BGC inks agreement with BT to boost secure connectivity

WEBWIRE

BT and Basrah Gas Company (BGC), Iraqs largest gas flare reduction company and a joint venture among the Iraqi Government, Shell and Mitsubishi, announced a new agreement to securely connect the companys operations in Iraq and help accelerate its digital transformation.

The new network will provide secure and reliable connectivity for BGC sites across multiple locations (gas fields, processing plants and offices). It will also provide enhanced connectivity to hyperscalers and delivery of cloud-based applications such as Microsoft 365 and SAP.

This new high-performance, secure network will lay the foundation for BGCs goal of a future proof, cloud-enabled secure infrastructure in the coming years.

Andrew Wiper, Managing Director of BGC said: Collaborating with BT is an important milestone for BGC. In forging this alliance, we propel BGC towards global excellence. The bedrock of our operations lies in robust and efficient connectivity, and this contract reinforces our commitment to efficiency and safety.

Eyad Shihabi, Managing Director, Global Industries and Government, Business, BT said: Were very proud of our relationship with JV BGC. This partnership represents a new chapter in this relationship by delivering the high standards of quality and reliability of services directly to BGC in Iraq.

About BT Group

BT Group is the UKs leading provider of fixed and mobile telecommunications and related secure digital products, solutions and services. We also provide managed telecommunications, security and network and IT infrastructure services to customers across 180 countries.

BT Group consists of three customer-facing units: Consumer serves individuals and families in the UK; Business covers companies and public services in the UK and internationally; Openreach is an independently governed, wholly owned subsidiary wholesaling fixed access infrastructure services to its customers – over 650 communications providers across the UK.

British Telecommunications plc is a wholly owned subsidiary of BT Group plc and encompasses virtually all businesses and assets of the BT Group. BT Group plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange.

For more information, visitwww.bt.com/about

HFR, Inc. Signs Agreement With KT to Collaborate on Private 5G Business

HFR, Inc. (KOSDAQ 230240), the leading ICT solutions provider in Korea, today announced that it will collaborate with KT Corporation (KRX:030200; NYSE:KT), Korea’s largest telecommunications service provider, to advance technology development, expand private 5G (P5G) use cases, and support digital transformation (DX) for small to medium-sized enterprises, local governments and public enterprises. The two companies signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) at KT’s Songpa building in Seoul, Korea.

Cheong Jong-min, HFR CEO (right) after signing the memorandum of understanding (MOU).”>
HFR and KT Sign MOU – Min Hye-byung, SVP of KT Enterprise Service DX Business Unit (left), and
Cheong Jong-min, HFR CEO (right) after signing the memorandum of understanding (MOU).

This agreement combines the strength of these two companies: HFR, a leading private 5G innovator which offers my5G(TM), an end-to-end solution for deploying private 5G networks (components include a Service Management Platform, Unified Network Management System, vCore, vCU/DU, Fronthaul Mux, RUs and CPEs), and KT, Korea’s largest mobile operator in both public and enterprise markets, with extensive experience building and operating private 5G networks.

Through this collaboration, the two companies plan to introduce P5G with high reliability and increased competitiveness to greatly enhance the P5G ecosystem. In addition, enterprises that have introduced P5G, or are considering the deployment of P5G will benefit from enabling an accelerated path to digital transformation.

“HFR will contribute to the development of P5G and society by providing economical solutions for small and medium-sized enterprises while delivering tailored solutions that ensure security and smart society applications to public enterprises, including local governments,” stated Jung Hae-kwan, Head of HFR’s Private Mobility Group.

“In the private 5G area where the initial market is being formed, the expansion and activation of the ecosystem are directly related to the interests of customers,” said Min Hye-byung, SVP of KT Enterprise Service DX Business Unit. “KT will continue to develop competitive private 5G services through this cooperation between our two companies.”

