issue 3 2018 caf 3 2018 - cover layout 1 08/06/2018 10:25 ...communications africa/afrique is a...

AfriqueAfricawww.communicationsafrica.com

Issue 3 2018Édition 3 2018

features: � Communications � Mobile � Satellitesregular reports: � Agenda � Solutions

BackhaulControlling the costs

Value-added servicesThe rise of news and

entertainment-based VAS

Monetising growthEffective end-to-end revenue

managementP17 - West Africa Com will take place inDakar, Senegal.

The challenges facing operators

Security risks in telecom networks

CAF 3 2018 - Cover_Layout 1 08/06/2018 10:25

S01 CAF Issue 3 2018 Start_Layout 1 08/06/2018 11:33

http://amos-spacecom.com/

AfriqueAfricawww.communicationsafrica.com

Issue 3 2018Édition 3 2018

features: � Communications � Mobile � Satellitesregular reports: � Agenda � Solutions

BackhaulControlling the costs

Value-added servicesThe rise of news and

entertainment-based VAS

Monetising growthEffective end-to-end revenue

managementP17 - West Africa Com will take place inDakar, Senegal.

The challenges facing operators

Security risks in telecom networks

A note from the EditorWE EXPLORE NEW opportunities andchallenges affecting Africa’scommunications sector in the latestissue. This edition focuses on the ICTindustry - including the growth of cloudcomputing in Botswana and the benefitsthis brings. Also in the ICT sphere, wehave an event-preview of the upcomingITU Telecom World show taking place inDurban, South Africa and a look atartifical intelligence, one of the topics tobe covered at the event, and how it canunlock scale and opportunity to dealwith challenges facing the sector.

Une note du rédacteurNOUS EXPLORONS DE nouvellesopportunités et défis affectant lesecteur des communications del'Afrique dans le dernier numéro.Cette édition se penchera sur lacroissance de l'informatique ennuage au Botswana. Toujours dans ledomaine des technologies del'information et de la communication,nous avons un aperçu del'événement ITU Telecom World quise tiendra à Durban, en Afrique duSud. Nous examinons égalementl'intelligence artificielle, l'un dessujets à traiter à l'UIT et la façon dontelle peut débloquer l'échelle et lesopportunités pour faire face auxinconvénients.

Agenda 4

Quotes 5

Events 8

Solutions 34

FEATURES

ICT 6New opportunities have arisen in cloud computing for Botswana as Internet penetration reaches an estimated 28 percent.

ITU Telecom World 11The global platform for high-level debate, networking, innovation-showcasing and knowledge-sharing across the ICTcommunity, taking place 10-13 September in Durban, South Africa.

Artifical Intelligence 14The rise of artifical intelligence is a direct response to the increased volume of data produced daily and within thetelco industry is expected to acceletate the evolution of network operator infrastructure.

Security 20Positive Technologies, a leading authority on telecoms security, discusses how deregulation, a vast increase inmobile operators (and MVNOs) and pressure from end users to use phones almost anywhere has led to the need tocreate exchanges.

Revenue Management 24Communication service providers are exploring new ways to grow profitability, however a new report looks at howmonetising growth, mainly in data transport and associated services - requires effective end-to-end revenuemanagement.

ARTICLES

Numérique 10La connectivité croissante des personnes, des machines et des entreprises a réformé les demandes du marché et,pour rester compétitives, les organisations doivent s'adapter en numérisant leurs processus et leurs modèlesd'affaires.

CONTENTS

www.communicationsafrica.com Communications Africa Issue 3 2018 3

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Business Magazines

Head Office: Middle East Regional Office:Alain Charles Publishing Ltd Alain Charles Middle East FZ-LLCUniversity House Office L2-112, Loft Office 2,11-13 Lower Grosvenor Place Entrance B, PO Box 502207London SW1W 0EX, United Kingdom Dubai Media City, UAETelephone: +44 20 7834 7676 Telephone: +971 4 448 9260Fax: +44 20 7973 0076 Fax: +971 4 448 9261

Subscriptions: [email protected]: Derek FordhamPrinted by: Buxton Press Printed in: May 2018Communications Africa/Afrique is a bi-monthly magazine ISSN: 0962 3841 Serving the world of business

Editor: Hiriyti Bairu - [email protected]

Editorial and Design team: Prashant AP, Miriam Brtkova, Praveen CP, Manojkumar K, Deblina Roy,Rhonita Patnaik, Rahul Puthenveedu, Samantha Payne, Nicky Valsamakis and Louise Waters

Managing Editor: Georgia Lewis

Production: Srinidhi Chikkars, Eugenia Nelly Mendes, Infant Prakash and Rakshith ShivakumarEmail: [email protected]

Publisher: Nick Fordham

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Magazine Sales Manager: Vinay T Nair - Tel: +91 80 68888847, Email: [email protected]

Country Representative Telephone Fax EmailIndia Tanmay Mishra +91 80 65700911 [email protected] Bola Olowo +234 8034349299 [email protected] Graham Brown +971 4 448 9260 +971 4 448 9261 [email protected] Michael Ferridge +44 20 7834 7676 +44 20 7973 0076 [email protected] Michael Tomashefsky +1 203 226 2882 +1 203 226 7447 [email protected]

20Botswana’sgovernment hassaid it iscommitted toaccelerating ICT skillsdevelopment.

10Globally, and on theAfrican continent,organisations mustembrace digitaltransformation


INTELSAT, OPERATOR OF the world’s first Globalised Network and leaderin integrated satellite solutions, announced that Uganda’sCommunications Commission (UCC) will utilise Intelsat satellite servicesand Gilat Satellite Network’s ground infrastructure to advance the roll outof 3G wireless communications infrastructure and expand high quality,affordable broadband access for businesses and communities in ruralareas of Uganda.

Under a pilot programme, the UCC will use IntelsatOne Mobile ReachSolar 3G satellite services delivered via the Intelsat 37e satellite andGilat’s SkyEdge II-c multi-application platform to provide high-quality,resilient and affordable broadband connectivity to two communities –Bufundi in Rubanda and Kibuku in Ntoroko. The improved performance,efficiency and lower total cost of ownership delivered by Intelsat 37e, thefifth of the Intelsat EpicNG satellites and one of three serving Africa, willenable Uganda to quickly extend broadband connectivity to rural areasof the country in a cost-efficient manner.

The aim of the remote connectivity project is to demonstrate the easeof deploying the satellite solution, while also looking at the commercialviability and sustainability of the solution. This will support theacceleration of the Uganda government’s broadband strategy,particularly its goal of achieving minimum broadband speeds of 3 Mbpsand coverage of 100 percent of Uganda’s rural areas by 2020.

The International Telecommunications Satellite Organisation (ITSO) isworking alongside member states to achieve the United Nation’sSustainable Development Goals by 2030 and has played a key role incoordinating efforts and bringing the private and public entities togetherto benefit the two communities in Uganda.

“Extending broadband connectivity and delivering fast, affordable Internet services to everyone in Ugandaremains one of the Uganda government’s primary missions,” said Godfrey Mutabazi, executive director of theUganda Communications Commission. “With more than 80 per cent of our population living in rural areas, thishas been a technological and budgetary challenge. With this combined effort and the innovative approach thecompanies are bringing, we believe citizens in some of our most isolated communities will experience the powerof reliable connectivity and the economic and social benefits it delivers.”

Communications Africa Issue 3 2018

AGENDA

4

FRANCE'S INGENICO GROUPhas joined forces withpayments technologycompany Paycode to helpZambia roll out a biometricsystem which is used todistribute subsidies.

Under the governmentprogramme, called FarmerInput Support Programme(FISP), Zambia providesbeneficiary farmers withsubsidized fertilizer andhybrid maize seed.

Farmers enrolled in thesystem have theirfingerprints stored forauthentication and areissued an electronic wallet.“We are proud to haveserved the Ministry ofAgriculture by providingworld-class technology thatworks in the remotestenvironments. We lookforward to expanding oursolution so every Zambiancan have their money at theirfingertips,” said GabeRuhan, director of PaycodeZambia.

WHAT SEPARATES A good company and a great company? More often than not, great companies have astrong identity and a strong business culture. However, for companies with remote workers andindependent workers, that can be hard to achieve. The answer may be in the cloud.

Within the industrial sectors, oil and gas, and energy sectors, remote workers and smallindependent teams work everywhere for you. Particularly across the continents of Africa and theMiddle East, and those who are based offshore, a handful of people will be hundreds of miles away fromany of their colleagues. Of course, we have social media and promotional materials, but today, theseare less effective, with colleague engagement decreasing over time. This is why targeted advertisingusing information collected off social media and web browser can be so crucial.

Across many of the sectors I mentioned above, we use cloud technology to improveefficiencies, operational strategies and production flow. This can be done with smart flow metresin refineries, Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) glasses and screens, and trackingand response apps on smartphones. But a business culture is harder to define, pin down, andquantify. In fact, many workers may not even realise that they are part of a business culture. Thoseisolated are in even more danger of losing sight of company goals and instilling business valuesand ethics into their own work.

For workers to understand what the company is trying to achieve, we can continuing to usecloud technology. In particular, we can harbour elearning resources that workers can access fromanywhere in the world with collaborative tools to engage with their other colleagues. This candriven by both management and by colleagues to both promote a business culture and to engagewith it. This can be done via a learning platform.

In practice, managers can speak to their team by recommending reading, videos, audio andother content, both produced internally and externally, to allow them to have a conversation andquestion their own business culture and education and engaged with the companies businessculture. And because this is all done via the cloud, anyone, near or far, can be part of thisconversation, galvanizing your workforce.

This is important for your workers for a number of reasons. First, a colleague exuding thecompanies ethos will sell the company positively to every client they visit. Secondly, they will be moreinvolved within the company and will feel more valued, and therefore will value their employer moreand third and finally, and probably most importantly, their complicity will increase, decreasing HSErisks, saving the company money. There are also benefits such as improving staff retention throughgrowth opportunities and the ability to ‘skill up.’

Cloud learning and communication has a number of benefits for remote workers. Its relatively lowcost and potential cost savings could be vital to efficiencies. Furthermore, the inclusive mentality anda great business culture will help with staff retention, safety complicity and transparency and agreater manager employee relationship. For many businesses, this may be the answer to manypotential issues that remote workers face. By Kestell Duxbury, Knowledge Editor, BlueBottleBiz.com

UCC will use IntelsatOne Mobile ReachSolar 3G satellite services. (Photo:Intelsat)

Creating a business culture in the cloud for the remote worker

Ingencio partnerswith Paycode

Uganda Joins Forces with Intelsat, ITSO and MTN

Cloud learning and communication offers anumber of benefits for remote workers.

www.communicationsafrica.com



QUOTES

5www.communicationsafrica.com

“The AIS puts Africaninnovators front andcentre. They are the

people working daily toidentify Africa’s challengesand develop appropriatesolutions to create thecontinent we all want tosee in the future

- Dr. Olugbenga AdesidaCo-director AIS

“It is only by workingclosely with localgovernments,

partnering with otherstakeholders throughoutthe ICT landscape andsharing our knowledge

through trainingprogrammes, that we willbe in a strong position toprovide all of Africa withhigh quality, affordablebroadband connectivity.”

