uCloudlink Group Inc‘s UCL shopper model GlocalMe is making a renewed push into the U.S. with the launch of PetPhone, an AI-powered machine designed to let pets and homeowners keep linked.
The corporate is positioning the product as a driver of its U.S. enlargement, the place it expects income to double once more in 2025 after re-entering the market final yr.
“The U.S. is the most important pet market on this planet. Each household wants a PetPhone,” stated CEO Chen Zhaohui. “Our mission is bridging the digital hole for people and pets.”
PetPhone permits pets to “name” their homeowners by AI-enabled recognition of actions and sounds, whereas homeowners can test in remotely, play calming music, or situation instructions.
Chen stated early pilot households within the U.S. have proven robust engagement. “A whole lot of households now simply let their canine exterior, give a name, and the canine comes again for dinner,” he famous.
The corporate has already secured a strategic partnership with Chewy, the U.S.-based pet e-commerce chief, changing into its unique PetPhone service supplier inside three months of negotiations. GlocalMe plans official launch occasions in Boston and Los Angeles and is in talks with different retail and digital platforms to scale distribution.
The U.S. pet care trade is valued at over $140 billion, with spending per family persevering with to rise as pet possession turns into extra embedded in American life.
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Analysts word that the U.S. market can be extremely receptive to “humanization” developments in pet care, with customers keen to undertake expertise merchandise that improve pets’ well being, security, and emotional well-being.
For uCloudlink, PetPhone is a part of a broader diversification past cellular broadband. The corporate has bought 4 million Wi-Fi units globally and at present helps 300,000 day by day lively terminals. The U.S. beforehand contributed round 20% of group income earlier than authorized and pandemic disruptions compelled a pause.
After resolving patent disputes and re-entering in 2023, the corporate has expanded its U.S. headcount from 2 to 7 and tailor-made merchandise particularly for American customers, together with automobile connectivity options and now PetPhone.
Margins within the U.S. stay engaging, with Chen citing 60% gross margins and restricted direct competitors. The corporate reported $10 million internet revenue in 2023, a lot of which is being reinvested into new product improvement and U.S. advertising and marketing.
“We already see robust acceptance within the U.S. market,” Chen stated. “This isn’t solely about creating a brand new product class, however about constructing a enterprise that may scale.”
Trying forward, Chen believes PetPhone might evolve right into a platform play, combining communication, leisure, and even social interplay between pets. “This can be a pet WeChat, a pet TikTok,” he stated. Elective digicam and GPS options are deliberate, although tailored to U.S. regulatory necessities.
Regardless of ongoing U.S.–China commerce tensions and tariffs, uCloudlink is assured it may climate coverage headwinds.
The corporate is headquartered in Singapore, with R&D in China and diversified manufacturing throughout Asia, a construction Chen says “minimizes publicity to tariff shocks.” With a big, pet-friendly shopper base and excessive willingness to spend on premium care, the U.S. is being handled as a core progress engine by uCloudlink.
“This can be a game-changer marketplace for us,” Chen stated. “PetPhone is just the start of our U.S. technique.”
