For nearly 20 years, Thermo Companies has been quietly making investments in the telecom space by mixing together a blend of 5G assets that includes midband spectrum holdings, fiber transport and technologies related to spectrum efficiency.
However, it s unclear what the investment firm s end goal is. These investments don t work together like a perfect puzzle at this point. We are trying to get them to be, but we aren t there yet, said Kyle Pickens, VP of strategy at Globalstar and a partner at Thermo Companies.
Globalstar ties
Thermo is probably best known for its majority ownership of Globalstar. In 2004, the company, which was founded by Jim Lynch and Jay Monroe, invested $700 million in the bankrupt satellite company, not just because it saw potential in the satellite services but also because of Globalstar s spectrum assets. We thought there was value in the terrestrial spectrum, said Pickens.
Pivotal Commware’s Pivot 5G outdoor network repeaters can give a millimeter-wave boost to 5G wireless communications. (Pivotal Commware Photo)
Kirkland, Wash.-based Pivotal Commware says it has closed on a $50 million funding round that will help it expand research, development and distribution for its millimeter-wave 5G network infrastructure products.
Tracker Capital Management, a venture capital investment firm that’s headquartered in New York, led the Series C investment round. Other participants in the financing include Devonshire Investors and Pivotal’s existing investors including Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates.
Gates has been investing in Pivotal since 2017, not long after it was spun out from Intellectual Ventures. It’s one of several Gates-backed ventures that make use of metamaterials, an exotic breed of electronics that can channel signals without moving parts.
News Wire Feed Light Reading 2/11/2021
KIRKLAND, Wash. Pivotal Commware ( Pivotal ), a global leader in 5G mmWave infrastructure products, announced today the closing of a $50 million C round led by an affiliate of Tracker Capital Management, LLC ( Tracker Capital ), a stage-agnostic venture capital investor that principally invests in high-potential technology growth companies. Tracker Capital was founded by Stephen A. Feinberg who is also Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Cerberus Capital Management. Tracker Capital is joined in this round by Devonshire Investors, the private investment firm affiliated with FMR LLC, the parent company of Fidelity Investments. Pivotal s existing investors, including DIG Investment, Thermo, Lux Capital and Bill Gates, also participated in the financing.
Indonesian operator checks out Open RAN
Mobile data usage growth is rampant in India
A cash injection for a mmWave tech specialist, Open RAN action in Indonesia and interesting mobile data stats from India top today’s news bill.
Pivotal Commware, a Kirkland, Washington-based developer of mmWave technology that enables 5G mobile and fixed wireless access (FWA) services, has raised $50 million in a Series C round of funding. “As the telecom industry evolves globally, we believe that Pivotal is at the forefront of the next wave of telecom infrastructure providers,” said the company’s CEO, Brian Deutsch. “For 5G, ultra-wideband mmWave is the real game changer and Pivotal has built the complete solution for rapid, cost-effective deployment of these high-value networks.” For further details, see this announcement.
Two years into Verizon's 'ultra wideband' 5G rollout, citywide coverage, even in its initial launch cities, is still a dream. But two devices from Pivotal Commware can make those installations easier and less expensive.