-Stephen SpenglerChief executive officerIntelsat

“Coding for Employmentacceleratesinvestments in Africa’s

most valuable resource –its young women and men.That’s why The RockefellerFoundation is thrilled tojoin forces with the AfricanDevelopment Bank to helpevery young African reach

their full potential

-Mamadou Biteye, OBEManaging director for Africa The Rockefeller Foundation

“Our vision is a worldin which every singleperson can freely share

in the sum of allknowledge. We believe thatknowledge belongs toeveryone, and that peoplefrom diverse backgroundsshould be empowered toparticipate in thecollaborative creation ofknowledge.”

-Katherine MaherExecutive directorWikimedia Foundation

NO ONE REALLY knows what the future holds, especially when it comes tothreatening or enhancing security around current financial services systems.More importantly, are cryptocurrencies the real deal.

OneChannel CEO Bernard Ford presented a paper titled 'Impact ofcryptocurrencies on financial services and security' at the Digitisation & CyberSecurity Conference 2018, which took place at the Indaba Hotel, Fourways,Johannesburg on 16-17 May 2018.

The conference highlighted the concerns of operating in the digital sphere,especially with financial service providers’ need to ensure network and cybersecurity systems that keep up with rapidly adapting security threats facingAfrican markets.

Financial Institutions are quick to implement digital platforms withoutaccompanying cyber security as part of their focus. Often when banks

implement digital opportunities to better assist their customers, new risksemerge and banks need to adopt intelligent risk-based approaches towardscyber security.

With a focus on the Southern African perspectives surrounding bolsteringcybersecurity frameworks, developments in combating cyber-crime and keyconcepts to building a secure and resilient cyber-ecosystem, the two-dayprogramme featured more than 15 speakers who gave delegates a run down onstrategies, challenges, developments and trends affecting cyber security inthe banking industry.

The event also included a discussion panel assessing the landscape ofcybersecurity in South Africa featuring expert panellists.

This year's conference focused on the banking industry and delegates were ableto network with other industry professionals. At the same time, they could shareand gain valuable insights into elements of cyber security, how industry is reactingto the latest developments in cyber security and discover the main threats.

The Digitisation & Cyber Security conference took place in Johannesburg,South Africa.

A paper titled 'Impact of cryptocurrencies on financial services andsecurity' was presented at the event.

Impact of cryptocurrencies on financial services and security

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: Adobes

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: Adobes

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S02 CAF Issue 3 2018 Quotes, Report BF_Layout 1 08/06/2018 12:29

With Internet penetration hovering at an estimated 28 per cent and the number of mobile subscribers showing morethan 2,000 per cent growth from 2000 to 2011, Botswana is ideally poised to benefit from the opportunities that cloudcomputing provides.

Botswana: Poised for cloud growth

INTERNET Cloud computing

THE BOTSWANA GOVERNMENT iscommitted towards developing thecountry and looking for moreefficient and modern ways to

service its citizens.An example of this are the Public Sector

Reforms designed to usher in the digital age.Part of the government's efforts includeconsolidating services and providing modernand specialised software. This will result in abetter experience for thousands of civilservants. In turn, these workers will beempowered to deliver high quality and efficientservices that will boost the economicproductivity and competitiveness of thecountry.

In 2015, the government established the ICT,Research, Innovation Science and Technologysector committee to ensure the burgeoningeconomy has the skills in place to meetdemand in the sector. However, as with manyother countries in Africa there is still asignificant disparity when it comes to urbanand rural access to ICT services. But thanks tofibre and satellite rollouts, things are alreadychanging. In a large part, this can be attributedto an increased public and private sectorunderstanding about the importance ofproviding reliable access if the country is tocompete on a continental level.

Already, the private sector led by thefinancial services industry, retail and miningsectors in Botswana have shown a willingnessto embrace technology innovation and utilise itto build momentum in a competitivemarketplace. And then there is the Nteletsa IIprogramme (designed to increase rural accessto mobile ICTs), which, according to ResearchICT Africa, has been labelled a success inbringing about a more competitivetelecommunications environment.

With improvements made in mobileconnectivity and more people accessinginformation from their devices, the stage is setfor the country to enter the next phase of ICTdevelopment and capitalise on cloudcomputing.

Drivers for growthWith the latest generation of enterprise cloudapplications, built on high-end security

technologies and based on industry bestpractices, collaboration tools, mobile apps thatenable civil servants to take actions whereverthey are using smartphones or tablets, andembedded business intelligence withthousands of reports and dashboards out-of-the-box, the government will be able toimprove the citizen experience. This is

especially the case when it comes to accessingservices such as education, healthcare, publicsafety, justice, immigration, and many others.

Having access to online storage andbackups might seem quant in an age wheremachine-learning and augmented reality arebecoming the norm. However, they present keycornerstones of the cloud journey. In turn, thisleads to more cost-effective business

solutions, being able to access virtualisedofferings, and embracing the likes of Software-as-a-Service and Infrastructure-as-a-Service(and, more recently, Everything-as-a-Service).

Couple this with the government'scommitment to accelerating ICT skillsdevelopment, and you get an empoweringenvironment that pairs international bestpractice with the unique African way ofadopting technology to suit the specific marketconditions of a country. The Botswana story isone that is shared by so many other countrieson the continent.

We have seen that once the infrastructure isin place, the solutions and services will followaround it. An increased willingness byorganisations across industry sectors tocapitalise on the cloud will result in a morecompetitive environment.

It is also important to expose the youth tothe latest cloud technologies in the earlystages of their lives. This is where educationplays a vital role in both urban and ruralenvironments, making it critical for the countryto modernise and improve its economic andsocial competitiveness. And it is not just thegovernment that is responsible for this, but theeducational institutions themselves as well asthe private sector and even the citizens of thecountry.

Botswana, much like the rest of Africa,should be viewed as a mobile-firstenvironment. And with undersea cablescontinuing to link Africa to the rest of the world,connectivity will only improve as costs start tocome down and more people have access toICT solutions. Once the public sector can fullyembrace cloud-based services, the citizens ofthe country will have an effective way ofaccessing e-citizen services.With more private sector organisationsembracing a hybrid cloud model and peoplegetting used to accessing informationremotely, the cloud environment has shownjust some of the extent at which it can changelives. Now is the time to embrace it fully andcreate an enabling environment for businessdiversification in Botswana to grow in thedigital world. �

By Ricardo Flores

Ricardo Flores, senior regional manager of SADCApplications at Oracle

Communications Africa Issue 3 20186 www.communicationsafrica.com

Ph

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: Ora

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FRANCE'S ORANGE HAS announced that it has partnered with searchengine giant Google through the company's venture capital arm,Orange Digital Ventures (ODV), to explore investment opportunities inEurope, the Middle East and Africa.

ODV and Google will look at start-up companies in areas such asnew connectivities, IoT, cybersecurity, cloud, AI and fintech. They willalso look to invest in companies with new business models in theMiddle East and Africa.

Large legacy companies are increasingly looking to invest in up andcoming products and businesses in areas such as IoT and AI, which areexpected to see fast growth in coming years.

“We are very proud to announce this partnership which will enablestart-ups supported by Orange Digital Ventures to explore potential co-investment opportunities with Google. Through this partnership, we standto reinforce Orange Digital Ventures’ "Smart Money" value-proposition byoffering entrepreneurs with whom we work much more than justfinancing," said Stéphane Richard, CEO of Orange.

"We are delighted to support Orange's ecosystem of start-ups andinnovation and to explore alongside them opportunities for co-investmentin Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). Orange's ecosystem isconsistent with Google's know-how and our ability to accelerate the growthof start-ups. This partnership is a way to enhance our collectivecontribution to innovation in this region," said Carlo d'Asaro Biondo, EMEApresident of Google Partnerships.


AGENDA

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DIGITAL NIRVANA, A global provider of smart media monitoringand measurement solutions, announces its participation atthe upcoming AMEC, International Association forMeasurement and Evaluation of Communication, GlobalSummit. Digital Nirvana is a Summit Silver Sponsor for theAMEC Global Summit, which takes place in Barcelona, Spainfrom 12-14 June. Key emphasis of the media measurementconference will be on the 3 I’s; Insights, Innovation, andIntegration driving the future of the industry.

“For the past two decades, Digital Nirvana has beenproviding business management solutions for an increasinglymedia-centric world,” said Hiren Hindocha, CEO of DigitalNirvana. “Our solutions enable more efficient workflows forbroadcasters and content creators all over the world. TheAMEC Summit is helping to drive the trends of themeasurement industry, and we’re looking forward to being apart of the event again this year.”

Digital Nirvana will demonstrate its media monitoring andmeasurement services portfolio at the AMEC Summit, whichincludes media monitoring, media analysis and coding,broadcast logging and summary alerts, transcription, andmedia content management. Other services offered by thecompany include investment research services as well aslearning management solutions.

According to Vinay Kumar, EVP & Business head of digitalNirvana, “AI is not a replacement to human, but an enabler.

Our media monitoring and analysis team has gainedmeasurement expertise working with various mediacorporations. We have the experience of covering over 5,000corporate globally across 65+ industry verticals. We havehelped small, mid, and large media monitoring andmeasurement companies provide superior quality service totheir corporate customers and significantly optimized theiroperational expenditure. We have also helped in eliminatingwastage in the media intelligence industry by optimizingduplication of monitoring efforts.”

Now in it’s 10th year running, AMEC is the growing globaltrade body and professional institute for agencies andpractitioners who provide media evaluation andcommunication research.

Google will work together with Orange Digital Ventures toexplore potential co-investment opportunities.

Digital Nirvana showcases service offering for Insights-As-A-Serviceprovider at AMEC Global Summit

WORLD TELECOM LABS (WTL) today announced that it can now provideelectricity to villages in rural Africa. Vivada Wholesale (Village Voice andData), WTL’s multi-award winning ‘Coverage-as-a-Service’ system forbuilding wholesale networks in rural Africa. Vivada can now be poweredby solar in off-grid villages and areas with unreliable grid suppliers, addedWTL. Villagers will benefit from being able to charge devices such asphones and powerboxes at the Vivada installation. WTL has strengthenedits position as the company with the best commercially viable andsustainable system for building networks in rural villages in emergingmarkets by winning multiple awards including the Best ConnectivitySolution category at the AfricaCom awards, the Best African Projectcategory at the annual Global Carrier Awards and the Best TechnologyDeployment category at the Capacity Africa Awards.

Vivada Wholesale was developed so that wholesale carriers can buildlow OPEX, low-CAPEX networks in rural areas for use by multipleoperators. The networks support all types of pre and post-paid customerswith varying telecoms budgets including GSM for every type of handset;Wi-Fi connectivity for smartphones, tablets, laptops and PCs - andconnectivity to cybercafes and hotspot call cabins.

