Veniam'Works set to expand WiFi networks to US cities

In the city of Porto, more than 600 buses and cabs have been transformed into WiFi hotspots, thanks to technology developed by the spin-off company Veniam'Works. The technology allows buses to connect to the wireless network shared by all vehicles, as well as to the city's digital fiber optic network. Porto is thus home to the largest vehicular network in the world: around 80,000 bus and cab users access their mobile devices free of charge using Veniam's WiFi; three terabytes of data are transferred monthly on the vehicular network. The technology is also being implemented in controlled spaces, such as ports and container terminals, where it offers better wireless coverage, greater security, two-way communication and real-time data acquisition. 

In December, Veniam raised 4.9 million dollars in venture capital, which will allow them to "expand rapidly in the US, with greater momentum", as João Barros, Veniam's director and founder, explains. Investors are confident that Veniam's technology will enable other cities to provide the bandwidth necessary for equipment to connect to the Internet and to each other effectively.

Veniam's patented property was developed at the Telecommunications Institute (IT) and the University of Aveiro, as part of the CMU-Portugal Program, funded by FCT. Veniam is based in California, with offices in Porto and Aveiro. Until 2016, Veniam's work was ensured by projects funded by FCT and the European Commission.

For João Barros, who was also Director of the CMU-Portugal Program, FCT's role in Veniam's success is clear: "Without FCT's continued investment in the area of information and communication technologies, particularly through the CMU Portugal program, it would hardly have been possible to develop the cutting-edge solutions that Veniam sells today. FCT's funding, combined with European projects and support from the QREN, made it possible to carry out the proof of concept and evolve the solution from the initial ideas to the final product: a vehicle WiFi network that today has more than 80,000 users, taking terabytes of data from the physical world to the Internet and putting the city of Porto on the map of smart cities. smart cities worldwide."

Achieving market acceptance is seen as the biggest challenge, "The science and technology is only 10% of the final product," says João Barros, adding, "In cutting-edge technologies like Veniam's, only with strong, patient and experienced investors can a start-up have enough muscle to withstand the daily pressure and overcome the barriers to market entry."

The CMU-Portugal Program (in ICT) is one of 4 partnerships with US universities funded by FCT since 2006. The other 3 programs are the UTAustin-Portugal Program (in Emerging Technologies), the MIT-Portugal Program (in Engineering Systems) and the Harvard Medical School-Portugal Program (in Translational Research and Information). FCT support amounts to around 10 million euros per year.