Skolkovo resident company ComfortWay announced the first investment round into “Virtual SIM card” project which provides direct access to mobile operators at local prices worldwide. 6 million € investments were raised from a pool of European telecom companies and private investors. The money will be put towards expanding ComfortWay services coverage.
The company provides access to high-quality Mobile Internet at local prices in 105 countries around the world, including the USA, China, India, Thailand, Israel and all the European Union countries. The “Virtual SIM-card” technology allows selecting a data plan of any local mobile operator in one “click” via ComfortWay mobile app. It eliminates all difficulties and problems faced by private and business travelers during purchasing of local prepaid SIM-cards on arrival to a new country.
ComfortWay has developed the technology of secure downloading of mobile profiles “over-the-air”. This technology corresponds with the newest “Remote SIM Provisioning” standard approved by the global association of mobile operators called GSMA in 2015.
“ComfortWay technology is a unique innovative product which creates new communication level for businessmen and tourists during their business or private trips. Local prices on mobile services allow significant savings on communications as well as direct connection to the best mobile operators provides high-speed Internet around the world,” says Igor Bogachev, the vice-president and managing director of the Skolkovo IT cluster.
“6 million € investments were raised from a pool of European telecom companies and private investors, with active assistance and consulting help of the Skolkovo Investment Service,” says Oleg Pravdin, CEO of ComfortWay. He added that the money will be put towards expanding ComfortWay services coverage, starting sales in Europe and Asia as well as building cooperation with big strategic partners in telecom, IT and travel industries. Commercial launch of the ComfortWay Virtual SIM-cards is planned for springtime 2016 starting with European, Asian and Russian markets.
The Skolkovo Foundation is a non-profit organization founded in September 2010 by the Russian government with the objective of accelerating Russia’s transformation from a resource-intensive to an innovation-based economy. To achieve this objective, the Foundation is overseeing the creation of the Skolkovo Innovation Center, composed of more than 1,000 high-tech startups, Skolkovo Technopark, the Skolkovo Institute of Technology (Skoltech) - a new graduate research University established in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology - and Skolkovo city, located near Moscow. Together, these entities establish a vibrant ecosystem of technology innovation and entrepreneurship. Fifty global corporations including Boeing, Cisco Systems, EADS, GE, Johnson & Johnson, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Siemens, Nokia, Samsung, and Panasonic have already recognized the opportunity Skolkovo presents by signing R&D partnership agreements with the Foundation. The cumulative revenue of Skolkovo’s startups through December 2014 reached $1 billion. They brought in more than $220 million in investment, creating 13,500 jobs and filing over 1,300 patent applications along the way. By 2020 over 2 million square meters of residential and office space will be built in Skolkovo with 35,000 people working daily in the Innovation Center. For more information: http://www.sk.ru/en
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