Commsignia Announces Funding of USD 15M in Series B Round

SANTA CLARA, Calif., 5 September, 2023 – Commsignia, Inc., the largest company focusing on Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) solutions, announced the closing of an USD 15 million Series B fundraising round led by PortfoLion Capital Partners, Inventure, Day One Capital and Inference Partners, together with Partech, Credo Ventures, and Karma Ventures. The fundraising round sees LG Electronics joining as a strong strategic partner along with existing strategic investors Samsung Catalyst Fund and Qualcomm Ventures.  With this investment, the company aims to strengthen its leadership and grow faster in new markets and geographies as the digital transformation of the transport and automotive industry gains momentum.

The move comes at a time when road safety is in focus all over the globe. V2X can effectively prevent accidents by enabling communication between road users. They can be made digitally visible to each other, even in situations where visibility is obstructed, which is particularly dangerous for pedestrians, bikers and micromobility users. According to a study by the European Commission, C-ITS can help reduce the number of accidents by as much as 22% and can help save on fuel consumption by 11%.1

The world’s leading car manufacturers, policy makers, and the transport industry in the US, Europe and China have expressed their trust in V2X as a technology that can effectively save lives through decisions and measures that opened up the way to full-scale deployments. 

Commsignia is the largest company fully dedicated to V2X with over 140 employees. The company’s V2X products connect the entire traffic ecosystem, working together with partners in the automotive sector as well as those from the infrastructure operator side. 

With a presence in the world’s automotive hubs in the US, Germany and South Korea, Commsignia is a V2X technology provider to several automotive OEMs and Tier1 companies. The company has mass production deals with multiple automotive OEMs and is also a partner in pioneering research projects with the world’s leading automakers including for example Volkswagen2, Audi of America3 and Ford4.  

On the operator side, Commsignia and its partners have covered hundreds of intersections across the United States, Europe and Asia with V2X, contributing to increasing road safety in cities and regions, like Las Vegas, Denver and broader Colorado, the Italian motorways, and highways in Czechia.

As a result, drivers, riders and self-driving vehicles can make better decisions using real-time cooperative sensor data. Commsignia is building the operating system for connected transport by providing all elements of a digital road infrastructure.

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Szabolcs
Patay

Chief Executive Officer / Founder

We see this investment as a confirmation from our key strategic partners on our technology leadership. It gives us and our customers confidence: Commsignia plays a significant role in the growth of the digital transport infrastructure and the connected vehicle ecosystem. This investment reinforces our ecosystem strategy which covers all segments of mobility and connected infrastructure services, to enable more people to use our world-class V2X products to improve sustainability, efficiency, equity and safety in transportation. – says Szabolcs (Szabi) Patay, CEO of Commsignia.

Read about Szabolcs Patay

INVESTOR QUOTES

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Jenő Nieder, Deputy CEO of PortfoLion Capital Partners

“Portfolion made a solid investment decision to Commsignia and the management team leading the company. The company’s product brings visible value with the promise of decreased energy consumption and less road accidents. They have already successfully delivered real life projects in cities and motorways to returning clients. Commsignia is trusted by the largest US and European car manufacturers and has already built great partnership with leading brands.”

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Timo Tirkkonen, Partner and Co-Founder at Inventure

“Autonomous vehicles, and the rise of micromobility and a growing focus on road safety are trends that will extensively shape the automotive in the coming years – and V2X is a key tech that lies in their intersection. We are thrilled to take part in fuelling the growth of this life saving technology through domain leader Commsignia, and look forward to making mobility safer, smarter, and more sustainable” – added Timo Tirkkonen, Partner and Co-Founder at Inventure.

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Csaba Kákosy, Managing Partner of Day One Capital

“We couldn’t be more proud of the Commsignia team. They have not only scaled the company to become one of Hungary’s largest startups, marking their place as a global player in smart mobility, but they have also navigated challenges and adversities with the adeptness that only the best companies display.” – added Csaba Kákosy, Managing Partner of Day One Capital.