Leigh Smith, MD of WTL, said “We have consistently been ahead of thecurve with Vivada. It provides a complete solution for wholesale carriersto build a rural network – and can now be powered by solar with excesselectricity shared with villagers.”

WTL is now working with wholesale operators in five countries in Africato build rural networks. The company said believes that the removal of theCAPEX cost of building a rural network will encourage previously reluctantoperators to start offering services in these areas.Vivada includes a microGSM and/or LTE base station, wifi routers, backhaul optimisation, billingand provisioning software, VoIP compression switches and SMS servers.The entire system runs on less than 200W which can be supplied by solarwith battery back-up.

CLOUD INTEGRATION IS quicklybecoming one of 2018’s topsoftware trends, according toAndrea Tucker, BusinessApplications Head (R&D) at e4. Sheargues that developing dataintegration is proving to be a ‘must-have’ for cloud-focused enterprisesand service providers. There is auniversal understanding that themore a software system isintegrated, the better it functions,and it is on this basis that datastrategies need to be developed.

Gartner, in its ‘Magic Quadrant forEnterprise Integration Platform as aService’ report, discusses the rise ofiPaaS (integration Platform as aService) and its boost in marketshare within the data integrationsector. “It essentially negates theneed for any hardware or softwareneeded between applications. Byapplying an iPaaS approach, thesystem and company becomes moreagile and highly scalable, says Tucker.

Integrating data for cloud-focused businesses

Orange, Google seek joint investments WTL to provide electricity to rural Africa


AMEC will take place Barcelona,Spain from 12-14 June.

Photo: Wikimedia

Photo: Adobe Stock



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JUNE/JUIN11-15 CeBIT Hannover, Germany https://www.cebit.de/en/expo/

11-13 Wire & Cable Guangzho Guangzhou, China http://www.wire-cable-china.com

11-17 London Tech Week London, UK http://www.londontechweek.com

12-14 ANGA COM Cologne, Germany http://www.angacom.de

26-28 Broadcast Asia Suntec, Singapore http://www.broadcast-asia.com

27-28 Smart Cities Global Summit Algiers, Algeria http://www.smartcityalgiers.com

27-29 Smart Tech Korea Seoul, Korea http://www.smarttechshow.co.kr/

JULY/JULLIET10-11 West AfricaCom Dakar, Senegal https://tmt.knect365.com/west-africa-com/

AUGUST/AOÛT21-25 BIRTV Beijng Beijing, China http://www.birtv.com/

29- 1 Sept Tairos Taipei, Taiwan https://www.tairos.tw/en/

SEPTEMBER/SEPTEMBRE13-18 ITU Telecom World Durban, South Africa https://telecomworld.itu.int/2018-event/

13-18 IBC 2018 Amsterdam, The Netherlands https://www.ibc.org/

23-25 Critical Communications MENA 2018 Dubai, UAE http://www.critical-communications-world.com

Events/Événements 2018


AFROBYTES, TO BE held in MEDEF Paris from 7-8 June 2018, will discuss the latesttrends in African tech industry, challenges and opportunities in Africa’s digitalecosystem and future potentials for the African start-ups in all sectors of theglobal tech world.

As Africa is continuously emerging as a global trendsetter in revitalising techenthusiasts across the world, the event is expected to unlock vast opportunitiesavailable in the continent in all fields of digitalisation such as big data, artificialintelligence, cryptocurrency, medtech, fintech, m-payments, blockchain, virtualreality and more.

Entrepreneurs, business executives, CEOs, academics, innovators, investors,venture capitalists, tech enthusiasts and media from across the world will explorebusiness opportunities between the African tech ecosystem and players in theglobal tech world during the event.

Haweya Mohamed, managing director and head of communications atAfrobytes, said that the event aims to find the starting point of the African digitalgrowth curve. It will allow the companies to address emergence and digitalempowerment in Africa and provide with a vibrant framework for sponsors,speakers and attendees to connect, network and explore new businesspossibilities.

The event will also highlight the role of African women, who are at thefrontline of education, agriculture, health and so on, in creating successful“problem solving” skills required for technological up scaling, said Mohamed.

Latest tech topicsSome of the major technical points of discussion during the event will be:• The rise of African tech industry• Emerging technological trends in Africa• Mobile economy in Africa• Exploring the intersection of fashion and technology• Unlocking the potential of young African entrepreneurs

Some of the African tech industry leaders for Afrobytes 2018 are Ebele Okobi,public policy director for Africa, Facebook, the UK, Larry Madowo, business editor

at BBC Africa, Kenya, Njoki Gichinga, senior strategic partnership and businessdevelopment specialist at Safaricom, Kenya, Max Song, blockchain investor,advisor and researcher at Hkdaia, Hong Kong, Jean-Sébastien Decaux, CEO atAfrica-Israel / CEO Southern Europe, Belgium and Luxemburg, Jcdecaux, France,Adama Bari Diallo, Next Billion Users, head of business development for AfricaGoogle, the UK, Robert Greenfield, global social impact technical lead atConsensys, the USA, Tunde Ladipo, head of partnership at Stellar.org, Kenya, ViolaLlewellyn, co-founder and president at Ovamba Solutions, the USA / Cameroon,Okendo Lewis-Gayle, founder at Harambe Entrepreneur Alliance, the USA, AdeAdefeko, vice-president corporate and government relations at OlamInternational, Nigeria and many more.

Afrobytes 2018 is set to:• Increase brand recognition and stand out as a market leader among other

major industry stakeholders• Reach and network with a highly targeted international and African audience• Support young emerging professionals who will play key roles in the futureof African Tech

Bridging African tech industry with international tech ecosystem

The event will highlightemerging technological

trends that are reshapingAfrica’s digital market.

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Nigerian diaspora have an exciting opportunity to invest their money in farms back home via Farmcrowdy, a new onlinefinancial platform that aims helping to boost the £30bn agricultural sector in Nigeria.

Bringing Nigerian farmers and investorstogether online

TECHNOLOGYAgriculture

THE NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT isreferring to agriculture as the "newoil" and companies, such asFarmcrowdy, are taking advantage of

this new opportunity.The company's ethos is to simply bring

farmers and investors, so-called sponsors,together through the use of digital technology.Whereas in the past, investment intoagricultural projects may have gone amiss forone reason or another, stemming either frommistrust or dishonesty between partiesinvolved, Farmcrowdy is offering sponsors atransparent system through a mobile phoneapp where investors can see first-hand howtheir investment on a farm is progressingthroughout the cycle.

It is a win-win situation all round. When theyield is sold at harvest, the sponsor receivestheir original investment plus 40 per cent of theprofit while the farmer and Farmcrowdyreceives 40 per cent and 20 per centrespectively.

The main farms currently in operation acrossthe nine states in Nigeria are producing rice,cassava, poultry and maize. Already thecompany has registered 7,000 farmers since itslaunch in 2016 and aims to increase thatnumber to at least 50,000 by 2020. To reachthis goal, however, it wants more of theNigerian diaspora living across the world,notably the UK, US and UAE to become asponsor, especially those who have a passionfor agriculture and want to make a socio-economic impact in their communities backhome. To date, the Farmcrowdy platform hasamassed more than 1,000 sponsors and totalinvestments from Nigeria and its diaspora, nowreaches in excess of £1.62mn with a growingnumber of sponsors in the UK.

Sola Oyawale, VP investment and corporategovernance at Farmcrowdy, which hasheadquarters in Lagos, said he was upbeatabout the level of response he had receivedfrom some potential Nigerian investors basedin the UK. He said, "Nigerians understand howdominant the agricultural market is in thecountry, but there hasn’t been a reliable routeto market, in terms of sourcing farmers andmaking/receiving payments. This is thechallenge Farmcrowdy has set out to conquerand we’ve recorded some strong interestalready, not only from sponsors in Nigeria, butalso from the diaspora. Some people have a

genuine passion to create an impact in theircountry while others have a renewedenthusiasm for agriculture and the potential forachieving strong returns on investment.

"What makes our business different to otheragri-tech firms is that we are more sensitive tothe concerns of the farmers and wanting tomake their lives better."

Tope Omotolani, VP Operations and co-founder, and her team of specialist agents onthe ground look after 3,000 farmers in Nigeria.She said, "Rural farmers contribute the largestamount of food crops that are grown inNigeria’s economy, yet they have the leastamount of resources to cultivate important foodcrops. In order to increase food production inNigeria, we have set a goal to work with 50,000farmers by the year 2020. This is no small goalby any means but we also understand that theimpact these would create in the lives of thefarmers, their community and in the country asa whole would be remarkable."

She said the company is working hard toequip the farmer as much as it can so that theirpassion for farming will continue for years to come.

"One of our incentives is that we pay thefarmer to work on his farm so they don't have towait until the end of the cycle." She continued."We also partner with a range of companies tohelp the farmers. ASTC, for example, providestractor services for our project in Jos and a teamfrom Notore works with farmers and advisesthem about the type fertiliser that should beapplied. We also help them to sell their cropsfor a better price rather than just selling cropsfor their family to survive."

Farmers have already seen the positiveeconomic difference that Farmcrowdy hasmade to their lives.

Omotolani added, "One of our farmers toldus that she was able to put some money asideto be able to go back to school, so that for meit was a testimony that would not havehappened without our intervention."

Farmer Dayo Adeoye said, "Farmcrowdy hasmade things easy for farmers and has helpedincrease our production by 50 per cent. I likethe flexibility, transparency and integrity. Theyare also open to feedback and make necessarychanges. I am already recommendingFarmcrowdy to people and I will continue to do so."

Meanwhile, tractor manufacturer, JohnDeere and Alluvial have also boosted farmers'confidence in Nigeria after agreeing to lease upto 300 tractors to at least 100,000 farmers inthe Niger Delta region. The scheme will helpturn subsistence farming into a commercialbusiness by allowing farmers to rent tractors to plough and harvest the land at acompetitive rate.

Dimieari Von Kemedi, the founder ofAlluvial, told the Financial Times, "This deal isproviding mechanisation to smallholderswithout them having to invest in tractorthemselves. This could be an example not justfor Nigeria, but for all of Africa."

With such developments taking place, itlooks as if the future in agriculture in Nigerialooks very bright indeed. �

For more information on Farmcrowdy visitwww.farmcrowdy.com

Rural farmers contribute the largest amount of food cropsthat are grown in Nigeria’s economy.

Communications Africa Issue 3 2018 9www.communicationsafrica.com

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Vos employés sont indispensables à la réussite devotre processus de transformation.

