Debecom: internet for BtoB
With its smart antenna and user-friendly installation system, start-up Debecom optimises the internet network. Initially focused on the consumer market, the company has now pivoted towards BtoB, targeting operators and businesses seeking high-speed internet. Focus on this fledgling company, a CentraleSupélec partner.
Debecom's story begins with a familiar scene: children wandering around the house in search of a stronger internet connection. Laurent Fournier, the start-up's co-founder, experienced this repeatedly. Having spent his entire career in telecoms, he was determined to provide his children with a stable wifi connection. "With my co-founder Dominique Toubin, who faced the same issue, we invented a router whose reception would not be degraded by obstacles such as walls and windows. That's how we designed DjeeBox, offering quick and easy installation and high-quality performance, even in areas with limited coverage," adds the co-founder.
In 2019, the partners founded Debecom and in 2020, began working with the Supélec ONERA DSTA Research Alliance laboratory (Sondra - Univ. Paris-Saclay/French Aerospace Lab (ONERA)/CentraleSupélec/DSO National Laboratories/National University of Singapore) to develop the system. A year later, it was launched commercially for the general public, and the opportunity for full-scale testing arose, lasting 18 months. A total of 350 households were equipped, with the aim of perfecting the system and ensuring its long-term reliability. "At the end of these conclusive trials, we decided to focus more on BtoB, as marketing costs to reach the general public were too high. We now offer our products to enterprise operators and more traditional operators such as Orange and Bouygues Telecom," adds Laurent Fournier.
A smart antenna
In many standard routers, download speeds - for data reception - are very strong, whereas upload speeds - for sending data - are weaker, as signals are attenuated by obstacles such as walls and doors. This is compounded by the relatively high frequencies allocated by operators for 5G. The higher the frequency, the more difficult it is for the signal to penetrate buildings. "Upload speed is critical to avoid pixelation during videoconferencing, for example. Devices are becoming increasingly sophisticated, requiring greater speeds. 5G routers already offer a solution in relation to older-generation 4G routers. In our case, by separating the wifi component and the 5G component into two units positioned on either side of a window, we significantly improve the signal. By combining the 5G receiver with an antenna system developed with the Sondra laboratory, we can multiply upload speeds by ten compared with indoor routers," explains the co-founder. The DjeeBox can be installed on 98% of windows using a patented magnet system. The units can therefore be easily positioned and repositioned to capture the best possible signal.
The external unit features a special, patented antenna with a spherical radiation pattern. Whatever the frequency used, the antenna provides a 7 dB gain in all directions. "This is particularly valuable because, wherever where the user is located, they can obtain maximum efficiency. With conventional routers, as frequency increases (as is the case with 5G), reception quality decreases," says Laurent Fournier. Debecom has also patented a smart antenna: a software-based filter selects from the frequencies made available by the operators so as to obtain the highest possible speed. "We adjust the parameters to ensure the best possible quality. Operators are satisfied because their mobile networks are primarily optimised for mobile phones, which prevents them from adapting all their settings to fixed router systems. With our product, they retain their configuration and we adapt them for fixed routers, while remaining compliant with industry standards," notes the co-founder.
The partners are working with several confidential companies to develop an automatically controllable antenna. "We are finalising the remaining elements and do not yet have a first order. However, this antenna will enable us to reach a lot of people, as many companies do not have highly optimised 4G routers - an issue our smart antennas can resolve," explains the co-founder.
The start-up has also worked on reducing the size of its equipment - two cubes measuring 15 cm on each side and 4.5 cm thick - which is no mean feat. "We have reduced the size of the new version by 40%. The major challenge was maintaining performance. We also worked on implementing the antenna system, the directionality and gain of which are electrically controlled. The difficulty is that when you increase directivity, you lose gain. Such systems already exist for high frequencies, but the real challenge is achieving gain at intermediate or low frequencies," explains Laurent Fournier.
International development
From the outset, the start-up has been supported by Bpifrance, which helped it develop a smartphone application. Designed for end-users, the app identifies where the operator's strongest signal is located, enabling them to choose the optimal window for installing the two units. SATT Paris-Saclay provided funding of 74,000 euros for the hardware and software development carried out by the Sondra laboratory. To date, the two co-founders, who have invested 200,000 euros in the project, have not raised external funding. "It is planned. We have contacts and requests, but in terms of valuation, we are waiting for our first large-volume contract, which will give us greater credibility in this BtoB activity," explains Laurent Fournier.
The start-up generates an annual turnover of 70,000 euros through the sale and rental of dozens of units to private individuals. This revenue is enough for the company to pay the two founding members and up to three interns or work-study students. "Our solutions, including our electronic boards, are manufactured in France, except for the casings, which are produced in China. However, we face competition from Chinese manufacturers producing at very low cost. Our advantage is that our solution is very easy to install, whereas others rely on adhesive or complicated metal brackets to fix the routers. They have not yet matched our ease of installation. Nor has anyone deployed a smart antenna system," says the co-founder. In the coming years, the two founders hope to expand internationally, and work with companies such as Deutsch Telecom and Vodafone.