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Endre Sagi, General Partner of Inference Partners

Since the start of our collaboration a decade ago, Commsignia has firmly established itself as the global market leader in V2X. Their relentless pursuit of pioneering advancements in connected vehicle technology and the enormous market potential have made our decision to co-lead their Series B round very easy. – added Endre Sagi, General Partner of Inference Partners.

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Andrej Kiska, General Partner of Credo Ventures

“We established Credo over 13 years ago with the belief that Central Europeans can build category-leading companies. And Commsignia is a strong testament to that belief: superb team coupled with superb technology, set to dominate the V2X market for years to come.” – says Andrej Kiska, General Partner of Credo Ventures.

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Kristjan Laanemaa, Founding Partner at Karma Ventures

“At Karma Ventures we have been privileged to work with the Commsignia founding team after we led the company’s A-round and are proud to have supported them on the journey to date. We look forward to seeing the Commsignia solutions rolling through to mass production in the near future and making roads safer.” – said Kristjan Laanemaa, Founding Partner at Karma Ventures.

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Lee Sang-yong, senior vice president of R&D Laboratory at LG Electronics Vehicle component Solutions (VS) Company

“V2X communication technology is essential for making autonomous driving a reality,” said Lee Sang-yong, senior vice president of R&D Laboratory at LG Electronics Vehicle component Solutions (VS) Company. “Through our strategic investment in Commsignia, we expect to lead the connected car era in the coming future, as we mutually strengthen our competitiveness in V2X communication technology.”

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Boaz Peer, Senior Director, Qualcomm Israel Ltd. and Managing Director of Qualcomm Ventures Israel and Europe

“V2X technology paves the way for smarter, safer, and more efficient transportation,” says Boaz Peer, Senior Director, Qualcomm Israel Ltd. and Managing Director of Qualcomm Ventures Israel and Europe.  “Commsignia is an important player in the V2X ecosystem, and we are happy to invest in their journey towards further growth and success.”

Commsignia is the largest company focusing on vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology. The company unlocks the full potential of Intelligent Transport Systems and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems with cutting edge V2X software and hardware products and services to improve road safety and efficiency for all road users and enable value-added services in the vehicle industry. 

Commsignia’s V2X solutions allow road owners and operators to gain real-time traffic insights from connected sensors and cameras to better protect a wide range of connected and nonconnected road users, including pedestrians and cyclists. V2X-enabled smart intersections provide traffic priority services for emergency responders, city fleets, and V2X is an essential component for self-driving. 

Commsignia enables automotive manufacturers, micromobility providers and bicycle manufacturers to cost-effectively deliver improved road safety and better driving experience for their customers by joining the V2X ecosystem. V2X connects road users with each other and with roadside equipment to support them with information through sensor sharing and ensure confident, safe and comfortable driving. 

Learn more about our products and services here

Media inquiries: 

Andrea Schenk – [email protected] – +36.30.774.2843

Commsignia Changes Leadership Set-up

Global leader in V2X technology announced a rearranging of roles within its top leadership to strengthen foundations for rapid growth and scaling.

20 February, Santa Clara, California – 11-years-old Commsignia, the largest company fully dedicated to V2X technology announced the reallocation of key roles within its top management.

Laszlo Virag, who has been fulfilling the CEO role since the passing of Jozsef Kovacs in late 2021, will shift focus onto strategic leadership, investor relations and creating the company vision as Executive President and CTO. The CEO role will be taken on by co-founder Szabolcs (Szabi) Patay, whose main focus will be on company management and growth execution. He has been with the company since its first days, and lately he has been working as Chief Revenue Officer.

The goal of the reorganization is the optimal allocation of tasks, providing a solid foundation for the rapid growth the company is experiencing.

 “With the growth of the company, we want to make sure that proper focus is given to both the long term vision and the daily operations. I’m positive the new setup perfectly serves this goal, and both my and Szabi’s abilities are leveraged in the best possible way” – Laszlo Virag comments. 

