UnaBiz appointed as new owner of Sigfox in France
On April 21, 2022, the Toulouse Commercial Court announced that UnaBiz is taking over all operations of the Sigfox parent company in France. UnaBiz is an IoT service provider based in Singapore, Taiwan and Japan with European roots. By collaborating with other IoT communication technologies, UnaBiz aims to create new opportunities in the market. Citymesh looks forward to collaborating after the handover.
RESULT OF THE PROCEEDINGS
On January 26, Sigfox France applied for protection at the Commercial Court of Toulouse to find a buyer for the Sigfox business in France. Nine parties expressed their interest and submitted their applications for ownership. The results of the procedure were announced on April 21: UnaBiz's business plan and vision for the future were unanimously endorsed as the best offer.
UnaBiz is a well-known name in the Sigfox universe. The company is one of the founders of the 0G United Nations and is a pioneer of the 0G technology in Asia. It first established a Sigfox network in Singapore and Taiwan in 2016. Since then, UnaBiz has deployed more than 1.4 million sensors for Smart Metering, Facilities Management, Asset Management and Asset Tracking in 28 countries, and it has been backed by numerous European and Asian investors.
CONTINUITY AND EXPANSION OF SIGFOX IS ASSURED
UnaBiz states that the continuity of Sigfox services is their highest priority. Sigfox will continue to operate autonomously and its headquarters in France remain unchanged. In the coming weeks and months, UnaBiz will work with the Administrators, Sigfox Management and the Employee Representatives to ensure a smooth transition. UnaBiz will protect the assets, accounting and business critical Sigfox network through financial and operational assessments, and it will retain most of the Sigfox employees in France. It will also invest in research and development initiatives to continue improving the technology.
CITYMESH LOOKS FORWARD TO NEW COLLABORATION
Citymesh acquired the Sigfox network in 2021 and is the official operator in Belgium. The acquisition of Sigfox by UnaBiz has no impact for Belgian customers: the continuity of all services and projects in Belgium remains unchanged. Citymesh will still act as an independent operator and will continue to work closely with other international Sigfox operators.
The Citymesh team looks forward to collaborating with UnaBiz after the handover. We recognise their extensive experience in IoT services, their vision for the future of Sigfox and their strategies to create new opportunities in the market. This is a new chapter in the Sigfox story, and one that Citymesh is eager to explore.