The current global social and economic context in which contemporary citizens live is marked by a dizzying pace of evolution and change. Nowadays, the conversion of an idea into a business is as fast as the emergence of a new idea that surpasses and renders the previous one obsolete. This dynamic of invention and creation is seen by some as a threat and by others as an opportunity. It is also in this context that the need to innovate internally arises.
The current global social and economic context in which contemporary citizens live is marked by a dizzying pace of evolution and change. Nowadays, the conversion of an idea into a business is as fast as the emergence of a new idea that surpasses and renders the previous one obsolete. This dynamic of invention and creation is seen by some as a threat and by others as an opportunity. It is also in this context that the need to innovate internally arises.
The word innovation has never been used as much as in recent years, but this does not mean that it is worn out. On the contrary, innovation is increasingly present in most companies’ strategic plans. Innovation began as a strategy for companies to differentiate themselves, but today it is essential for their survival. A classic example of the risk of not investing in internal evolution and reinvention is what happened to Blockbuster after the emergence of Netflix.
At dstelecom, we not only keep an eye on market trends, but we also know that taking a passive approach to developments in the telecommunications sector would lead to a loss of competitiveness in the long run. That’s why, despite our long history of innovation, we decided to professionalise this area by setting up an innovation department. By the end of 2021, the team already had three members fully dedicated to innovation projects.
We currently have several exploratory projects and are monitoring various areas, without ever losing sight of market trends. An example of this are the five funded innovation projects we have in hand.
K2D – Knowledge and Data from the Deep to Space
The main objective of the K2D project is to develop a system for monitoring vital data from the Earth at the bottom of the sea. To this end, we intend to increase the added value of submarine cables, converting them not only into data highways, but also adding surveillance capabilities by associating a layer of sensors with these elements that are housed at the bottom of the ocean.
AEROS Constellation
In this project, we intend to develop a satellite for monitoring the ocean surface. During its development, we intend to acquire knowledge and experience in the field of aerospace communications, mainly RF communication protocols and data processing.
Netedge – Edge Computing for End-Users of Optical Networks
The main objective of this project is to develop an edge computing solution in a shared FTTH network with multiple users. The system under development is intended to comply with ETSI standards and be capable of large-scale implementation in order to add a new function to the existing FTTH network, thereby increasing the potential for new services.
SmartGlow – Smart Green Energy for Low Frequency Aperture Arrays
The SmartGlow project envisages the development of large-scale radio telescopes that are immune to electromagnetic interference. This project is part of another global project, the SKA (Square Kilometre Array), which will enable astronomers to monitor the sky in unprecedented detail and scan the entire sky thousands of times faster than any other system currently available.
Chair – University of Minho, dstelecom and Proef
With the aim of strengthening the commitment to multidimensional innovation, an innovative partnership programme was launched in 2018 between dstelecom, Proef and the University of Minho, whose main objective is to promote the transfer of knowledge and technologies from academia to business. This protocol focuses mainly on research into sustainable telecommunications networks for the digital society of the future and seeks to exploit synergies from cooperation between companies in the sector and the academic world.