I could not be more excited to step into this role, and am looking forward to facing a bigger share of the responsibility in creating a harmonic working environment ensuring high performance, that helps Commsignia maintain its leading role in the industry. I’m really proud of all the results we’ve accomplished in the past years, of the exceptional team we have built up, and all the challenges we have come across – I’m eager to continue this work.” – Szabolcs Patay comments.

Commsignia welcomes new People and Culture Director

Santa Clara, California – 10 October, 2022 

The new Director will oversee the human resources and organizational strategic leadership of the Commsignia team, currently 120-strong and growing.

Katalin Ragályi brings in 15+ years of international experience gained at household brand MNCs, overseeing workforce in multiple locations. Throughout her career, she acquired expertise in fast-paced, challenging environments and gained a great understanding of how HR and establishment of a strong culture can support business growth. 

She arrives at Commsignia from Tungsram Group, a global electronics manufacturer in the lightning industry, where she held the role of Chief HR Officer, leading the large-scale transformation of the company from human resources aspect.  

Previously she worked at medical service provider Affidea as Global HR Business Partner, where she dealt with 16 countries in her role, supporting local HR process improvement, recruitment and organizational development. Before that, she gained significant experience at telecoms giant Telenor, where she spent 17 years in various roles with growing responsibilities, ultimately fulfilling the role of Head of HR Partners and Talent Acquisition. 

She is a graduate of the Central European University, holding a BA in Human Resources Management, as well as a BA in Social Psychology obtained at Medo Institute. She is also a licensed Career Coach, and completed her studies with a Leadership Development Program at the London Business School. 

Hello Commsignia UK!

We are happy to announce we have just opened our UK Office, with the local team led by seasoned expert in wireless technologies, Andy Chappell.

“We are excited to increase our presence in the UK. We’ve already completed some projects here, and we see how active and engaged the local industry is.” – said Jozsef Kovacs, CEO of Commsignia.

“We see a growing interest in V2X related projects making it vital to have a local presence. We will be better able to cater to our customers and partners in the UK. I’m looking forward to announcing the upcoming projects we already have in the pipeline in the UK.”

Commsignia UK is already operational, feel free to reach out to us to learn more!

Introducing Commsignia Central for data-driven traffic management

Cities and road operators use V2X technologies to improve traffic conditions, reduce air pollution, broadcast useful information to traffic participants, and support self-driving vehicles. Growing V2X infrastructure places an extra burden on users and various stakeholders as it generates more data than what a legacy Traffic Management System could handle. Commsignia Central is a device and data manager platform that aims to solve this through automation and providing the ability to operate complex services. It offers a clear overview of what’s happening within the V2X enabled Intelligent Transportation System infrastructure, including roadside units, edge devices, and other smart sensors, so operators can focus on making the road network more efficient.

Commsignia Central stores, processes, and visualizes traffic information enabling data-based decision making. The software helps users maintain a consistently high level of service with smart features continuously monitoring the health and performance of V2X devices and with incident reports that help them respond quickly. All information is available in a central location reducing the number of maintenance trips, thereby cutting operating costs.

Message like a pro

With Commsignia Central broadcasting information becomes simple and completely transparent. Operators get an easy-to-use tool to automate these processes. The platform’s dashboard displays real-time feedback about message transactions so operators can always be sure that the messages have reached their destination.

“Talking to traffic participants is an increasingly complex task and stakeholders need to be prepared for the growth of self-driving vehicles and various micro-mobility services, all of which need to exchange significant amounts of data to safely co-exist with other road users. Our V2X technology will be key to making more precise, automated, and secure traffic management decisions.” – says Jozsef Kovacs, CEO of Commsignia.

Commsignia develops and produces equipment and software for cities and highways to help them build new connected, intelligent transport solutions or improve existing infrastructure. The Commsignia roadside platform processes and merges information coming from various sensors and cameras for better traffic efficiency and to protect road users including pedestrians and users of micro-mobility services. The Commsignia onboard unit provides vehicles with intelligence and the ability to cooperate, connecting them to each other and the infrastructure.

Industry Veteran Michael Becker Joins Commsignia

Commsignia, the largest company fully focusing on vehicle-to-everything (V2X) solutions, today announced the joining of Michael Becker to the company as VP of Global Automotive Business Development.

