Heliot Secures Cube as Investor and Acquires Sigfox Germany

The Swiss IoT network operator Heliot Group secures capital from the Luxembourg investor Cube Infrastructure Managers, thereby acquiring Sigfox Germany and forming the largest 0G network in Europe. The 0G technology from Sigfox is a European alternative to the 5G mobile standard. 0G enables cost-effective and battery-saving transmission of messages.

(Lausanne) A major deal for a young Swiss company: Cube Infrastructure Fund II, a European investment fund specializing in infrastructure investments, is investing in the Heliot Group. Cube operates across Europe and manages 2.6 billion euros for institutional investors. As part of this combined transaction, Cube indirectly acquires 86 percent of the shares in the 0G IoT network provider. The purchase price has been kept confidential.

Cube’s investment in the Heliot Group allows the Swiss company to acquire the 0G network from Sigfox in Germany. This unites the 0G network operator and IoT solution provider Heliot with the 0G networks of the four countries Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein, thus forming the largest 0G network in Europe. Cube’s goal is to accelerate the growth of this essential and exclusive IoT infrastructure in the region.

Accelerating the Expansion of the 0G Network in Europe

Founded in Switzerland in 2017 and based in Lausanne and Vienna, Heliot is the exclusive operator of the innovative Sigfox Internet-of-Things (IoT) Low-Power-Wide-Area Network (LPWA) in Austria, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland. As such, Heliot, with its cross-border 0G technology, represents a meaningful complement and alternative to regional mobile and LoRa network operators.

With Cube’s support, Heliot will now accelerate the expansion of the Sigfox 0G IoT network in its core European markets. Today, Heliot already provides nationwide basic coverage for innovative and sustainable IoT applications in sectors such as logistics, agriculture, retail, and industry with its LPWA network. As Heliot’s exclusive Sigfox partner, customers have free access to the global Sigfox 0G IoT network as well as an end-to-end ecosystem with over 750 sensors and analysis tools for cost-effective data collection and evaluation.

Cube’s entry into Heliot and Sigfox Germany is a milestone for European Sigfox 0G technology and a signal for future dynamic growth of the entire Sigfox ecosystem. With Cube’s investment, not only can the infrastructure in the DACH region be further expanded, but the Sigfox 0G technology and new innovations for the Internet of Things can also be advanced to give European industrial countries a significant boost in the digital transformation of their economies.

Diverse Large Companies are Already on Board with 0G

Heliot offers a more sustainable and very cost-effective basis with its 0G network to integrate everyday objects into the digitization processes of companies, organizations, and households. With minimal messages, the Sigfox-based 0G network enables the transmission of the state or position of the object to the Internet—without the use of expensive 3/4/5G mobile networks and without the installation of additional hardware. Thus, pallets of all kinds, barrels, roll cages, shopping carts, smoke detectors, water meters, weather stations, and even beehives and mailboxes can send data to their users efficiently and economically for several years on a single battery charge.

Although still relatively unknown to the general public, international corporate giants such as DHL, Airbus, Verisure Securitas Direct, Loscam, Nicigas, as well as automotive manufacturers and supermarket chains in Europe are already relying on 0G technology.

Swiss companies from all sectors can use Sigfox 0G technology to make the origin, paths, and quality of their products and services more transparent to customers while sustainably and efficiently increasing logistics performance. This provides Heliot with an alternative to existing IoT solutions, allowing Swiss IoT service providers to market their products globally through the Sigfox ecosystem.

0G Network from the Alps to the North Sea

Thomas Scheibel, CEO of the Heliot Group: “We look forward to working with Cube, which enables us to acquire Sigfox Germany. This acquisition is an important milestone in our development, and we will continue the commercial developments already initiated by Sigfox Germany with German and international Tier-1 customers in areas such as retail, automotive, and logistics. For us, this is an unprecedented opportunity and underscores our vision that began three years ago: a combined 0G network from the Alps to the North Sea.”

Henri Piganeau, Managing Partner at Cube Infrastructure Managers, adds: “The DACH region is a key pillar of the European economic area—not only in terms of location but also economic and innovative strength. As managers of infrastructure funds, we therefore need a good sense of sustainable business ideas that have the potential to promote economic, social, and ecological progress. The Internet of Things plays a crucial role in this. We share Heliot’s vision of global IoT networking and want to contribute to consolidating a new communication infrastructure for various industries and companies through this alliance. This will enable services and scarce resources to be used more sustainably and efficiently in the future.”

Ludovic Le Moan, CEO and co-founder of Sigfox: “From the beginning, Sigfox’s goal has been to provide customers with better service—through innovation, density, and a mature ecosystem, as well as a high return on investment. The sale of Sigfox Germany to committed and long-term partners like Heliot and Cube will allow us to keep this promise.” Ludovic Le Moan further states: “We have built the world’s first low-power network and created real value. A network that is designed to last. This is also reflected in the ever-growing number of customers who come to us every day.”

Sigfox 0G IoT Network – Intelligent Alternative to 5G

Sigfox’s global 0G solution offers an intelligent alternative to the new, energy-intensive 5G mobile standard. The Sigfox technology uses a low-frequency radio technology that can transport small messages over long distances. With a standard of only 140 times 12 bytes per day, state-of-the-art sensors already transmit their information in 72 countries to 21 million devices. This makes the technology energy-efficient, cost-effective, nearly maintenance-free, and better suited for the vast majority of IoT applications. International companies like Michelin or Volkswagen are already using Sigfox technology, which is proving to be a sustainable alternative to the 5G mobile network in many applications and is already being used in all areas related to Industry 4.0.

The Sigfox technology has significantly less radiation than a normal WiFi device, while also having a greater range and, similar to a “bottleneck,” only allows very limited interference and cyberattacks. Therefore, this technology is not only suitable for industrial applications but also serves as a simpler alternative or complement to projects in areas such as Smart City, Smart Facility, or, for example, in the care of elderly people.

www.heliotgroup.com www.cubeinfrastructure.com www.sigfox.de