La transformation numérique impose unevision organisationnelle claire

NUMÉRIQUE Stimuler l'innovation

LA QUESTION DE la transformationnumérique n’est pas nouvelle ; engénéral, elle est liée aux grandestendances technologiques à venir,

comme le cloud computing, la mobilité, lesBig Data, l’intelligence artificielle (IA)l’Internet des objets (IdO), la robotique et lesplates-formes sociales. Il est évident que laconnectivité grandissante entre lespersonnes, les machines et les entreprises amodifié les demandes du marché, et lesorganisations doivent, pour préserver leurcompétitivité, s’adapter en numérisant leursprocédures et leurs modèles d’entreprise.Selon Mandla Mbonambi, le PDG fondateurd’Africonology, la transformation numériqueouvre de nombreux horizons de croissance etde développement dans le reste de l’Afrique.

« Les organisations doivent adopter unenouvelle méthode pour tenir les promesses deleur marque, en garantissant un engagementefficace des clients, en déclenchant des modesde réflexion totalement nouveaux et enpermettant à l’entreprise de prendre desdécisions bien informées collectivement »,précise-t-il. « La transformation numériquen’est plus facultative. Dans le monde entier, etsur le continent africain, les organisationsdoivent adopter la transformation numériquepour dynamiser l’innovation et favoriser desprogrès continus qui se traduiront au final parune croissance de l’entreprise. »

Selon M. Mbonambi, cette transformationest particulièrement importante pour lesorganisations africaines car elle permet depénétrer sur des marchés nouveaux,d’atteindre des bases de clients nouvelles etde trouver d’autres moyens de fournir desproduits et services adaptés aux demandesdes marchés. « Par ailleurs, les organisationsafricaines ont besoin de la transformationnumérique pour stimuler leur profitabilité,améliorer la satisfaction de leurs clients etaccélérer la commercialisation de leursproduits tout en partant à la conquête denouveaux marchés ouverts au sein de la

diaspora africaine et au-delà. Cela étant dit,seule une vision organisationnelle claire peutgarantir une transformation numérique efficaceet rentable. »

Pour améliorer la compétitivité desorganisations africaines à l’échelleinternationale, celles-ci doivent tout d’abordredéfinir leurs stratégies et leurs modèlesd’entreprise afin qu’ils soient valables dans lecontexte commercial actuel et sur les marchéssur lesquels elles opèrent. « Ensuite, ellesdoivent identifier la technologie qui convient àla stratégie qu’elles ont établie par rapport àleurs produits et services, puis exploiter cettetechnologie pour renforcer leurs capacitésd’innovation et de flexibilité aussi bien auniveau des produits et services offerts qu’auniveau de la méthode employée pour livrer cesproduits par les différents canaux numériques,» précise-t-il.

« Pour réussir sa transformation numérique,une organisation doit également cesser des’appuyer sur une technologie autonome etadopter des solutions qui lui permettront deresponsabiliser ses employés et de les aider àprendre plus rapidement des décisions mieuxinformées et plus efficaces, » indique M.Mbonambi. « Nous ne pouvons pas modifierles volumes de données qui nous parviennent,mais nous pouvons améliorer la capacité denos employés à exploiter ces données et à lestransformer rapidement et avec précision eninformations pour venir appuyer le processusdécisionnel. Bien que la transformationnumérique soit en général décidée auxéchelons supérieurs de l’organisation, il estprimordial d’impliquer vos employés tout au

long du processus. Il est donc nécessaire demodifier les mentalités et les formations afinqu’ils acceptent le modèle d’entrepriserepensé et un programme de gestion enprofondeur du changement étant donné que laculture de l’organisation sera égalementaffectée. »

On ne saurait insister suffisamment sur lesrisques liés à une absence de transformationou à l’obligation de se transformercorrectement. « Si les organisations retardentleur transformation numérique ou ne setransforment pas du tout, elles pourraient êtreévincées par la concurrence, ce qui entraîneraune perte de parts de marché, de revenus et,dans le pire des cas, une faillite, » selon M.Mbonambi. « Au sein de cet environnement oùl’amélioration et l’innovation constantes sontindispensables pour garder une longueurd’avance, il est simplement impossible deprendre un tel risque. Plusieurs organisationsont déjà fait faillite ces dernières années carelles n’ont pas réagi assez vite ou n’ont pasréagi du tout. »

Il précise qu’il ne s’agit pas de crier au loup,mais plutôt de souligner la nécessité deprocéder à une transformation stratégique ethiérarchisée. « Nous savons que lesorganisations qui ne veulent pas changerrisquent d’être dépassées ou de mettre la clésous la porte. Il faut veiller à embarquerl’organisation toute entière dans le processusde transformation. Ainsi, l’organisation pourradéployer le plein potentiel de ses produits etservices, tout en saisissant l’occasion d’attirerde nouvelles bases de clients au fil de leurévolution, » déclare M. Mbonambi. �

La transformation numérique présentede nombreuses nouvelles opportunités

de croissance et d'expansion dans lereste de l'Afrique.

Les organisations africaines ont besoin d'unetransformation numérique pour stimuler la rentabilité, la

satisfaction de la clientèle et accélérer la mise sur lemarché ainsi que l'entrée sans frontières dans de nouveaux

marchés au sein de la diaspora africaine et au-delà.


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EVENTSITU


Creativity and innovation have driven human development throughout the course ofhistory. From agriculture to industry to the information age, revolutionary innovations intechnology have marked major leaps forward in the development of our societies.

Innovation for a smarter world: ITUTelecom World 2018

AS THE PACE oft e c h n o l o g i c a linnovation increases,the gaps between

those revolutions reduce, so thattoday, just ten years after thearrival of the smart phone, we arealready on the cusp of the nextmajor leap: the smart revolution.

Two aspects of the smartrevolution stand out assignificantly different. It providesthe possibility for less developedmarkets and nations to leapfrog indevelopmental terms, not just toleap forward. And the creativityand innovation driving it will notonly be human.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is oneof the great enablers of smartsociety. AI is a blend of advancedanalytical and machine learningapplications which can performprocesses or actions that wouldtraditionally require humanintelligence – and at an oftengreatly accelerated pace. The usecases and benefits of AI aremultiple, varied - and developingrapidly, with tremendous potentialto serve purposes and providesolutions to problems we are notyet aware of, in ways we cannotyet imagine.

One key aspect is AI’s ability toswiftly and effectively analyse theever-increasing wealth of sensordata available as the growingpower and falling costs ofcomputing provides for muchfaster and richer data analysis.Practical outcomes includeidentifying and treating disease,accelerating financial andmachine to machine transactions,enhancing public safety, andimproving city services, fromprovision of utilities to driverlesspublic transport and citymanagement. The aim is to saveenergy, time and lives through AI-enabled smart solutions.

AI will not be working alone,

however. The data it feeds from isset to grow exponentially involume as the Internet of Thingscontinues to connect billions ofsensors and devices to eachother, to the Internet and tohumans. As the IoT develops andrefines, it opens the door toinnovation across all verticalsectors, including health, media,transport and energy – andmanufacturing, as the paradox ofpersonalised mass productionincreasingly becomes a reality.Innovation needs new tools tothrive, and 5G software-definednetworks promise a rich playingfield for creative minds. Theexponential increases inbandwidth, speed, reliability andflexibility offered by 5G will createa powerful critical infrastructurecapable of providing solutions tothe economic, social and

environmental needs of anexpanding and increasinglyurbanised global population.

Our smarter world will beenabled by these three keytechnological developments, inparallel and in overlap: AI, IoT and5G. Three acronyms drivinginnovation, with the potential todrive human development at agreater speed and with greaterimpact than ever before. Indeveloping markets and nationsin particular, smart can power theleapfrog effect, bypassing earlierstages of development, takingvillages in Asia or Africa straightfrom no connectivity to 3G or 4Gnetworks, from no access toeducation or health to world-classprofessionals available online,providing entry to the knowledgeeconomy for the millions ofdigitally disenfranchised.

ITU Telecom World 2018 will explore developments in the ICT industry and the drive towards a smart digital world.

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Our smarter world will be enabled by these three key technologicaldevelopments, in parallel and in overlap: AI, IoT and 5G.


But for innovation to flourish, itneeds to work in a supportive andpositive environment. And forinnovation to be fair, it – and theservices, applications andproducts it ultimately produces –must be open to all. Providingmodern and fit-for-purposeregulatory frameworks as far aspossible throughout the world oftech is critical to the success ofsmart innovation.

Taking ideas to scale andmaximising impact can onlyhappen with internationalstandardisation. Privacy, security,trust and reliability are all hugeissues when discussing ordealing with data as the life bloodof innovative products andservices. And the debate onethical and regulatory frameworksfor AI has only just begun. Makinga smarter world for all, not just forthe elite minority, is an evengreater, multi-faceted challenge.It starts, of course, withconnectivity for all as a basichuman right. Just providingaccess to the internet and thebenefits of the services,applications and knowledge itoffers, is not enough, however -

even if this can be done ataffordable prices, with availabledevices. There is an urgent needto create awareness of, anddemand for, the internet; toprovide apps and services in locallanguages, with local contextsand the needs of localcommunities at the forefront; andto train, educate and develop theskills to use the internet and bringwhole new populations andgenerations online, releasinguntapped human potential forinnovation across the world.

Exploring the innovations intechnology, policy, and strategythat are driving a smarter world –and the challenges we face ingetting there - is at the heart of ITUTelecom World 2018. The leadingtech event for governments, largebusinesses and SMEs, it is

organized each year by ITU, theUN’s key agency for ICT matters.This year’s event will be held at theDurban International ConferenceCentre, Durban, South Africa, from10 – 13 September, 2018.

The event features aninternational exhibition of techsolutions and projects, a world-class forum of interactive, expert-led debates, a networkingprogramme connectingorganizations, individuals andideas, and an acclaimed Awardsprogramme recognisinginnovative ICT-based solutionswith real social impact.

As an important regionalcommercial hub with a diverse,multicultural outlook and adynamic, growing economy,Durban offers an invaluableperspective as a venue for experts

and leaders from public andprivate sectors around the world.And given ITU’s key role inallocating spectrum andestablishing internationalconsensus on industry standards,as well as supporting the criticalrole of ICTs and smarttechnologies in meeting the UN’sSustainable Development Goals,the event is certain to provideinformed, interesting and valuableinput on the power of innovationto drive a smarter world.

ITU’s authority and expertiseenable it to convene a uniqueand influential global audience.Heads of state and governmentwill come together withministers, regulators, leadingindustry CEOs from major playersand SMEs, organizations,associations and consultants. Asa UN event, it delivers a trulyinternational perspective oninnovation in technology, policyand regulation from emergingand developed markets from allaround the world.

Visit telecomworld.itu.int tofind out more ITU Telecom World2018 and how to take part inDurban this September. �


EVENTS ITU

ITU Telecom World 2018 will take place in Durban, South Africa in September.

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As an important regional commercial hubwith a diverse, multicultural outlook and a

dynamic, growing economy, Durban offers aninvaluable perspective as a venue for

experts and leaders from public and privatesectors around the world.




http://telecomworld.itu.int/

Artificial intelligence, AI, is the next big technology to have entered mainstream consciousness. The growth ofautonomous driving and the popularity of smart speaker systems such as Alexa or Google Home – AI is everywhere.