Throughout his career, Michael Becker (51) has gained extensive experience in various senior leadership roles focusing on software and hardware products and business development. He has been responsible for driving programs and teams globally with a strong focus on Asia, Europe and North America. He was leading the development of the first optical in-car infotainment network, and holds multiple patents for infotainment and networking solutions.

He spent 20 years at Harman International, where he started as a software engineer and moved on to product development and management, later evolutioned to global sales and business development, and later on partnerships. In 2011 he joined ATX (acquired in 2013 by SiriusXM) as Senior Director of Global Business Development, and throughout his tenure there later on he fulfilled managing director and VP roles as well. He is joining Commsignia from Agero, where he spent 2 years as VP Europe Customer Services. 

In his new role, he will be responsible for creating and executing the Automotive sales strategy of Commsignia, overseeing all levels of customer engagements in every customer project from business development, sales and account management perspectives to maintain Commsignia’s position as a global market leader in V2X. Besides, he will focus on building and maintaining Commsignia presence in the DACH region to support existing and potential customers.

“I couldn’t be more excited to join Commsignia, a company that provides cutting-edge V2X automotive technology and smart city solutions. I’m delighted to become part of this outstanding team and I’m looking forward to supporting an accelerated growth of Commsignia” 

Michael will continue to work in Germany.

Commsignia integrates cloud and V2X messaging in a 5G & 4G V2N solution

Commsignia has developed a vendor-agnostic method of transmitting automotive-grade vehicle-to-everything (V2X) messages including information aggregated from multiple sources, including the cloud, with the use of 4G and 5G connections.

The vehicle-to-network (V2N) solution can be applied to avoid traffic jams and prevent accidents in semi-static situations. A simple and rather common example is when cars congest highway exits and obstruct the outer lane, creating a dangerous situation. One known solution is when the on-board navigation system of stalled vehicles sends status information to the cloud via a 4G or 5G cellular connection. The navigation supplier’s cloud-based traffic information service then informs other vehicles of a possible traffic jam in the area. Such solutions usually only work within the specific supplier’s ecosystem.

Commsignia’s solution can aggregate information from different data sources, including various suppliers’ cloud databases, infrastructure data from roadside sensors and cameras, and sensor data from V2X-enabled vehicles. While cloud-based solutions trigger an early warning about a possible event, a vehicle’s V2X on-board unit sends more precise information in low-latency direct messages to other V2X-enabled vehicles in the area. These vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) messages contain the exact location of the recognized event. Commsignia’s hybrid fusion layer verifies alerts from different sources and provides the driver with aggregated data.

By combining network-based V2N, infrastructure-based V2I and vehicle-based V2V data, Commsignia’s solution offers more precise warnings and opens up the possibility of notifications reaching more drivers, increasing road safety. 

QUOTE

Andras
Varadi

Research Director

One of the big challenges in digital traffic safety is reaching most drivers, and it makes sense to combine multiple channels such as direct V2X communications and the 4G or 5G cellular networks. The aggregation and verification of different information sources offer a robust and reliable messaging solution, all based on automotive grade V2X standards.

Read about Andras Varadi

This solution was developed in the SAFERtec project. SAFERtec has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement no 732319

On the way to Pan-European Interoperability

Commsignia today announced the successful completion of C-Roads cross-border testing in Austria and France at the end of 2020, proving that Commsignia’s ITS-G5 V2X solutions, the RS4 roadside unit (RSU) and OB4 on-board unit (OBU) using Autotalks V2X radios with verification acceleration and embedded HSM Hardware Security Module are fully compliant with the pan-European C-Roads project specifications for ITS-G5 communications. The results show the maturity and interoperability of the Autotalks chipset and the complete Commsignia HW&SW solution and enables European customers to ramp up deployment volumes.

In addition to the C-Roads tests, the units are certified against the EU Radio Equipment Directive (EU RED).

