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PomeGran President Wins Broadband Nation Impact Award for Greatest Technical Achievement in Connecting the Unconnected

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Joe Hickey Honoured for his Visionary Leadership in Bridging the Digital Divide and Advancing High-Speed Connectivity

WASHINGTON, DC, Oct. 10, 2024 /CNW/ – PomeGran Inc. (PomeGran) is proud to announce that President, Joe Hickey, has been awarded the prestigious Impact Award for Greatest Technical Achievement in Connecting the Unconnected, at the 2024 Broadband Nation Awards.

This recognition is a testament to Joe Hickey’s unwavering dedication to bridging the digital divide and ensuring equitable high-speed internet access across urban, rural, and Indigenous communities. As President of PomeGran Inc. and Founder and President of ROCK Networks, Joe has guided both companies to become visionaries in the telecommunications industry, delivering innovative broadband solutions that are transforming lives and communities throughout North America.

In 2024, ROCK Networks was acquired by PomeGran, and with Joe newly appointed as President, he further strengthened his mission to connect underserved regions with advanced broadband infrastructure. A key highlight of PomeGran’s accomplishments is the transformational $172 million Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH) project in Northern Ontario, which, with the support of $97 million in government funding, will provide high-speed internet to over 18,600 households, including 2,580 Indigenous homes.

Joe’s vision extends beyond expanding internet access. His initiatives to implement open-access networks are ensuring that communities have access to reliable, future-proof infrastructure, with multiple service options. These networks play a critical role in improving essential services, including healthcare, education, and economic development. PomeGran is leading the way in building a more connected and resilient digital future by focusing on advanced technologies like XGS-PON and 25G PON.

“I am deeply honoured to receive this award and proud of the impact PomeGran is making in connecting people and communities. This recognition reflects our team’s dedication and the partnerships we’ve built with local governments and Indigenous communities to make digital inclusion a reality,” said Joe Hickey, President of PomeGran.

“We are proud to have Joe as a part of the PomeGran leadership team. His commitment to bridging the digital divide and delivering advanced broadband solutions to underserved communities is central to our ongoing impact and success. Joe’s dedication and determination continue to propel our mission forward, and this recognition is a testament to the impact he’s making,” concluded Dr. Kalai S. Kalaichelvan, Chairman & CEO of PomeGran.

Joe’s commitments have not gone unnoticed. Earlier this year, he was inducted into Atlantic Business Magazine’s Hall of Fame, having been named one of Atlantic Canada’s Top 50 CEOs for five consecutive years. Through his vision and determination, ROCK Networks, a subsidiary of PomeGran, received Corporate Vision’s Canadian Business Award for Most Innovative Telecommunications Company, while PomeGran has been recognized as Canada’s Fastest Growing Rural Broadband Company.

The award was presented at the Broadband Nation Expo at the Gaylord Convention Center in Washington, D.C., where Joe joined industry leaders to discuss the importance of broadband innovation, community engagement, and the role of digital equity. This award highlights Joe’s significant accomplishments and forward-thinking mindset, in the mission to connect underserved and unserved communities across North America.

As PomeGran continues to pioneer innovative broadband solutions, Joe’s commitment to bridging the digital divide is driving the industry toward a more inclusive and connected future for all.

About PomeGran Inc.

PomeGran Inc. is Canada’s fastest growing fibre-centric broadband infrastructure provider. Dedicated to enhancing broadband services, PomeGran has emerged as a leader on a mission to empower underserved markets in Quebec and Ontario. PomeGran is investing in rural Quebec and Northern Ontario as part of their strategic plan. Boasting ownership of broadband networks, underground and aerial fibre assets, and fixed wireless access (FWA) assets, PomeGran is committed to bridging the digital divide that exists between urban, rural, and Indigenous communities. Founded on the fundamental principle of ensuring equitable access to high-speed Internet, PomeGran believes that everyone deserves the opportunity to participate in today’s digital-first economy. www.pomegran.com

