throughout the week-long auction. Bidding can be done via credit card, not just cryptocurrency. MY Pass and Limited Edition NFTs will be available at a fixed rate. Sotheby’s, the world’s premier destination for art and luxury, will host a preview exhibition of all the digital artwork in Hong Kong alongside highlights from Sotheby’s Fall 2022 sales series, including Modern & Contemporary Art from October 2nd – 9th, followed by an exhibition in Sotheby’s galleries in New York from October 13th – 20th.

“From the beginning, aespa has been a very future forward group, embracing technology and the metaverse with creativity and as a core part of their identity, and their fans have responded enthusiastically. This æ girls collection, beautifully created in collaboration with Blake Kathryn, one of the most prominent female artists working in Web3, further extends, cultivates and expands aespa’s web3 community, ” said SM Entertainment.

“It was a pleasure to collaborate with aespa on this first-of-its-kind NFT collection,” said Blake Kathryn. “This release is an authentic reflection of Karina, Winter, Giselle and Ningning and captures the unique essence and qualities of each of these powerful women. My hope is that it reflects female artists pushing the boundaries of what’s possible, blurring the lines between real and virtual to create a new kind of fandom.”

“The adaptability of NFTs has opened up many new avenues for communities of collectors and fans to connect with their favorite artists and musicians. This collaboration between aespa and the artist Blake Kathryn represents the best of how digital art and NFTs can bring together physical and virtual worlds to present fans with a special experience that is only possible with NFTs, and we are thrilled to offer this sale at Sotheby’s Metaverse,” said Michael Bouhanna, Sotheby’s Head of NFTs and Digital Art.

“There is no more powerful cultural force than K-pop at the moment,” said Rita Magnus, Managing Director of connecting dotts. “The æ girls collection will introduce this passionate fandom to the world of Web3, giving fans an entirely new way to connect with their favorite band. Bridging these worlds together with talent like aespa and Blake has been a remarkable first.”

Elvin Tan, Managing Director INVNT.ATOM, said, “We’re incredibly proud that INVNT.ATOM has led the strategy, creative, design, content, artist and auction house management, as well as the marketing campaign execution. This collaboration puts storytelling front and center; extending the world of art and music from the physical to new realities – an exciting new frontier for all fans. We believe this is the perfect introduction for K-Pop fans to enter Web3, the metaverse and beyond.”

DOWNLOAD Media Kit including Images, Videos, and more

About aespa

aespa is SM Entertainment’s fierce new all-female foursome, who, in an unprecedented debut move surpassed 100 million views on their debut video, “Black Mamba,” (the record fastest for any debut K-Pop video in YouTube history). They debuted atop charts in 95 countries upon launch, most notably Billboard Global Excl. US at No. 100 within just 3 days of being accounted for, marking the highest ranking of any K-pop female group’s debut song. The femme powerhouse of KARINA, WINTER, GISELLE and NINGNING also include their avatars— a story-telling concept that drew those 100 million views to a single video in 51 days.

Combine “ae” (avatar and experience) + “aspect”, and you get aespa, moving in between reality and virtual reality, with the avatars representing their counterparts. Each avatar, called “ae,” are created from each member’s personal data in a virtual world and can be “rekalled” into the real world. aespa, in ethos and function, represents something different.

Their recent debut EP, “Savage” entered at no. 20 on the Billboard 200 chart, the highest ranking ever for a K-pop girl group’s debut on the U.S. album chart. The six-track EP, led by the title track “Savage,” also ranked at No. 2 on Billboard’s Top Selling Album chart, rounding off a remarkable fortnight which also saw “Savage” hit No.1 on iTunes’ Top Albums chart in 20 countries upon release. Leaning into their individuality, they are unapologetically confident (with a stake in sci-fi world) and have industry insiders eager to wager that they will be the girl group to watch in 2022. Beyond praise from Forbes, Teen Vogue, Rolling Stone, Flaunt, and more, TIME touted them among “The Next Generation Leaders, Class of 2022” and Forbes Asia recognized them in their “30 Under 30” list for 2022. They have been named global ambassadors for both Chopard and Givenchy. Most recently named as Apple Music’s Global Up Next

artist artist for June 2022, the quartet recently released the single “Life’s Too Short” and EP, ”Girls” – The 2nd Mini Album via Warner Records.

