Daily Briefing: Parcel locker network to be rolled out early 2021; Transcelestial closes $13.38m series A funding

And OSLabs shares acquired by India’s Affle for $3.98m.

From ChannelNews Asia:

The deployment of 1,000 parcel locker stations across Singapore under the Nationwide Parcel Locker Network is expected to be completed by end 2021, which is one year ahead of schedule, according to the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA).

The first batch of about 200 locker stations will be rolled out from the first quarter of 2021. Locker stations will be located in key public locations, such as Housing Board (HDB) estates, MRT stations and bus interchanges, as well as community centres.

Residents will have at least one parcel locker station located about five minutes' walk or 250m of their HDB blocks by end-2021, IMDA said. Each station will contain between 30 and 50 lockers.

IMDA will be incorporating Pick Network to deploy, own and operate the locker network. The wholly-owned subsidiary company will oversee three key areas: infrastructure, service availability and engagement.

Read more here. 

From DealStreetAsia:

Singaporean space-based laser communications startup Transcelestial closed $13.38m (US$9.6m) in series A funding co-led by Singapore government investment arm EDBI and Wavemaker Partners.

The round was joined by new investors Airbus Ventures, Partech, Tekton Ventures, and Cap Vista. Other earl investors include Entrepreneur First, SEEDS Capital, and two angel investors.

Transcelestial will use the fresh proceeds to ramp up mass production of CENTAURI, a network device the size of a shoebox, to form a wireless distribution network between buildings, traditional cell towers, street-level poles, and other physical infrastructure. These devices will be sold to telecom operators, vendors involved in the rollout of 4G and 5G networks, as well as internet service providers.

Founded in 2016, Transcelestial is building a space laser network which aims to deliver faster, cheaper, and more accessible internet connectivity globally.

Read more here. 

From DealStreetAsia:

Affle (India) Limited acquires 8% stake in Singapore’s OSLabs through a definitive agreement for $3.98m(US$2.86m). The acquisition is likely to be completed by 25 July.

OSLabs is said to be a strategic investment for Affle as the latter owns and operates 'Made for India' Indus App bazaar. The app is a platform which enables indigenous apps ecosystem in India with over 400,000 apps, and in-house machine learning algorithms.

Affle is a global technology company with proprietary consumer intelligence platform that delivers consumer engagements, acquisitions, and transactions through relevant mobile advertising.

Read more here.