About my5G(TM):

HFR’s my5G(TM) solution is a pre-integrated private 5G system. The 3GPP-compliant packaged solution includes key components such as vCore, vCU/DU, indoor and outdoor radio units, plus integrated CPE devices with a complete service & network management platform. HFR is deploying my5G in critical applications such as IIOT in a nuclear power generation site in Korea, railway solutions in Japan, as well as across several factory and industrial complexes.

About HFR, Inc.:

HFR, Inc. (KOSDAQ 230240) is the leading ICT equipment vendor in Korea, offering a full range of optical transport, broadband access with WiFi products, and Private 5G. For the last 23 years, HFR has provided innovative products to the world’s largest mobile operators. HFR has established strong partnerships with Korean mobile operators resulting in leading-edge technology, field-proven deployments, and expansion into the global market. For more information, visit www.hfrnet.com.

About KT Corporation (KRX: 030200; NYSE: KT):

KT Corporation is the largest integrated telecom and digital platform service provider based in South Korea. Principal services include mobile, Broadband, IPTV, B2B communications, fixed-line telephony. The company has industry-leading market presence in Broadband, media services, and fixed-line telephony by maintaining the No.1 market share position. Also, the company is the No.1 player in B2B communications and offers a wide range of digital transformation services (IDC, Cloud, AI, etc.).

Contact Information
Peter K. Cho
Global CTO, HFR
peter.cho@hfrnetworks.com
+1 469-703-0861


Topic: Press release summary

Agreement with Altima to Produce Cheap & Clean Hydrogen in Alberta & British-Colombia

St-Georges Eco-Mining Corp. (CSE:SX)(OTCQB:SXOOF)(FSE:85G1) is pleased to announce that its subsidiary H2SX and Altima Resources Limited (TSX-V: ARH) have entered into an agreement via a binding term sheet to move forward with the production of cheap and clean hydrogen (ccH2(TM)) in Canada.

Altima has expressed its intention to use H2SX’s hydrogen production (ccH2) and nano-carbon technology for the conversion of natural gas originating from gas & condensate wells in Alberta and British Columbia, Canada. H2SX will partner and will work on an exclusive basis with Altima in British Columbia and Alberta in the natural gas domain and for projects and companies that have traditional natural gas production of 65 MMcf/d or less.

In accordance with the provisions of the Terms (ccH2) Altima will issue to H2SX 6,000,000 common shares upon the completion of milestones as set out in the performance shares schedule (the “Performance Shares”) below:

– 2,000,000 shares to be issued upon delivery of a preliminary technological engineering report.
– 2,000,000 shares to be issued upon receipt of a detailed engineering report tailored to Altima’s initial project.
– 2,000,000 shares upon the delivery of a Preliminary Economical Assessment or a Prefeasibility Study.

These shares will be subject to such further restrictions on resale as may apply under applicable securities laws. The close of the issuance of shares is subject to further review and acceptance by the TSX Venture Exchange.

In addition to the issuance of Performance Shares, Altima has committed to the construction of a hydrogen processing facility utilizing the patented technology. Altima will fund and be co-operator of the hydrogen production plant(s) in relation to the gas wells it currently operates and in the future. One hundred percent of all capital expenditures will be reimbursed to Altima prior to any profit sharing between the joint venture parties.

Altima will be responsible to provide and manage the natural gas input into the joint venture operations and all infrastructures and logistics associated with it and will receive credits for the sale of hydrocarbons to the green hydrogen operation through this producing joint venture.

H2SX and its partner will be entitled to receive a 5% NRR for which a long form royalty agreement (the “Royalty Agreement”) will be executed and will be an integral part of the Joint Venture Agreement between the parties; A formal management structure for the anticipated joint venture will be put in place between the parties.

“We look forward to working with H2SX in moving this exciting zero greenhouse gas (CO2) emission hydrogen production technology, into commercialization and for other prospective green tech opportunities that could benefit from utilizing low-cost green hydrogen,” said Joe DeVries, President & CEO of Altima Resources.