About SM Entertainment

SM Entertainment Co., Ltd. is Korea’s largest entertainment company founded in 1995 by producer Soo-Man Lee, widely known as the “Founder of K-pop.” The company has developed and popularized numerous K-pop stars with huge global fandoms and is known for having led the global K-pop phenomenon of “Hallyu,” also known as the “Korean Wave.” Representative of the entertainment industry in Asia, the company operates its own comprehensive entertainment business including artist development, record label services, talent agency services, music production, music publishing, event management, and concert production.

About Blake Kathryn

Blake Kathryn is a Los Angeles based 3d artist with a surreal futurist aesthetic. Her work fuses vibrant palettes with ethereal undertones. Inspired by the opulent dreams of tomorrow alongside a love for retro-futurism she infuses her work with unfamiliar nostalgia. She has collaborated with aespa, Fendi, Jimmy Choo, Paris Hilton, Lil Nas X & more.

About Sotheby’s

Established in 1744, Sotheby’s is the world’s premier destination for art and luxury. Sotheby’s promotes access to and ownership of exceptional art and luxury objects through auctions and buy-now channels including private sales, e-commerce, and retail. Our trusted global marketplace is supported by an industry-leading technology platform and a network of specialists spanning 40 countries and 70 categories which include Contemporary Art, Modern and Impressionist Art, Old Masters, Chinese Works of Art, Jewelry, Watches, Wine and Spirits, and Design, as well as collectible cars and real estate. Sotheby’s believes in the transformative power of art and culture and is committed to making our industries more inclusive, sustainable, and collaborative.

About connecting dotts

connecting dotts is a fully integrated group of entertainment experts, storytellers and strategic partners who connect the dots in the entertainment world between brands, consumers, talents and content creators. Headquartered in Singapore with teams in South Korea and USA, we collaborate and push the envelope with innovative, creative and original ideas for multi-dimensional projects varying from content exhibitions, pop culture expo, brand engagement to NFT collaborations ready for Web3.0. For more information, visit. www.connectingdotts.net.

About INVNT.ATOM

INVNT.ATOM, part of [INVNT GROUP] THE GLOBAL BRANDSTORY PROJECT, is a innovation and brand experience agency devoted to helping global brands chart a course, navigate, activate, and create new opportunities at the digital frontier of Web3. Based in Singapore, the collective of strategists, marketers, creators, programmers, matchmakers, and thought leaders, turn strategies into stories and stories into experiences that engage communities on the global stage. For more information about INVNT.ATOM, visit: www.invntatom.com.

About [INVNT GROUP]

[INVNT GROUP] was established in 2020, as an evolution of the founding global live brand storytelling agency INVNT in 2008, with a vision to provide consistent, meaningful, well-articulated BrandStory across all platforms. With offices in New York, Sydney, London, Singapore, Dubai, San Francisco, Stockholm, Detroit, and Washington D.C.; headed by President and CEO, Scott Cullather, [INVNT GROUP], THE GLOBAL BRANDSTORY PROJECT represents a growing portfolio of complementary disciplines designed to help forward-thinking organizations everywhere, impact the audiences that matter, anywhere. The GROUP consists of modern brand strategy firm, Folk Hero; creative-led culture consultancy, Meaning; production studio & creative agency, HEVĒ; events for colleges and universities, INVNT Higher Ed; digital innovation division, INVNT.ATOM; creative multimedia experience studio, Hypnogram; and the original live brand storytelling agency, INVNT. For more information visit www.invntgroup.com.