About Broadband Nation

Broadband Nation is dedicated to supporting and promoting advancements in broadband technology, fostering collaboration among industry professionals, and bridging the digital divide. It provides a platform for experts to share insights and develop solutions that enhance connectivity in underserved communities. The organization emphasizes the role of broadband in driving innovation, community growth, and digital equity across various sectors. www.broadbandnationexpo.com

About Joe Hickey

With a career spanning 30 years and experience in over 40 countries, Joe Hickey holds a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering from Memorial University of Newfoundland and an Executive MBA from the University of Toronto. His innovative approach has consistently led to growth and success in the telecommunications industry. Joe has also been dedicated to community service, volunteering with various organizations and serving on boards such as the Ottawa Children’s Treatment Centre and techNL.

For media inquiries, please contact: media@pomegran.com

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SOURCE PomeGran Inc.

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KuCoin Marks Ninth Anniversary at Tomorrowland Belgium, Honoring Nine Years of Industry Progress Beyond the Signal

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PROVIDENCIALES, Turks and Caicos Islands, July 26, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — On the day of its ninth anniversary, KuCoin welcomed global partners, institutional clients, ecosystem builders and media representatives to the “On Cloud 9 Skybox Experience,” an exclusive celebration at the Tomorrowland Belgium Skybox. Overlooking Tomorrowland’s iconic Mainstage, guests gathered throughout an unforgettable evening as world-renowned artists including Nicky Romero, Alok, Steve Angello and Hardwell delivered performances that brought together people from around the world. Against this backdrop of music, culture and global connection, KuCoin celebrated not only its own nine-year journey, but also the remarkable progress the digital asset industry has achieved together.

The experience formed part of KuCoin’s broader ninth-anniversary campaign, “Beyond the Signal,” reflecting the company’s belief that the industry’s future will be shaped not by short-term market movements alone, but by the trust, innovation and infrastructure that enable lasting progress. Bringing this vision to life in an elevated festival setting, the evening offered guests an opportunity to reflect on nine years of shared growth, collaboration and resilience, while looking ahead together to the next chapter of digital assets.

Against the backdrop of Tomorrowland’s iconic Mainstage, the exclusive Skybox experience with signature champagne rituals brought KuCoin and its guests together to reflect on and celebrate the milestones that have shaped its nine-year journey. From expanding access to digital assets and navigating multiple market cycles to strengthening security and compliance, supporting institutional participation, and advancing innovation across payments, AI and Web3, these milestones also reflected the broader evolution of the digital asset industry toward greater maturity.

The moment celebrated not only how far KuCoin has come, but also the progress the industry has made together. Over the past nine years, markets have risen and fallen, and technologies have continued to evolve. Yet lasting progress has always been driven by the builders, developers, partners and communities working together to create enduring value. That is the idea behind Beyond the Signal.

“Ninth anniversaries are often measured in years. We prefer to measure ours in trust,” said BC Wong, CEO of KuCoin. “The greatest achievement of the past nine years has not been our growth alone, but the confidence our users, partners and community have continued to place in us. Trust is the infrastructure that enables innovation, adoption and long-term progress. As we enter our next decade, we remain committed to building secure, compliant and trusted digital asset infrastructure together with our partners worldwide.”

The celebration also highlighted KuCoin’s expanding partnership with Tomorrowland as the festival’s Exclusive Crypto Exchange and Payments Partner for Tomorrowland Winter and Tomorrowland Belgium 2026–2028. Bringing together one of the world’s most influential cultural events with trusted digital infrastructure, the partnership reflects a shared vision of connecting people across borders and creating meaningful real-world experiences through technology, payments and community. For KuCoin, Tomorrowland is more than a global music festival—it represents the openness, diversity and global community that have always been at the heart of crypto.

Nine years ago, KuCoin set out to make digital assets accessible to more people around the world. Today, its mission has evolved beyond access to helping build the trusted infrastructure that will support the future of digital finance. Beyond music, beyond the celebration and beyond the signal, KuCoin’s ninth anniversary was not only a milestone for the company, but a celebration of how far the industry has come together—and a commitment to building what comes next.