“Alberta and British Columbia are strategic locations for H2SX. They will benefit from our low-cost, zero greenhouse gas (CO2) emission hydrogen production technology just as we will benefit from the low costs of their natural gas. A perfect synergy between Altima and us for the benefit of all. The production of cheap and clean hydrogen will spark a multitude of other opportunities such as the production of methanol, ammonia, or fertilizers (urea) with a very low environmental footprint. We can only be excited to start this collaboration with Altima as soon as possible,” said Sabin Boily, CEO of H2SX.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
“Frank Dumas”
FRANK DUMAS
Director & COO

About St-Georges Eco-Mining Corp.

St-Georges develops new technologies to solve some of the most common environmental problems in the mining sector, including maximizing metal recovery and full circle EV battery recycling. The Company explores for nickel & PGEs on the Julie Nickel Project and the Manicougan Palladium Project on Quebec’s North Shore and has multiple exploration projects in Iceland, including the Thor Gold Project. Headquartered in Montreal, St-Georges’ stock is listed on the CSE under the symbol SX and trades on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the symbol 85G1 and on the OTCQB Venture Market for early stage and developing U.S. and international companies under the symbol SXOOF. Companies are current in their reporting and undergo an annual verification and management certification process. Investors can find Real-Time quotes and market information for the company on www.otcmarkets.com

The Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or the accuracy of the contents of this release.

Agreement between NOAA, ASCE prepares nation for climate-ready infrastructure

WEBWIRE

Leaders from NOAA, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) offsite link and the University of Maryland (UMD) Center for Technology and Systems Management offsite link held a summit today to discuss how the nations engineering profession can account for climate change in the design and construction of future building and infrastructure projects.

A new memorandum of understanding (MOU) was unveiled during the summit, detailing the ways that NOAAs science and products will be used to inform the building and civil engineering codes, standards and best practice manuals developed by ASCE.

The collaboration began in November 2021, but the urgency of the work was underscored when NOAA calculated that 2022 was the third most costly year on record for weather and climate-related disasters, with 18 events costing over $165 billion in total damages. Disasters are also happening more often, with the number of days between billion-dollar disasters dropping from 82 days in 1980 to just 18 days in 2022.

These statistics, while daunting, present an opportunity for us to take stock and use these data to help prepare for the impacts of climate change, said Rick Spinrad, Ph.D., NOAA administrator. Sustained partnerships like this one are key to this effort, and will help foster a Climate-Ready Nation where individuals, businesses and communities have the knowledge and tools to take action to mitigate risk and support economic growth.

Addressing current and long-term challenges facing communities across the nation and globe from extreme weather events requires close collaboration among the science and engineering communities, said Tom Smith, executive director of ASCE. We are delighted and honored to work in partnership with NOAA to combat these challenges with solutions that will ensure our critical infrastructure networks are safe, efficient, sustainable and reliable for everyone.

The partnership and new MOU between NOAA and ASCE will in part be facilitated by UMD and is aimed at helping create a stronger, more resilient future for a key sector of the U.S. economy. The U.S. invests over $1.5 trillion annually in the design, construction and maintenance of homes, businesses, transportation systems, industrial centers and other components of the built environment, according to a 2023 U.S. Census Bureau report. The building industry enables millions of jobs, including more than seven million jobs in construction alone.

The partnership and MOU will also focus on inequities in climate resilience. NOAA research shows offsite link how low-income communities suffer more damage and are at greater risk from extreme events than more affluent communities. Additionally, the effects of climate change on vulnerable populations are frequently compounded by exacerbating other risks, such as inland flooding, urban heat islands and poor air quality. To address these inequities, NOAA and ASCE will work together to identify particular needs for climate-resilient infrastructure in urban, rural and low-income communities, as an example.

Through expert dialogues and workshops, NOAAs scientists are gaining a better understanding of the specific needs of ASCE, and how to meet them with either off-the-shelf information or potentially new products. To date, technical exchanges have focused on how several key climate-related risks, such as extreme temperatures, rainfall events, changing wind patterns and coastal hazards, can affect the built environment.