The AI moment: preparing for therevolution

EVENTS Artifical intelligence

AND IT’S COMING for ourjobs, white collar andblue, threateningmassive social and

economic upheaval. But what is AI really? Why has it

suddenly become so popular?Why is everyone so excited aboutits tremendous potential? Will itreally replace humans – andshould we welcome it with openarms, or fear for its impact?

Far from being an omnipotent,autonomous robot, AI is at heartsimply a machine programmed tomake sense of data on a scalehumans can’t deal with. It is theking of the algorithm, a machinelearning from its own experiences,objective-oriented and highlyintelligent, producing logicalconclusions based on input. Aspart of the digital technologyconnecting people, things andmachines on a big data platform,it has the potential to enablesolutions saving time, energy and

lives, opening up opportunities asyet undreamt of. And it is still in itsinfancy in its real worlddeployment.

The use of AI is growingdramatically right now in responseto extraordinary increases in theamount of data produced daily, aspowerful computing has becomeavailable at lower costs. Humansalone simply cannot process thecomplexity and ongoing volume ofdata from people, devices,sensors and machines. Inparallel, there is a growingawareness of the tremendouspotential of AI technologies tosolve problems across all industrysectors and the entire spectrum ofhuman life.

AI can unlock scale andopportunity to deal with the grandchallenges facing the world today,from ageing populations tosustainable urban living, accessto food, healthcare, water andeducation, reducing poverty and

increasing gender equality.Physical AI will be able to freehumans from mundane, routinetasks, allowing them toconcentrate on more important,higher-end work, releasingcreative potential.

In emerging markets and smartcities alike, AI can help overcomenatural limitations to growth suchas geographic size or lack ofnatural resources, creating newmarkets and new value, ratherthan merely improving on existingmodels.

Improvements on currentmodels will, however, be wherethe power of AI is first felt, in itspromise of enormous costsavings, increased productivity,lower production cycles andimproved back end or internalprocesses. Within the telcoindustry itself, AI will acceleratethe evolution of network operatorinfrastructure into intelligentnetworks able to offer smarter,It is predicted that up to 75 per cent of all jobs will be impacted by AI over the

next ten years.

The use of AI is growing dramatically right now in response to extraordinaryincreases in the amount of data produced daily.

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AI can unlock scale and opportunity to dealwith the grand challenges facing the worldtoday, from ageing populations tosustainable urban living.


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Communications Africa Issue 3 2018 15

EVENTSArtifical intelligence

faster and more scalable services.Using the engine of big data, AIwill enable multiple, diverse andoften sector-specific demands tobe met through highly-tailorednetwork slices managed in realtime.

In the financial services sector,for example, AI can reduce thehundreds of thousands of hoursneeded to carry out regulatorycompliance to a matter ofseconds; or the time, effort andinvestment necessary for amortgage to a few minutes. Newfinancial services may includemass market personalisedservices, opening an enormousmarket of lower earners, ormicrofinancing for the unbanked.In call centres across a range ofindustries, AI can work eitheralongside humans analysingcomplex data sets in parallel tothe human customer-facingcontact, or take calls as a co-worker as far as possible beforepassing on to human expertise.

In all cases, AI is a tool toaugment human abilities ratherthan replace them. And it is onlyas good as the person inputtinginformation and parameters intoits system.

This is one of the principalchallenges: ensuring that AI isprovided with initial information ina way that does not reflect andperpetuate inherent bias,unconscious or not. It is critical tobe aware of, and work to avoid,replication of existing divides andinequalities: on gender, race,geography, the urban/rural split,access to education, investmentin infrastructure, the availability oftalent, the provision of adequatecyber security. Without action, AIwill prolong or deepen thesedivides. There is a very real dangerthat the powerful impact ofalgorithms actuated by AI willremain limited to the developedworld due to a lack ofinfrastructure, advancednetworks, open data or datascientists.

Providing open public data andopen APIs to allow privatecompanies and individual

developers to create solutions forpublic and commercial services iskey to democratising AI – and fast-tracking its deployment.Accessing large data sets in theecosystem to improve quality oflife must be balanced against dataprotection, privacy and securityissues.

Preparation in general – andeducation - is critical. Theinternational community,government, businesses andindividuals should be as ready aspossible for the seismic changesthat the widespread adoption anddeployment of AI will bring with it.

The big one, of course, is thetransformation of the existinglabour market. It is estimated thatup to 75 per cent of all jobs will beimpacted by AI over the next tenyears – and these will not just beroutine, low-skilled jobs, but alsotraditional blue collar sectors suchas journalism, law or financialservices. Productivity and revenueshould rise as costs are cut, butthe societal disruption will beenormous.

AI is often invisible, raisingissues of transparency andaccountability. It is itself a neutral

tool, without morality, but theethics of its use are complex.Establishing codes of conduct andsocial norms as the first step toany regulation is urgentlynecessary at intergovernmental,international level. Regulation –as well as the standardisationnecessary for it to function in amulti-vendor ecosystemenvironment - is furthercomplicated by AI’s inherentstructure as an active machine,learning in real time with real data.

AI is here – and growing fast.There is an increasingly urgentneed to bring together keystakeholders from government,industry and academia to debateits impact on a neutral platformsuch as ITU Telecom World 2018,the leading tech event organisedby ITU, the UN lead agency forICTs. Making AI democratic, fairand equitable is a challenge thatcannot be met by any one singlestakeholder.

Experts at ITU Telecom World2017 last year felt that its first usecases and greatest impact wouldbe economic rather than social: AIwill go where the money is, or canbe made. In some sectors, if you

are not yet using AI, you are twoyears behind the curve. But thesize of the opportunity is so great,the potential so huge, that it is farfrom too late.

The potential negative effectsof AI include social and economicdisruption, in particular in the job market; the deepening of inequality; the danger ofinherent bias; major issues oftransparency, security andaccountability; the lack of aninternationally-agreed ethicalcode. Now is the time forcontingency plans, for preparationand education throughoutgovernments, industries andsocieties.

There is downside, after all, toboth deploying AI and notdeploying it.

AI will be a key component of discussions at ITU Telecom World 2018 in Durban, South Africa, 10 -13September, providing the diverseperspectives of internationalexperts from government,industry, SMEs and academia. �

Find out more athttp://telecomworld.itu.int/

AI can unlock scale and opportunity to deal with challenges facing the world such as healthcare.

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AI is a tool to augment human abilities rather than replace them.And it is only as good as the person inputting information and

parameters into its system.



It’s well known in the logistics and supply chain game that the last mile of a shipment’s journey is inevitably the mostexpensive – possibly accounting for more than 50 per cent of total delivery costs, according to a 2016 report byMcKinsey.

Building a better supply chain in Africa

LOGISTICS Data

IT’S WELL KNOWN in thelogistics and supply chaingame that the last mile of ashipment’s journey is

inevitably the most expensive –possibly accounting for morethan 50 per cent of total deliverycosts, according to a 2016 reportby McKinsey.

Now imagine that last mile is inAfrica. It may very well be a pot-holed dirt road, set in the middleof one of the continent’s manyinformal, low income areas, whereeven a ballpark guesstimate ofconsumer demand is incrediblyhard to come by. Many companiesare already pushing their productsinto these emerging markets, yetmost experience expensive blindspots in understanding exactlywho they are reaching and wheretheir markets lie. This lack oftransparency can see distributionoperations sink to new lows whenit comes to supply chaininefficiency.

While companies expend muchtime, energy and resources infinding better ways to reduceexcess inventory and maintaindesirable stock turnover,understanding and managingdemand remains a problem.Refining the supply chain to itsmost effective form is an ongoingchallenge for logisticspractitioners, and in today’shyper-competitive and globalisedbusiness landscape, finding a wayto do so will likely mean thedifference between success andfailure for many businesses.

And yet, despite these costlyfrustrations, there’s hardly aglobal business (especially in theretail and FMCG sectors) thatdoesn’t have at least one eyecautiously trained on thecontinent and its fast-risingpotential. Africa already has morecities of more than one millionpeople than North America does,

and despite widespread poverty,spending power on the continentis in the midst of a rapid rise thatcan’t be ignored by theinternational businesscommunity. Africa is home to1.1bn people and will account forone-fifth of the world’s populationby 2025. Critically, more and morecitizens are entering the consumerclass, with tens of millions onlyrecently emerging from povertyand flexing their discretionaryincome for the first time.

But how do the Unilevers andProcter & Gambles of this worldmitigate the challenges oflogistics in Africa? How do theyassess the size of a certaincatchment area, which productsare in high demand, and howmuch people are willing to pay?How do they ensure that just theright amount of that product isdelivered to the rightcommunities, at the right times,and at the right prices, to make amove into Africa worth their while?It all comes down to having asmuch consumer and retailer dataas possible – and that’s anotherarea where most of Africa presentsa tangled conundrum.

With the exception of SouthAfrica (whose citizens purchasearound 75 per cent of theirgroceries from supermarkets),most retail throughout thecontinent is informal. Tradingoccurs at kiosks and in communitymarkets with precious littlecomputing power to gather thepoint-of-sale and stock-controlinformation that is so essential toan efficient supply chain. Ourexperience working on thecontinent has taught us that it is acombination of traditional andalternate data collection thatcreates the most completeconsumer picture.

What can you tell about apopulation by analysing a photo

taken from space? If you knowwhat you’re looking for, plenty.Satellite imagery is one of the dataforms that has the most to offerregarding informal areas. Levels ofnight-time illumination, roadaccess, traffic patterns, buildingdensity, and even the materialsused to roof the houses in aparticular area, can all formvaluable pieces of the consumerpuzzle – and help businessesmore accurately paint a picture oftheir potential customers. Viewedin combination with traditionalhousehold survey methods, aswell as some digital input in theform of access to mobile phonesand online spending behaviours,the picture becomes clearer still.Fed into machine learning modelsas a series of data layers,previously unnoticed associations,patterns and trends begin toemerge, all of which can be used toensure speed, accuracy andefficient use of resources along theentire length of a globalised supplychain. This is especially useful asboth traditional and digital retailcontinue to boom on thecontinent.

Africa’s historic legacy oflimited or incomplete consumerdata has often temptedorganisations into making do withmarket research based only on theinhabitants of its largest cities, buta more granular view is needed ifmarkets are to be carved upaccurately – and to maximumprofit for international businesses.Disparate languages and cultures,poor infrastructure, widespreadinequality, and a rapidlyexpanding middle class meansthat data needs to be sharp andrefined down to the squarekilometre if the supply chain isever to be fully optimised. Allbusinesses need to do so is toknow where to look – and what tolook out for. �



EVENTS

With consumers and enterprises embracing new digital innovations toboost business, West Africa Com is all set to make sense of how thetelco value chain can leverage its assets to deliver low costbroadband connectivity and digital services across West Africa.

Exploring WestAfrica's digitalecosystem

West Africa Com

AS THE CALL for connecting West Africato a new digital market increases,investment into telecom, broadbandinfrastructure and related sectors are

on a rapid pace, with major players racing forposition to meet this rising demand for dataacross the region.