Attachment

Lindsay Colker
Elevate Communications
lindsay@elevateprco.com

INVNT.ATOM Inquiries:
Anna O'Young
aoyoung@invnt.com

[INVNT GROUP] Inquiries:
Jhonathan Mendez de Leon
jmendezdeleon@invnt.com
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Search for Victims Done, Florida Coast Aims for Ian Recovery

An army of 42,000 utility workers has restored electricity to more than 2.5 million businesses and homes in Florida since Hurricane Ian’s onslaught, and Brenda Palmer’s place is among them. By the government’s count, she and her husband, Ralph, are part of a success story.

Yet turning on the lights in a wrecked mobile home that’s likely beyond repair and reeks of dried river mud and mold isn’t much solace to people who lost a lifetime of work in a few hours of wind, rain and rising seawater. Sorting through soggy old photos of her kids in the shaded ruins of her carport, Palmer couldn’t help but cry.

“Everybody says, ‘You can’t save everything, Mom,'” she said. “You know, it’s my life. It’s MY life. It’s gone.”

With the major search for victims over and a large swath of Florida’s southwest coast settling in for the long slog of recovering from a rare direct hit by a major hurricane, residents are bracing for what will be months, if not years, of work. Mourning lost heirlooms will be hard, as will fights with insurance companies and decisions about what to do next.

Around the corner from the Palmers in Coach Light Manor, a retirement community of 179 mobile homes that was flooded by two creeks and a canal, a sad realization hit Susan Colby sometime between the first time she saw her soggy home after Ian and Sunday, when she was picking through its remains.

“I’m 86 years old and I’m homeless,” she said. “It’s just crazy. I mean, never in my life did I dream that I wouldn’t have a home. But it’s gone.”

Officials have blamed more than 100 deaths, most of them in southwest Florida, on Ian, a powerful Category 4 storm with 155 mph (249 kph) winds. It was the third-deadliest storm to hit the U.S. mainland this century behind Hurricane Katrina in 2005, which left about 1,400 people dead, and 2012’s Hurricane Sandy, which killed 233 despite weakening to a tropical storm just before landfall.

At a makeshift memorial set up in a downtown park along the Caloosahatchee River, Holly Harmon got tearful Monday while placing yellow roses beside photos of people lost to the storm. She said it was the first time she’d been able to visit because she had to wait for an inspector from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to assess damage to her home.

“My heart is just hurting for so many of the people we’ve known and grown with and everything they’ve lost,” Harmon said.

While Governor Ron DeSantis has heaped lavish praise on his administration for the early phases of the recovery, including getting running water and lights back on and erecting a temporary bridge to Pine Island, much more remains to be done. There are still mountains of debris to remove; it’s hard to find a road that isn’t lined with waterlogged carpet, ruined furniture, moldy mattresses and pieces of homes.

On the road to Estero Island, scene of the worst damage to Fort Myers Beach, workers are using heavy machines with huge grapples to snatch debris out of swampy areas and deposit it into trucks. Boats of all sizes, from dinghies to huge shrimpers and charter fishing vessels, block roads and sit atop buildings.

2018 response as model

DeSantis said at least some of the road map for the coming months in southwest Florida might come from the Florida Panhandle, where Category 5 Hurricane Michael wiped out Mexico Beach and much of Panama City in 2018. Panama City leaders will be brought in to offer advice on the cleanup, DeSantis told a weekend news conference.

“They’re going to come down on the ground, they’re going to inspect, and then they’re going to offer some advice to the local officials here in Lee County, Fort Myers Beach and other places,” DeSantis said. “You can do what you want. You don’t have to accept their advice. But I tell you, that was a major, major effort.”

In a region full of retirees, many of whom moved south to get away from the chill of northern winters, Luther Marth worries that it might be more difficult for some to recover from the psychological effects of Ian than the physical destruction. Two men in their 70s already have taken their own lives after seeing the destruction, officials said.

Fort Myers was sideswiped by Hurricane Irma in 2017, but Marth said that storm was nothing like Ian, and the emotional toll will be greater, especially for older folks.

“I’m 88 years old. People my age struggle,” said Marth, who counts himself and his wife, Jacqueline, among the lucky despite losing a car and thousands of dollars’ worth of fishing gear, tools and more when their garage filled with more than 5 feet (1.52 meters) of water.