Information from todays summit will inform future exchanges and conversations,including a pair of conferences in 2023 focused on future-ready infrastructure: ASCEs 2023 Convention offsite link in Chicago, and ASCE Inspire 2023 offsite link in November.

IMAGE CAPTION:

When Hurricane Florence crossed the North Carolina, coast on September 14, 2018, it brought hurricane-force winds and as forecasted strong storm surge. Jamie Rhome, now acting director of NOAAs National Hurricane Center, measures the impact of storm surge at a heavily damaged home in New Bern, North Carolina on September 26, 2018. (NOAA)

anb and JCB sign acquiring agreement for local acceptance in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

anb and JCB International Co., Ltd., the international operations subsidiary of JCB Co. Ltd., have partnered to launch JCB Card acceptance at all its POS and ATM locations deployed in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

JCB is a major global payment brand and a leading payment card issuer and acquirer in Japan, and JCB Cards are used by more than 140 million cardholders and accepted at about 39 million locations globally.

As part of supporting the cashless society and financial inclusion that is related to Vision 2030, anb and JCB have partnered to enable the acceptance of JCB Cards. The partnership is a continuation of JCB’s plan for entering the Saudi market, a destination of ever-increasing importance for its cardholders around the world for both business and tourism.

Mr. Yuichiro Kadowaki, Regional Head – Middle East & Africa CEO, JCB Middle East LLC, said: “Saudi Arabia has always been a very important destination for many of JCB cardholders, from both business and religious perspectives. With the strategic plan for Vision 2030, the country is now increasingly an important destination for tourism as well. anb’s extensive reach in the market will ensure that JCB cardholders will be able to use JCB Cards at their convenience. The partnership will also enhance the already close fraternal ties between Saudi Arabia and Japan.”

Mr. Nizar Altwaijri, Deputy Managing Director of anb, said: “anb’s engagement with JCB will enable our payment systems to accept JCB Cards in the kingdom over ATM, POS and eCommerce channels. As Kingdom’s economy opens up to welcoming tourists like never before, this strategic agreement will go a long way in supporting the tourism sector, which is one of the pillars of Saudi Vision 2030. This agreement is also in line with the Kingdom’s plan to grow the number of options available for digital payments in the economy and will position KSA as one of the leading countries to accept a wide range of international scheme cards as part of its payment eco-system.”

About JCB

JCB is a major global payment brand and a leading credit card issuer and acquirer in Japan. JCB launched its card business in Japan in 1961 and began expanding worldwide in 1981. Its acceptance network includes about 39 million merchants around the world. JCB Cards are issued mainly in Asian countries and territories, with more than 140 million cardmembers. As part of its international growth strategy, JCB has formed alliances with hundreds of leading banks and financial institutions globally to increase its merchant coverage and cardmember base. As a comprehensive payment solution provider, JCB commits to providing responsive and high-quality service and products to all customers worldwide. For more information, please visit: www.global.jcb/en/

About anb

Amongst the largest banks in the Middle East, anb headquarters is based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia with regional offices in Jeddah, Khobar and a network of branches throughout the kingdom, in addition to an international branch in London, United Kingdom.

To service a large and varied customer base which exceeds 2 million, the Bank has an extensive distribution network, with 237 premises spanning over the Kingdom.

Recognizing the need to serve customers in a convenient and timely manner, the Bank also has around 1,160 ATMs, 290 Corporate Cash Deposit Machines and 36,670 point-of-sale terminals, in addition to advanced mobile banking application and a state-of-the-art, award-winning phone center. For more information, please visit: www.anb.com.sa/

Contacts

JCB

Ayaka Nakajima

Corporate Communications

Tel: +81-3-5778-8353

Email: jcb-pr@jcb.co.jp

anb

Bassel Al Zirki

Corporate Communications

Tel: +966-11-4029-9000

Email: balzirki@anb.com.sa






Topic: Press release summary