This has led to the creation of mergers,acquisitions, IPOs, investment and financingactivity, to expand broadband connectivity aswell as new digital market trends to developinfrastructures and services that will connectWest Africans to the digital economy. Asbroadband becomes much more reliable andcost-effective, West Africa continues to adaptnew and advanced infrastructure facilities tohave access to a fast Internet service, allowingindividuals and families to use opportunitiesthat are not otherwise possible.

In light of this and in order to addresschallenges and opportunities in digitaleconomy sector in West Africa, Informa PLC,is going to organise West Africa Com in Dakarfrom 10-11 July 2018. The event will discussincreasing trends towards embracing digitaleconomy in the region and also play a vitalrole in bridging the digital divide among theWest African nations to achieve sustainabledevelop agenda.

Creating a Sustainable Digital InfrastructureWest Africa Com aims to make sense of howthe telco value chain can leverage its assetsto deliver low cost broadband connectivityand digital services to the consumers andenterprises of West Africa.

The event is all set to bring togetherindustry leaders across Francophone and

Anglophone Technology, Media andTelecoms, all focused on bridging the digitaldivide and boosting their bottom line. It isdesigned to enable operator attendees todevelop their commercial strategies,technical operations and consumer facingbusinesses across all segments of the ever-evolving digital ecosystem.

As the decision in IT infrastructure thatcustomers make can greatly impact businessefficiencies, security and value addedservices, the CIO strategy content in the event will equip the businesses to makethese critical decisions smarter and faster,said the organiser.

Hot New TopicsStrategic insights into the latest TMT trendswill enable the visitors and businesses toidentify new opportunities and stay aheadof the game.

Some of the up-to-the-minute trends inglobal digital market will be the centre ofattraction during the event. These include

driving innovation and entrepreneurship inWest Africa’s digital sector, the fintechrevolution, impact of cloud-based servicesto transform enterprises across the region,building regulatory frameworks toaccelerate digital transformation and manymore.

Furthermore, the event will also focus onthe cybersecurity challenges as networkintegration and cloud services transformenterprise, financing fibre backbone andother new infrastructure projects,developing an effective know your customer(KYC) strategy etc.

Some of the speakers attending the eventinclude: Bitilokho NDIAYE, technical advisor at Ministry of Posts andTelecommunications in the Republic ofSenegal, Amadou Makhtar Fall, generalmanager and head of economic regulation,products and services, compliance at AirtelAfrica, Souleymane Diallo, CEO of ATEL Mali,Sasha Rubel Diamanka, regional advisor forcommunication and information at UNESCO,Sam Koranteng, senior manager, regulatoryand compliance at MTN Ghana, Malick Sylla,head of service quality monitoring andoperators at telecommunications and postalregulatory agency (ARTP) and many more.

Speaking ahead of the event, KhadimRassoul Diop, field operation director atExpresso Senegal, said, “As a telecomoperator, it’ll be very beneficial for us to getinvolved with the local vendors as we havedone in Speed Networking. Presenting andworking with the providers in the telecomfield will help us to continuously keep theconnection between the companies.” �

There is an increasing trend in WestAfrican businesses adopting digital

infrastructure.

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Fintech revolution, impactof cloud-based services to

transform enterprisesacross the region and

building regulatoryframeworks to acceleratedigital transformation will

be centre of attraction



A leading communications services and solutions provider, Liquid Telecom is activeacross 13 countries in eastern, central and southern Africa that serves carrier, enterpriseand retail customers with high-speed, reliable connectivity and digital services.

ETL Systems reduces signal loss for Liquid Telecom teleports

EQUIPMENT Satellites

LIQUID TELECOM HAS builtAfrica’s largest independentfibre network, spanningmore than 50,000 km, and

operates state-of-the-art datacentres in Johannesburg, CapeTown and Nairobi, with a combined6,800 sq m of rack space. This is inaddition to delivering leadingcloud-based services, such asMicrosoft Office365 and MicrosoftAzure, and innovative digitalcontent provision, including Netflix,NBA, TED and Kwese Play. Throughthis combined offering, LiquidTelecom is enhancing customers’experience on their digital journey.

Liquid Telecom has continued toinvest and innovate in satelliteservices to complement its fibrenetwork, ensuring it utilises thelatest satellite technology in orderto deliver a seamless and high-speed service to all of itscustomers.

The challenge of signal lossLiquid Telecom was challengedwith cross-site signal loss over longdistances within its two earthstation facilities at Teraco andKrugersdorp in Johannesburg. Witha high priority on quality, it wasnaturally keen to implement signallinks with resilience and reliability,ultimately ensuring the feeddelivered to consumers was thebest it could be.

VSAT hubs supporting 2500+remote terminalsAt Teraco, Johannesburg, LiquidTelecom’s teleport is being used tosupport more than 2,500 remoteVSAT terminals. The hub isproviding Africa to Africaconnectivity, delivering muchneeded broadband connections toconsumers across the region. Witha distance of 80 metres betweenthe teleport cabin and thetransmitting antenna locations, the

potential for signal loss was high.

Kwese TVAlso at Teraco, Liquid Telecom’steleport is downlinking broadcastcontent for contribution to KweseTV, Africa’s first truly convergedmedia company. Kwese TV isdisrupting the African TV industry,providing affordable, premiumcontent to the globally connectedAfrican viewer. Ensuring a goodquality feed at all times wasextremely important for thisteleport, giving African consumersan uninterrupted viewingexperience.

The African gateway to Intelsat EPICAt Liquid Telecom’s wholly ownedand operated teleport inKrugersdorp, Johannesburg, thisfacility is providing the Africangateway to the Intelsat EPICsatellite IS33e. Intelsat EPICsatellite is a next generationsatellite technology that delivershigh-performance connectivity.

Liquid Telecom contacted ETLSystems, whom they have a long-standing relationship with, todiscuss their StingRay RF over Fibresolutions. After consultation todiscuss key requirements andspecifications, Liquid Telecomimplemented 24 links across theirtwo sites. A selection of indoor andoutdoor chassis were installed,with the added resilience of 1+1redundancy for uplinks anddownlinks.

Keeping Africa connected: the outcomeThe deployment of the ETL SystemsStingRay units resulted in higherquality, resilient signal links andprovided uninterrupted broadcastsfor African consumers.

The versatility of the StingRay RFover Fibre allowed it to be used in a

multitude of applications withLiquid Telecom, providing apremium service to its customersregardless of weather, powerfailures or other issues.

Tom Gleaves, group head ofsatellite engineering, LiquidTelecom, said: “We’re extremelysatisfied with the adaptability ofETL’s Stingray products, signal

performance is exceptional overmultiple implementations acrossour teleports. Whether transportingMF-TDMA or DVBS-2X the featuresavailable mean easy setup andoptimised transmission lines. Withthe reassurance of direct access toa responsive support team who arecontinually improving theirproducts.”�

ETL Systems is working alongside Liquid Telecom to implementsatellite equipment to reduce signal loss in Africa.

Photo

: Liquid Teleco

m


S05 CAF Issue 3 2018 Report 02_Layout 1 08/06/2018 12:04

For a third year running, Africa Tech Summit London provided insight, networking andbusiness opportunities for African and international technology leaders and investorswho want to drive growth in Africa.

Africa Tech Summit: Unlocking investment opportunities

EVENTSAfrica Tech Summit

FOR A THIRD year running Africa TechSummit London (ATSL) providedinsight, networking and businessopportunities for African and

international technology leaders andinvestors who want to drive growth in Africa.The summit launched in 2016 to shareglobally the growth in the tech ecosystemacross Africa. The vision for the first AfricaTech Summit London was simply to bringtogether these great companies andinitiatives across the continent and connectthem with international ventures, investorsand entrepreneurs who were truly focused onbusiness and investment in Africa.

This year’s event, held at Grange St. Paul’sHotel, explored the latest trends, connectingmore than 250 key stakholders from across thecontinent through keynotes, breakout sessionsand networking events. ATSL welcomed a hostof speakers from MTN, YouTube, Ecobank,Draper Dark Flow, TPG Africa, Iroko, EchoVC,Ventures Platform, Uprise Africa, Cairo Angels,Kato Global, Yego Moto, Techpoint Nigeria,aKoma, Hope Tec Plus, Redsand Partners, HiveColab and many more.

One of the speakers at the event wasKaranvir Singh, CEO and MD of YegoInnovision, which has rolled out a cashlesstransport service called YegoMoto in Rwandadesigned to address the challenges, which waslaunched in Kigali.

630 Moto Taxis were fitted with a rugged,waterproof and dust proof Yegomoto Meter.

The Meters are constantly connected to theYegomoto cloud-based IoT Platform, whichmonitors and controls the entire ecosystem. Inthe first four months Yegomoto delivered42,382 trips and covered 1,591,659 km.

Besides bringing ease and transparency tothe moto taxi experience by providing haggle-free rides and facilitating cashless payments,Yegomoto will revolutionise m-commerce byutilising Moto Taxis as a comprehensivelogistics network to deliver goods, services andpassengers at their doorstep.

A slideshow presentation from Dr. EdwardGeorge, country head UK representative office& head of group research at Ecobank exploredhow blockchain can transform the continent.He explained that blockchain is a type ofdistributed ledger technology. In thepresentation he noted that by design theblockchain cannot be hacked. Howeverexchanges that hold cryptos in e-wallets andtransact them can be hacked - and have beenrepeatedly. According to George, since 2014more than US$1.4bn worth of cryptos havebeen stolen from exchanges by hackers,including Coincheck, MT.Gox and BitGrail.

He also looked at Know Your Customer(KYC) and digital identity on the blockchain.Ghana has introduced ‘Inclusive ID’, a singleidentity verification API that connectsunbanked Africans to the global economy andenables digital KYC AML compliance.

Bitrika, the latest FDI Digital Currencycreated by Satoshi Nakamoto, the inventor of

Bitcoin Digital Currency and BlockchainTechnology, has a pilot project in Ethiopia tocreate digital identifies for first-time Internetand e-commerce users, safeguarding theirpersonal data digitally on the blockchain.

The event also welecomed a new launch byNigeria-based firm VConnect. The provider ofan online platform that allows users to hirelocal professionals for all service needs is nowlaunching into Ghana with VConnect Ghana.Speaking to Africa Tech Summit organisers,VConnect founder Deepanker Rustagi said:“We are rolling out VConnect platform inGhana. This has really helped as in scaling up -we have enabled users from Ghana to addbusinesses and grow the platform VConnect.So the key is the platform will now be availablein more Anglophone countries, and to startwith we are rolling it out in Ghana.