About KuCoin

Founded in 2017, KuCoin is a leading global crypto platform built on trust and security, serving over 45 million users across 200+ countries and regions. Known for its reliability and user-first approach, the platform combines advanced technology, deep liquidity, and strong security safeguards to deliver a seamless trading experience. KuCoin provides access to 1,500+ digital assets through a broad product suite and remains committed to building transparent, compliant, and user-centric digital asset infrastructure for the future of finance, backed by SOC 2 Type II, ISO/IEC 27001:2022, and ISO/IEC 27701:2019 Certifications. In recent years, we have built a strong global compliance foundation, marked by key milestones including AUSTRAC registration in Australia, a MiCA license in Europe, and regulatory progress in other markets.

Learn more at www.kucoin.com.

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SOURCE KuCoin

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2026 World Internet Conference Digital Silk Road Development Forum Opens in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province

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XI’AN, China, July 26, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — A news report from CRI Online:

On July 22, the 2026 World Internet Conference (WIC) Digital Silk Road Development Forum officially opened in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province. Hosted by the WIC and organized by the Shaanxi Provincial Government, the forum was held under the theme “Pooling Intelligence on the Silk Road, Embarking on a Digital Future — Jointly Building a Community with a Shared Future in Cyberspace”. Approximately 800 participants from more than 50 countries and regions, as well as seven international organizations, attended the event.

Mayra Arevich Marín, Minister of Communications of Cuba; Faqir Mahbub Anam, Minister of Posts, Telecommunication & Information Technology and Minister of Science and Technology of Bangladesh; Samba Diouf, Minister of Telecommunications and Digital Affairs of Senegal; Wang Binying, Deputy Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO); John Higgins, President of the International AI Governance Association (IAGA); and Wang Xingxing, Founder and CEO of Unitree Robotics, attended the opening ceremony and delivered speeches.

Following the opening ceremony, a ministerial meeting was held. Thematic forums were convened focusing on Silk Road e-commerce cooperation and development, collaborative innovation and development of AI agents, digital and intelligent health, and the preservation and transmission of cultural heritage in the digital intelligence era. These discussions aimed to help Belt and Road partner countries strengthen consensus, deepen cooperation, and seize new opportunities brought by digital and intelligent development. During the forum, the World Internet Conference Cultural Heritage Digitalization Case Collection (2026) was released. A series of capacity-building activities under the WIC Digital & AI Academy were also held, including a capacity building program on AI-driven digital trade, a salon on “Copyright Empowerment in Cultural Heritage Digitalization”, and a field study at a digital port.

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SOURCE CRI Online

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Tesla Owns Nearly 1 in 5 AI Answers About EVs. New 5W Index Ranks the Top 25 EV Brands by AI Citation Share.

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EV charging networks — Electrify America, EVgo, ChargePoint — are nearly invisible inside AI answers despite operating the infrastructure the entire category depends on.

MIAMI, July 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — 5W AI Communications, the AI Communications Firm, today released the 5W AI Visibility Index — EV, ranking the top 25 EV brands by modeled AI citation share across ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google AI Overviews. Tesla anchors the category at 18.4% — more than the next three brands combined. Rivian is second at 8.2%. Ford is third at 6.4%.

The Index is Volume 07 in 5W’s 2026 Consumer AI Visibility Index series. The full report is available at https://www.5wpr.com/research/ev-ai-visibility-index/.

More than a third of U.S. consumers now begin product research with an AI engine — not Google. For the EV category — where purchase consideration windows stretch six to twelve months and buyers cross-reference range, charging, ownership cost, and long-term reliability across dozens of sources — the answers the engines return are shaping the shortlist before a buyer walks into a dealership.