Commsignia’s RS4 RSUs and OB4 OBUs are already OmniAir certified, regular participants on ETSI Plugtest events for interoperability and the units are fully compliant with all European V2X standards. The dual technology, DSRC / C-V2X, capability of the units ensure the support of both ITS-G5/DSRC and C-V2X technologies, enabling deployments regardless of regional preferences.

Commsignia V2X solutions are already delivered to more than 25 countries globally. In the various deployments Commsignia proved its competence in complete V2X security, SCMS/PKI integration and secure interoperability with devices from other vendors. The Commsignia OBUs and RSUs run Commsignia’s own automotive grade V2X software stack, security stack and applications.

The Commsignia automotive grade V2X stack, security stack and applications are also available for automotive OEMs and Tier-1s planning to line fit their vehicles with V2X functionality

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Laszlo
Virag

Executive President and Chief Technology Officer / Founder

We are very proud of the interoperability test results showing our AutoTalks chipset based V2X OBUs and RSUs with the Commsignia V2X software are fit for mass deployments on the European market in terms of maturity, interoperability and security. The V2X software suite is also part of our automotive software product line, tailored to OEM mass production requirements. Commsignia projects in more than 25 countries prove that our solution meets the highest expectations of our customers.

Read about Laszlo Virag

About C-Roads Platform

C-Roads is a joint program of European Member States’ authorities and road operators for harmonising, testing and implementing C-ITS services C-ITS. The initiative’s goal is to ensure the cross-border interoperability of services for road users.

About Autotalks

Autotalks (www.auto-talks.com) is a V2X chipset market pioneer and leader, providing customers worldwide with state-of-the-art V2X solutions. Autotalks helps reduce collisions on roadways and improve mobility with its automotive qualified chipsets. The chipsets offer the most advanced, truly secure and highest performing global V2X communication solution designed for autonomous vehicles. Autotalks’ advanced technology, to be mass deployed in the coming years, complements the information coming from other sensors, specifically in non-line-of-sight scenarios, rough weather, or poor lighting conditions. It significantly improves overall road safety, effectively coordinating vehicles, self-driving cars, motorcyclists and pedestrians.

About Commsignia

Commsignia is the market’s most dynamic V2X company thanks to its cutting-edge technology and market ready portfolio. Commsignia specializes in Connected Car / V2X “Safer on the Road” software and hardware products compatible with IEEE 802.11p standards and DSRC and future Cellular V2X (C-V2X) / 5G technologies. Commsignia is helping to build the next generation autonomous car and smart mobility ecosystem that will make driving safer whilst reducing congestion and lowering emissions. Commsignia supplies best-in-class V2X (Car2X) Communication Software, hybrid V2X /ADAS Applications with robust PKI and SCMS security, a V2X SDK as well as OnBoard (OBU) and Roadside Units (RSU) for connected car and Smart City deployments.

V2X vehicle deployments in Europe are expected to accelerate now that V2X was included in the EuroNCAP 2025 roadmap. V2X infrastructure plays an important part of the European strategy, providing an instant improvement in road-safety. The mature Autotalks chipset proved again the compliance with all the European regulations for deployment in vehicles and infrastructure. Our long-standing and successful cooperation with Commsignia is the baseline for a high-performing and secure solution – Yuval Lachman, VP of Business Development EU & US

Commsignia’s High Performing V2X Software Stack Available with Snapdragon Automotive 5G and 4G Platforms

Commsignia, a leading vehicle-to-everything (V2X) solution provider today announced that its V2X software and security stack is now available to work with the Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ Automotive 4G and 5G Platforms for vehicular and roadside units (RSUs), leveraging the Qualcomm® Snapdragon™2150 Platform for computational power, the cellular vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) system complements C-V2X communications solutions, while delivering 4G, 5G and C-V2X capabilities. The Snapdragon Automotive 4G and 5G Platforms, in conjunction with Snapdragon 2150 Platform, are highly integrated and optimized, allowing for the mass production-ready OnBoard (OBUs) and Roadside Units (RSUs) for long-range communications, while providing C-V2X direct short-range connectivity enabling low latency V2X communication.