The Africa Tech Summit was an opportunityto discuss opportunities and challenges,Michael Simeon, CEO of payment processingcompany Vogue Pay told Africa Tech Summitorganisers. He said: “I feel like it’s a bigopportunity for all the African focusedtechnology companies to gather together,share ideas, celebrate our successes anddiscuss our challenges.” �

By Hiriyti Bairu

The next summit will be held in Kigali, Rwanda14-15 February 2019. For more information visithttps://www.africatechsummit.com/kigali/

Africa Tech Summit took place atGrange St Paul’s Hotel in London.



Once there were very few telecoms networks and hacking into them was nearlyimpossible. Today neither situation applies. A major player* in security solutions explainswhat that means for the mobile networks of today – and tomorrow.

Taking on the hackers

SOLUTIONS Security

INITIALLY TELECOMS NETWORKS wereclosed, ring-fenced networks – very largetelcos just talking to each other. Themove to IP this century was necessary for

cost and efficiency reasons but it brought thenetwork’s SS7 protocol – used to pass callsbetween networks – into an IP network,where it was much more exposed.

Then, as Jimmy Jones, sales engineer –telecoms, with Positive Technologies, a leadingauthority on telecoms security, explains,deregulation, a vast increase in mobileoperators (and MVNOs) and pressure from endusers to use phones almost anywhere, led tothe need to create exchanges. Thus, saysJones, “the protocols are on IP. There are alsohubs. If you access those IP exchanges – thosehubs – you've got access to potentially everymobile operator in the world. That – and theinherent lack of security in SS7 – is the reasonthat the whole industry has changed.”

It’s the hubs that criminals usually attackfrom, often by mimicking a roamingconnection. If the operator doesn’t spot thethreat the hacker has a number of options. Firstthey try to understand a device’s ID. Jones says:“There’s something called an IMSI[International Mobile Subscriber Identity]; onceyou have that you have access to a mobilephone or device. From that I can craft differentattacks – gather all your locations, interceptyour SMSs or calls and so forth.”

That information may then be used or soldon the dark web to criminals who can craftmore complex attacks. Alternatively,interception can be allied to a so-called

phishing attack, which tricks subscribers intorevealing their bank account details. Then, if abank sends an SMS authentication for moneytransfer and if that SMS can be hijacked, thehacker can simply transfer money to his or heraccount. Another profitable trick, where ajurisdiction permits premium rate numbers,involves the hacker forwarding a call to one ofhis or her own high-rate numbers andpocketing the money.

And those are only a few of the optionsopen to attackers. Luckily, says Jones,operators have invested, in firewalls and SMShome routing equipment “and that hasimproved security”. But every network isdifferent, with different mixtures of subscriberofferings, so it's still possible to circumventthose defences. When it comes to threatlevels, one of Positive Technologies’sspecialities, “We’ve always found something.The levels are going down, but there’s stillwork to be done.”

The point is, he says, that “there’s no silverbullet. You can’t just go and buy device X and itwill secure your network.” His company offers amonitoring product that allows an operator tosee exactly what’s going on in its network andbudget accordingly. For a smaller outlay anoperator can purchase an assessment thatgives operators a clear view of exactly wherethey’re vulnerable.

Positive Technologies can then help with thenext steps – such as blocking functions. Or itcan simply offer recommendations after anassessment. “We’ve discovered that over athird of all the problems we find are just

configurational issues, so thoserecommendations are normally able to clear athird of the issues we find just by getting one ofthe guys within the network to change asetting,” says Jones. He adds: “Ourrecommendation isn’t “Buy PositiveTechnologies equipment”; it’s particular advicefor that particular operator.”

Different regions have different securityproblems, he adds. Africa’s big money transferbusiness that could appeal to hackers. “We’retalking to a lot of operators there and they’retaking [security] very seriously – particularlythe large multi-nationals. I think it’ll besomewhere we’ll be looking to grow ourbusiness a lot in the future.”

Meanwhile the global threat is, if anything,likely to grow. Take IoT. “Everything that has aSIM is potentially vulnerable and a lot of thoseSIMs are on 2G; they’re quite easy to attack. Ifthat IoT device is monitoring the pressure of apipe or the heat in a furnace in some factorysomewhere and I’m able to corrupt that andtake that off line then potentially the problemscould be disastrous.”

Still, as a company that works in bothtelecoms and industrial cyber-securityPositive Technologies may be betterequipped than most to take on the IoThackers of the future. �

*Positive Technologies is a leading globalprovider of enterprise security solutions forvulnerability and compliance management,incident and threat analysis, and applicationprotection. https: www.ptsecurity.com/ww-en/

Criminals usually attack telecomnetworks from hubs, often by

mimicking a roaming connection.

Photo

: Adobe sto

ck




http://www.africanreview.com/

Good governance has been identified as a cross-cutting issue and powerful enabler of the development agenda in theworld. There has been a paradigm shift with governments realising the importance of e-government as a strong tool forresponsive governance.

The adoption of e-government in Zambia

INTERNET E-government


ZAMBIA HAS ‘JUMPED onthe bandwagon’ with theprogramme beingbudgeted for in the

Seventh National DevelopmentPlan (7NDP), the economic routeto its Vision 2030 plan.

E-government has beendefined as the delivery ofimproved services to citizens,businesses, and other membersof society through drasticallychanging the way the governmentmanages information.

It facilitates a fast trackdevelopment highway by ensuringinformation exchangebetween/among the differentstakeholders electronically. On 22October 2015, President EdgarLungu launched the Centre ofExcellence for e-government andICT in Lusaka. The programme wasrolled out for the uptake and useof ICT through an effective nationale-government for public servicedelivery.

“The government hasestablished the Smart ZambiaInstitute to spearhead thetransformation of governmentoperations into a ‘smartgovernment’,’’ stated Lungu.

He announced that thegovernment was alreadyimplementing an electronicsystem across all governmentministries, and that Cabinetbusiness would soon beconducted in a paperlessenvironment.

The e-government division,which is under the Office of thePresident, has been tasked toimplement the e-Cabinet in orderto show leadership andcommitment to reforming the rest

of the public service towards aSmart Zambia.

This programme is aimed atimproving coordination,implementation of informationand communication technologyprojects, as well as ensuring thatservices required by citizens andother stakeholders from thegovernment are automated.

Therefore, the government’smove in its strategy for e-governance sets a good tone forboth ordinary citizens and theprivate sector in a quest to bring

significant improvement to publicservice delivery and also exploitthe opportunities that arise fromthe technological developments inthis competitive global digitaleconomy.

The country’s aim must be toleverage on e-government toincrease productivity and reducethe cost of doing business by wayof having a centralised andstandardised government ICTinfrastructure.

It is heartening to note that the e-government system is alreadybeing tested, helping governmentto save $7.1mn every monththrough the introduction ofelectronic payslips for civil servants.

According to the secretary tothe Cabinet, Roland Msiska,

government is spending $8.3mn(around K85mn) on theimplementation process to trainCabinet liaison officers, end-usersand other relevant officers inministries and provinces.

‘’Soon, we should be running amore simplified Cabinet processsystem, a system which shall becompletely paperless and withoutthe usual movement of files fromministries to Cabinet Office andvice versa,’’ Dr. Msiska noted.

E-government is beingadequately tailored to enhance theimplementation of programmessuch as the social cash transfer,women and youth empowermentand e-agriculture. Additionally, thecost of doing business in both thepublic and private sector will begreatly reduced.

Indeed, Zambia is underscoringthe importance of digitaltransformation across sectorsevidenced by, inter alia, the SmartZambia project, which seeks toaccelerate ICT usage in thecountry.

Under the Smart Zambia phaseone project, the governmentestablished the national datacentre, an integral componentmeant to transform the countrythrough ICT.

Phase two of the programme,valued at about $365mn, willinvolve the establishment of acomputer assembly plant inLusaka, ICT training centres andbroadband deployment.

Through the Smart ZambiaMaster Plan, the government willinvest in, and upgradetelecommunications networks toimprove the flow of informationamong government institutions,entrepreneurs and citizens.

Zambia is indeed on the righttruck in as far as technologicaladvancements are concerned. �

Nawa Mutumweno

Through the Smart Zambia Master Plan, thegovernment will invest in, and upgrade

telecommunications networks.

ICT training centres will be built inLusaka.

The Smart Zambia Institute in Lusaka aims to spearhead the transformationof government operations into a smart government.

Photo

: Adobes

tock

Photo

: Wikim

edia com

mons


Access to technology changes people’s lives, improves business and drives economic growth - that much is a fact of life.Universal access to Internet connectivity is even being punted as a basic human right.

What will drive Africa's digital economy

TECHNOLOGYDigital

ACCESS TO TECHNOLOGY changespeople’s lives, improves businessand drives economic growth - thatmuch is a fact of life. Universal

access to Internet connectivity is even beingpunted as a basic human right.

Huawei’s recently released GIV (GlobalIndustry Vision) predicts that by 2025, thenumber of personal smart devices globally, willreach 40bn and the total number ofconnections will reach 100bn; creating a digitaleconomy worth US$23 trillion.

Mobile broadband creates a better life forpeople, better business for organisations andbetter economy’s for countries. It allows us asa company to bring digital to everyone everyhome and every organisation for a fullyconnected intelligent world.

But even as advances in ICT propels theworld into a new digital era, the vast majority ofpeople across Africa are either not connected,or only have access to slow internetconnections. Currently, less than five percentof households across the continent haveaccess to a broadband connection, whileeighty percent of those who are connectedhave to make do with bandwidth of less than2Mbp/s. Only half of the population is coveredby a mobile network.

Research shows a 90 per cent correlationbetween ICT investment and socio-economicdevelopment in a country; and connectivityand digital services will play a major role indriving sustainable inclusive growth.Connectivity is not just about a voice service orfaster internet, but gaining access to a varietyof cloud services that enables participation inthe digital economy.

As with other developing markets, theAfrican continent provides opportunities forbusiness to take part in this economy throughproviding a variety of digital products andservices to end-users, with estimated growth ofaround 40 per cent over the next five years.

Growing demand for digitalThis is especially apparent in an industry likebanking, where infrastructure has beenlacking. Shifting systems away from physicalbranches and onto people’s mobile deviceshas seen a huge improvement in access tobanking, especially in East Africa. Expansion ofthese services to include insurance and otherdigital financial products show that Africacontinues to play a leading role in this area.

Another example of what is doing well in theAfrican market is music; with operators,vendors and ecosystem partners workingtogether to drive new business value andtaking advantage of the growing demand forlocal content, which is often not availablethrough international music streaming ordownload services. Apart from satisfying thetastes of local fans and playing a part in cuttingdown piracy, homegrown services also helplocal artist’s monitise their music more easily.

Increasing digital literacy rates across thecontinent means that even more people will belooking to their mobile devices for access toaffordable digital products and services, andthere is already a gap between demand andsupply.

Wireless Technology offers an opportunity foroperatorsNetwork operators face numerous challengesin their efforts to make connectivity moreaccessible. These include having to balancethe high cost of deploying and maintainingfixed infrastructure with a lower averagerevenue per user, due to local geographic andeconomic conditions.