The Findings

Tesla dominates at 18.4% citation share — cited on virtually every consumer EV query across all five engines. Brand, product, and CEO overlap produce a citation profile no peer can match.Rivian (8.2%) is the dominant adventure-EV authority. The R1T and R1S anchor truck and SUV electric citation.Ford (6.4%) leads legacy automakers. The F-150 Lightning owns EV-truck queries; the Mach-E anchors EV-SUV comparisons.Lucid (4.8%) and Hyundai Ioniq (4.4%) complete the Tier 1 leaders. The Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6 over-index against U.S. brand recognition.GM sits at #6 with 3.8% — despite scale — because Bolt, Lyriq, and Hummer EV are cited separately rather than as one GM-EV narrative. Ford consolidated its story. GM did not.Toyota (#17) and Honda (#18) are the two largest legacy automakers furthest behind in EV citation. The bZ4X, Solterra, and Prologue cite at rates far below what brand recognition would predict.EV charging networks are absent from the top 25. Electrify America, EVgo, and ChargePoint operate the infrastructure the entire category depends on — and have not built consumer-facing brand citation to match. The category is open.

“Every EV buyer starts inside a chatbox now. Tesla owns nearly one in five answers. The next three brands combined don’t match it. That’s a citation moat measured in AI — not TV budgets, not showroom count,” said Ronn Torossian, Founder and Chairman, 5W AI Communications. “GM is bigger than Rivian by every commercial metric and half its size in the answer. That gap costs sales. The charging networks are the biggest miss in the category — whoever builds the dominant ‘where should I charge’ answer anchors a multi-decade growth curve. Right now, none of them own it.”

The Five Engines Do Not Return Identical Answers

ChatGPT: Tesla, Rivian, Lucid, Ford, Hyundai dominate. Conservative and brand-anchored.Claude: Recurrent and CleanTechnica over-index. Data-source preference. Lighter on enthusiast brands.Perplexity: Reddit EV subreddits dominant. Out of Spec YouTube data heavily cited. Freshness-favored.Google AI Overviews: Tesla, InsideEVs, Edmunds, Kelley Blue Book dominate. Closest to a SERP-mirror.Gemini: YouTube EV creators dominate — Out of Spec, Munro Live, MKBHD at the highest rates.

Engine-aware strategy matters. A brand absent from one engine but present in another needs a different program than a brand absent across the board.

Methodology
Modeled directional estimates derived from publicly available data, observed retrieval patterns, structural signals, and the corresponding Everything-PR Citation Share Study — EV (Issue No. 07). Twenty-five brands, five engines, sixty-plus consumer-prompt query patterns. Not the output of logged query runs across millions of prompts. Intended as a strategic framework — not a definitive search-engine measurement.

The dominant outlets shaping EV citation are InsideEVs, Electrek, Recurrent, Edmunds EV, Car and Driver EV, CleanTechnica, and the Reddit-and-YouTube creator layer. Brand citation share is built primarily through presence inside that specific outlet set — and through Recurrent battery-data partnership for used-EV citation.

About 5W AI Communications
5W is the AI Communications Firm, building brand authority across the platforms where decisions now happen — ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google AI Overviews — alongside earned media, digital, and influencer channels. 5W combines public relations, digital marketing, Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), and proprietary AI visibility research to help clients measure and grow their presence in AI-driven buyer research. Founded in 2003, 5W is recognized as a Top U.S. PR Agency by O’Dwyer’s, named Agency of the Year in the American Business Awards®, honored as a 2026 Top Place to Work in Communications by Ragan, and named to Digiday’s WorkLife Employer of the Year list. 5W serves clients across B2C sectors — Beauty & Fashion, Consumer Brands, Entertainment, Food & Beverage, Health & Wellness, Travel & Hospitality, Technology, and Nonprofit — and B2B specialties including Corporate Communications, Reputation Management, Public Affairs, Crisis Communications, and Digital Marketing across Social, Influencer, Paid Media, GEO, and SEO. Learn more at 5wpr.com.

Media Contact
press@5wpr.com

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SOURCE 5W Public Relations

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