With this important milestone, Commsignia provides OEMs and Tier-1 automotive suppliers an up-to-date, highly efficient, production-grade, global C-V2X solution on all Qualcomm® Automotive Wireless Solutions. The state-of-the-art software stack complies with the latest standards and industry requirements, including ASPICE and MISRA C, fulfilling high quality requirements of the automotive industry.

Commsignia’s proprietary V2X security stack makes full use of the Snapdragon 2150 Platform’s built-in Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) accelerator. Commsignia’s approach ensures secure V2X communication, while providing high verification throughput, as well as best-in-class computing performance, saving application processor computing budget, and carmakers can take advantage of working with a single supplier providing all necessary C-V2X software components.

QUOTE

Szabolcs
Patay

Chief Executive Officer / Founder

As one of the first companies to announce a software stack working with the Qualcomm Automotive Wireless Solutions, we are excited to offer our production-ready software on a mature V2X platform designed specifically for vehicles.

The high-performance software stack with outstanding security features leads the car industry into the V2X era, preparing the ground for future self-driving and connected vehicles.

Read about Szabolcs Patay

The FCC’s decision about spectrum usage last November now allows the exchange of information between C-V2X connected vehicles, pedestrians and the infrastructure, even when the participants are not in the line of sight.

C-V2X is a key technology to help safer driving, preventing road accidents, while it’s also reducing congestion and harmful emissions by optimizing traffic flows. As roads are getting digitized with C-V2X roadside units, and vehicles are sharing more and more information with each other and the infrastructure, data security is becoming a basic requirement for car manufacturers to ensure safety.

Qualcomm and Snapdragon are trademarks or registered trademarks of Qualcomm Incorporated.
Qualcomm Snapdragon Automotive Platforms, Qualcomm Snapdragon 2150 Platform, and Qualcomm Automotive Wireless Solutions are products of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries.

Welcoming C-V2X in the United States after FCC’s ruling

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) fundamentally changed the vehicle communications (C-ITS) market in the US by restructuring the 5.9 GHz band. The industry must go forward on a narrowed spectrum with Cellular V2X or C-V2X technology instead of the widely used Dedicated Short Range Communication (DSRC). The changes announced pave the way for progress, eliminating the uncertainty caused by competing technologies.

Commsignia has always been supporting both C-V2X and DSRC and is well prepared to help the US market go down this newly designated path. Road operators and cities can focus on their primary missions, saving lives and making transportation more efficient, while we at Commsignia deliver the best technologies and services needed to achieve these goals.

For those who have DSRC systems up and running we’re ensuring a smooth transition to C-V2X. Those who use our dual-mode equipment are in a unique position to solve this problem with a mere software upgrade at no significant cost. Our C-V2X offer includes ITS-RS4-M ver:C roadside units (RSU) for cities and road operators and ITS-OB4-M ver:C onboard units (OBU) for fleets to deploy V2X services in the US.

We’re participating in setting up the C-V2X certification processes with OmniAir to rigorously test our devices because standardization and certification is in our corporate DNA.

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Laszlo
Virag

Executive President and Chief Technology Officer / Founder

This is a significant milestone for the industry, and we believe that with the uncertainty removed from the industry, deployments will speed up allowing V2X technology to take off.

However with this change various customers are facing the need to switch from their existing devices to C-V2X. For this we provide assistance and specialized solutions, to make sure this transition period is a smooth experience for all involved: decisionmakers, operators, and those using the technology day by day.

Read about Laszlo Virag

Join our webinar!

If you already have C-ITS infrastructure or want to build one, we invite you to join our webinar where we deep dive in FCC’s ruling and the future of this market. Laszlo Virag will talk about the impacts of FCC’s decision and how Commsignia supports building C-V2X infrastructure or upgrading an existing one. 

Register on the Webinar Event page.

Details of FCC’s November 18, 2020 decision:

The FCC allocated 45 MHz of the 5,9 GHz band to unlicensed devices, vehicle communication remained on the upper 30 MHz. C-ITS users have to vacate this lower part of the band within one year of the effective date of the First Report and Order, and leave behind DSRC within 2 years in the remaining band designated to C-ITS.