“If you got wiped out financially, you don’t want to start over again, you don’t have the will to start again,” Marth said. “So those are the people my heart breaks for.”

Source: Voice of America

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Some Airport Websites Go Offline; Cause Being Investigated

The websites for some major U.S. airports went down early Monday in an apparent coordinated denial-of-service attack, although officials said flights were not affected.

The attacks followed a call by a shadowy group of pro-Russian hackers that calls itself Killnet for coordinated denial-of-service attacks on the targets. The group published a target list on its Telegram channel.

“We noticed this morning that the external website was down, and our IT and security people are in the process of investigating,” said Andrew Gobeil, a representative for Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. “There has been no impact on operations.”

Portions of the public-facing side of the Los Angeles International Airport website were also disrupted, spokesperson Victoria Spilabotte said. “No internal airport systems were compromised and there were no operational disruptions.”

Spilabotte said the airport notified the FBI and the Transportation Security Administration, and the airport’s information-technology team was working to restore all services and investigate the cause.

Several other airports reported problems connecting to their websites or that their sites appeared to be functioning very slowly, including Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport website, which was included on Killnet’s target list.

The Chicago Department of Aviation said in a statement that websites for O’Hare and Midway Airport went offline early Monday but that no airport operations were affected.

Last week, a group of hackers claimed responsibility for cyberattacks against state government websites across the country.

Source: Voice of America

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Lesotho: Newly-formed Revolution for Prosperity (RFP) party surges ahead in early election results

 Vote counting is under way in Lesotho after Friday’s general election, and the Lesotho Times reports that the electoral commission expects a final result on Tuesday.

However, early returns from polling stations suggest that the newly-formed Revolution for Prosperity (RFP) party, led by Sam Matekane, a millionaire businessman who is the only party leader who has never served in government, is doing surprisingly well.

By Sunday afternoon, the RFP party had secured 41 out of the 80 seats, the minimum required to reach a simple majority.

The RFP counts among its candidates a former chief justice and a former governor of the country’s central bank.

In one of a series of interviews conducted with party leaders, Matekane told the Lesotho Times that a leadership crisis is “at the centre of the challenges that the country is experiencing.” He argued that the RFP offered “a leadership based on merit”.

The current ruling party All Basotho Convention (ABC), which has run the country of 2.14 million people since 2017, was faring badly with no seats won so far, the tally showed.

The Democratic Congress (DC), the main opposition party and member of the coalition government, is running a distant second to the RFP in the race, having secured at least six seats.

A totalled 2,560 candidates from more than 50 parties contested the polls. 

Source: Nam News Network

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Lesotho’s New Party Expected to Win Polls, Early Results Show

The kingdom of Lesotho, surrounded by South Africa, has elected the Revolution for Prosperity (RFP) party into power, early results show, amid longstanding political instability.

The recently formed party was celebrating Monday as it won a comfortable majority in the parliamentary polls, according to early results.

The RFP is led by millionaire diamond magnate Sam Matekane, who is believed to be the richest man in the country.

The victory comes following years of political instability. Not one premier has managed to hold a full five-year term in office in over a decade.

A former British colony, the mountain kingdom has many coups and attempted coups since gaining independence in 1966.

The RFP, which was established in March, ousted the previously ruling All Basotho Convention that came to power in 2017.

The country has a mixed electoral system, with 80 of the 120 total seats allocated by a first-past-the-post system.

RFP candidates secured at least 49 of those 80 seats designated to determine the ruling party. The remaining 40 seats are filled in a proportional representation system, determined by voters’ preference for parties rather than candidates.

The main opposition party, the Democratic Congress, has maintained its second-place spot.

The RFP identifies as a social liberal party with a mandate to grow the economy by double digits by 2030.

That promise to appeal to voters, as nearly a third of Lesotho’s 2.2 million people live on less than $2 a day.

Commonwealth observers said that while voting on Friday was peaceful, there were issues with the voter registry at some polling stations.

Observers recommended a review of the registration process to avoid duplicate names and ensure the inclusion of young voters.

Source: Voice of America