January 26 PlanetWatch AMA recap

In this article you can find a recap of the 26th of January AMA with our CEO, Claudio Parrinello.

Main announcements

🟢 Network issues

We are working round the clock to solve network issues. Once we finish testing our network extensively, hopefully by the end of the 1st week of February, we will be able to put in place an actionable strategy to fix all issues. 

🔵 New license policy

Until now, our license policy stated that PlanetWatchers could buy up to 5 licenses per type with Basic KYC and if they wanted to buy more than 5 licenses per type, they were asked to pass Advanced KYC. Beyond 100, we would look into a relationship with them as a business.
As of February 4, 6pm CET, we will be introducing a new license policy and each PlanetWatcher will only be able to purchase licenses up to a limit of 5 (all types of devices combined). Those who already own 5+ licenses will not be able to purchase more.
This is a measure that is aligned with our goal of building a more balanced network of sensors in order to generate relevant data in major cities worldwide.
Before making this effective we will undergo a transition period. What you need to know:
– All users that want to purchase 5+ licenses prior to the new license policy being introduced need to open a ticket before February 1, 6pm CET asking us to enable their accounts.
Only users that have completed Advanced KYC are eligible.
Users must select the option “Licenses beyond 5” when opening their tickets.
– Users whose accounts are enabled can purchase 5+ licenses until February 4, 6pm CET.
– Potential business partners interested in deploying a large number of sensors (100+) should reach out to [email protected]

Important: Since January 27 6 pm CET, as announced on the January 20 AMA, we paused selling Type 4 licenses. This is a temporary measure which does not affect renewals of existing licenses.

Some questions you might be asking…

1) What is the deadline to buy 5+ licenses and what do I have to do? 
If you have already passed Advanced KYC, in order to be able to buy 5+ licenses before the new license policy is introduced, you need to open a ticket (select the option “Licenses beyond 5”) until February 1, 6pm CET asking us to enable your account for the purchase. Once your account has been enabled, you must buy before February 4, 6pm CET.

2) Do I need to open a ticket even if I have Advanced KYC?
Yes. If you want to buy 5+ licenses prior to the new license policy being introduced you must open a ticket before February 1, 6pm CET to get your account enabled for the purchase.

3) I have not completed Advanced KYC. What should I do?
If you are having any trouble with the KYC process, contact Synaps.
Please beware that if you have purchased licenses using two accounts, you need to merge them. Otherwise, you will not be able to complete the KYC verification. 
For the merger, you need to open a ticket (select the option “Merge Accounts”) stating the main account you want to keep and the email address you wish to merge.

4) If I already own 5+ licenses but still do not have my sensors, can I activate them after February 4, 6pm CET?
Yes. This new policy is not retroactive, which means that all the licenses you already own can be connected to your sensors when they become available. For example, if you, in compliance with the previous license policy, bought 20 licenses and are still waiting for the purchase emails for the sensors, we are not going to interfere with that.

5) If I own 5+ licenses, can I renew all my licenses when they expire?
Yes. Renewal will be granted to those who already have 5+ licenses. The change of rules will only affect new buyers.

Q&A with Claudio

Do you plan to onboard new sensors soon?
We are planning to onboard some new sensors. Two weeks ago we already showed you the prototype of a new Type 2 sensor which uses Helium network connectivity. Besides that, we are testing several devices for other types. 
We only onboard sensors which comply with our quality standards. When the time comes, we will disclose all the details.

When should we expect to receive the purchase emails for Type 1 and Type 3 sensors belonging to the Q1 2022 batch?
Purchase emails for Type 1 and Type 3 sensors belonging to the Q1 2022 batch will be sent out by the end of March 2022.
It is worth reminding the meaning of belonging to a quarter batch. If you go to our website, fill in the information regarding your order number and the system tells you that you belong to the Q1 2022 batch, this is not the quarter in which you bought your license, this is the quarter in which we expect your sensor to become available.

Since the waiting list is very long, do you recommend or have connections to any 3rd party vendors?
We are working to shorten the waiting time between buying a license and a sensor. That is also why we are testing new sensors to be onboarded.
However, these days, PlanetWatch sensors keep popping up for sale on online marketplaces such as eBay. Buyer beware: we do not have partnerships nor endorse any of these 3rd party vendors.
All the sensors onboarded by PlanetWatch are excellent devices – Airqino, Kaiterra Sensedge Mini, Awair Element and Atmotube – which, besides earning you tokens, deliver important information that you can use to change your habits and protect you and your family. It would be a shame if you bought from a random vendor a device which may be second-hand or faulty. The call is yours to make but just be mindful of the fact that you are taking some risks because, if you run into any problems, you are very likely to not have adequate customer support.

When will PlanetWatch and the city of Miami sign a contract making the partnership official? Are municipalities going to purchase sensors with PLANETS? 
We are having high-level discussions with the Miami Mayor’s office and working on the deployment strategy. Nevertheless, deals like this take time to get from the decision of collaborating to the stage of signing a contract. We will keep you posted.
Regarding the way municipalities are going to purchase sensors, it would not be realistic of us to ask a small city mayor to use blockchain tokens. For this specific kind of partners, we allow payment to be handled in fiat because it can make a difference between closing an agreement or not.
From a mid-term perspective, we will push all partners to buy in PLANETS but, at this point, we need to be reasonable and customise the payment terms depending on the type of stakeholders we are dealing with. The most important thing is for cities to endorse PlanetWatch and buy data from us to develop projects that can protect people’s health.

Keep watching our Planet and get ready to help us make it greener by staking your PLANETS! 🌍