Wireless technology offers operators a cost-effective way to expand coverage and providebandwidth of over 1Gbps, giving users thefibre-like experience needed for qualityenterprise networks, video broadcasts, voiceover IP (VoIP), gaming, and even 4K IPTV andvirtual reality movies.

ITU statistics show that 148 countriesaround the globe have proposed nationalbroadband strategies to enhance thebroadband penetration rate and Internetexperience, and innovative wireless solutionsare expected to be a key contributor toincreasing broadband penetration andconnecting ‘the next billion’.

Build on LTE to future proof networks Within developed markets, the race tolaunch 5G, the next generation network ison. Early 5G standards and technologies arenow established and it’s expected we willsee commercial 5G networks deployedwidely by 2020. This adds to the impetus forAfrican telcos to invest in their networks andcreate new business models today inpreparation for a 5G Era.

While it will take some time to develop 5Gnetworks, operators in Africa can act now,

incubating new services and building newcapabilities based on 4G networks.Expanding and evolving LTE and itsderivatives, 4G+4.5G will pave the way to 5G.Operators can now deploy 5G commercialnetworks with LTE continuous evolution.

LTE is now defined as the fundamentalnetwork for all connected businesses. It isoften referred to as LTE4ALL, with thecapability to enable all types of services,including voice, data, video, Fixed-WirelessAccess (FWA) as well as new IoTapplications. This paves the way foroperators to explore new businessopportunities beyond consumer mobility, forexample fuelling digitisation in homes andenterprises.

Innovation maximises network valueAt Huawei we developed and successfullydeployed a series of business solutions tomaximise our customers’ network value.Huawei’s CloudAIR 2.0 features newtechnology to dynamically increasespectrum sharing and support LTE and 5GNew Radio (NR) on the same spectrum,enabling operators to monetise theirspectrum assets and improve network ROI.

Huawei’s Three-Star innovative sitesolutions (PoleStar, RuralStar, TubeStar)facilitates more efficient use of sites,enabling greater coverage and improvingthe return on investment. For radioequipment, cutting edge technologies like Massive Multi-Input Multi-Output(Massive MIMO) are now being deployedglobally on LTE network providingextraordinary experience and capacity layernecessary to open new business streams.These innovations are the bridging steps for5G Era.

We are committed to working togetherwith government and telecom operators inthis market to drive digital transformationand move towards a 5G future. We aim tocreate an open, collaborative, win-winindustry ecosystem to have in-depthconversations, discuss the latest trends andshare opinions together.

Dr. Mohamed Madkour, Vice President ofHuawei Global Wireless Network Marketing.

His specialties include: E-2-E MBBNetwork Solutions, Broadband BusinessStrategy, Wireless Solutions Sales; 4G LTEand beyond. �


S06 CAF Issue 3 2018 Electronic Payment, Zambia Online_Layout 1 08/06/2018 12:17

Communications service providers need new ways to grow profitability. However, as arecent report* points out, effectively monetising growth – notably in data transport andassociated services – requires effective end-to-end revenue management.

The role of revenue management

DIGITAL BSS/OSS

COMMUNICATIONS SERVICE PROVIDERS’(CSPs’) bottom lines are underincreasing pressure as margins oncore services like voice, messaging

and data access get squeezed. They need newways to grow profitability. In particular, theymust better monetise exponential growth inthe usage of data transport and associatedservices, and to do so, they must completelytransform their businesses.

CSPs are undertaking huge technical,operational, business and cultural changesthat are all competing for resources andpriority. Despite a common goal, many ofthese transformation projects occur in silos.Only when these changes are holistic will theydeliver the benefits CSPs want. A significantcog in that integration is ensuring that serviceand performance developments are matchedby the ability to charge correctly for them, andthat the money flows effectively through theentire value chain. In short, monetising trafficgrowth requires effective end-to-end revenuemanagement.

The entire CSP business is under pressure,and this is manifesting inside organisationsas demands for change that can becategorised under three major themes: • The need for a step-change in efficiency –

this means driving costs out of thebusiness through automation andsoftware-driven platforms that can supportchanges quickly and cheaply. The marginalcost of services must be reduced across allnetwork, operational and supportfunctions. For example, creating andchanging settings in charging and policyfunctions to support new tariffs or servicescannot bring with them additional costs,nor cause significant delay in rollout.Working in Internet-time is essential.

• The adoption of a new customer experienceparadigm – the direction of service flow hasalways been from the CSP to the customer,but increasingly control needs to be put inthe hands of customers through self-service provisioning, activation, and tariffflexibility. This meets with the expectationsof millennials and provides a valuable toolfor CSPs to differentiate beyond price,reduce churn and even gain market sharefrom competitors.

• The creation of new services – point-to-point voice, messaging and Internet accesswill remain the core CSP services, but newservices are essential for their future growth.However, many new services will not bedelivered solely by the CSP, will operate ondifferent business and pricing models, andwill have definitive lifespans. This meansCSPs need to create ecosystems and buildnew value chains. In turn, these will createrequirements for new and advancedcapabilities in CSP operations. Organic revenue growth is no longer

something CSPs can rely on. Data traffic onthe other hand is continuing to grow at arapid pace. CSPs are attempting to bettermonetise that data growth and build newvalue propositions following the threestrategies mentioned above.

There is, however, a dependency betweenprofit-growing strategies and developmentsin revenue management capabilities. Onlywhen the correct revenue managementelements are in place, will CSPs be able tobenefit fully from many of the higher-profileelements of their growth strategy, such asnetwork virtualisation, 5G and the IoT. Thekey steps to make this happen are: • Create new levels of business process

automation, real-time charging across pre-

and post-pay systems, flexible policymanagement, and seamless integrationwith CRM systems to support the change inthe customer experience paradigm. Onlythen can CSPs give customers what theywant, when they want it and to demonstratevalue. By doing this, CSPs can maintain alink between the increase in data trafficand revenue growth, albeit at a lower level.

• Develop effective systems to support thenew partnership models that underpin thecreation of new services with new revenuestreams. New services are not likely to besolely provided by CSPs; they will comefrom partnerships with other companies thathave assets CSPs don’t. Creating effectivepartnerships that benefit all parties isessential. However, such partnershipsrequire new settlement structures, real-timeoperation, and greater integration betweenpreviously separate BSS and OSS functions.

• Create a step-change in efficiency thatmakes the above possible at the speedand cost required through virtualisationand automation. This is a business-widedevelopment and one which must includeIT systems if investments in other areas ofvirtualisation, such as network functionvirtualisation, are to deliver the expectedreturn on investment. �

*This is an extract from the TM Forum/Huaweiwhite paper: Revenue management:Essential for monetising current and futureservices. The full paper can be downloadedat: inform.tmforum.org/research-reports/

TM Forum is the global industry associationthat drives digital transformation of thecommunications industry throughcollaboration: www.tmforum.org

Revenue management isessential for monetising

currrent and future services.

Photo: A

dobestock



Or coin-free in Kumasi? One day it may not be a problem, as we find out in this interview with Eran Feinstein,Group CEO of payment service provider Direct Pay Online (directpay.online), a group now taking its servicesinto West Africa.

Cashless in Kaduna?

MOBILEInterview

How do you operate? Do you mainly supportbusinesses that want to operate cashlesssystems, or do you also support end users?How do you set up a system for a client? EF: At DPO we provide a payment platformfor merchants (businesses) that would liketo have a cashless business. Once thebusinesses have joined us, they are able toaccept online and face-to-face payments.For end customers, we provide securepayment pages where they can pay safelyand use any form of payment. Additionally,we give them an option to have a DPO e-wallet where they can save their carddetails or mobile money accounts for futurepayments to merchants.

How quickly has the sub-Saharan Africanmarket embraced online payment?EF: Several African markets and businesseshave already embraced online payments –notably the travel industry. Other markets arefollowing the rest, but the process is slow.However, we are now seeing the growth ofonline payments in industries like e-commerce, schools, insurance companies andmany more industries.

You support a variety of payment modes.How popular is mobile payment in Africa? Isit more of a driver than PCs or cards? EF: Mobile money is quite popular in someparts of Africa. However, from the onlinepayments side cards are more popular thanmobile money. A few years back thetransactions were 80 per cent cards and 20per cent mobile money, but this has rapidlychanged and we can see it at 60/40. Webelieve in the next few years the trend willchange completely.

You’re now entering West Africa. Why now? EF: At DPO we believe that this is the righttime for us to get into West Africa. DPOstarted its operations in East Africa,established its presence there and set newstandards. DPO then opened the SouthAfrican market and acquired several playersin order to dominate that market. Ghana hasbeen selected as the first market and DPOhas also decided to site its regionalheadquarters in Accra.

How different are the challenges of thismarket compared to the East African marketsyou launched in?EF: Each market represents a differentchallenge. Some of the West African markets(for example Nigeria) are massive and DPO willhave to prepare itself to address the uniquerequirements of such markets. There are alsodifferent regulations and different banksoperating in these markets. DPO will be readyto adapt to these situations.

What are the opportunities of this market?EF: The West African market represents a greatopportunity when it comes to payments,growing e-commerce, the travel business, theairline industry, schools, big billers and more.In addition, DPO’s unique solution for SMEmerchants will definitely disrupt the market,mobile points of sale, contactless card readers,QR code and more.

What sort of services will you introduce firstIn West Africa – and how? Will you beseeking merchant partnerships or do youalready have some?EF: DPO will provide multiple solutions formerchants in the region, customer-to-businesssolutions, free e-com websites for smallmerchants, business-to-business onlinepayments platforms, mobile point of sales, QRpayments, pre-paid cards and much more. DPOis always open to partnerships that can drivemore payments while supporting the growth ofthe payments industry.

What next? Could online payment eventuallyoust cash in Africa as it is starting to do inparts of Europe?EF: For DPO, online payments and advancedpayment solutions are key elements in ourstrategy. We truly believe that cash will bemoved to second place. �

DPO provides a payment platform for merchants that would like to have a cashless business.

Photo: jeremias münch/AdobeStock



NETWORKS Interview


In the second of two articles on backhaul options, Ryan Bruton, senior director internationalengineering at Aviat Networks, a leading name in microwave networking products andservices, discusses controlling telecoms backhaul costs

Budgeting for backhaul: part two

Assuming that many of Africa’sbackhaul needs involvemicrowave, how do serviceproviders go about ensuring acost-effective approach?RB: Africa’s backhaul depends onmicrowave as well as fibre. Thereis no way around this. In AviatNetworks’ experience, inchallenging African and APACenvironments opex reduction is athree-part approach. Firstly reducethe site costs. Reduce the powerand size of infrastructure tosupport a site by moving as muchof the microwave and radio accessnetwork (RAN) equipmentoutdoors, and reduce the amountof equipment required indoors.Here we provide split mountsolutions that move the majorheat-emitting elements outdoors.In addition Aviat Networkscombines the functionality ofseveral pieces of equipment intoone small unit; we combine themicrowave indoor unit (whererequired) as well as Ethernetswitch and cell-site router into asingle IP/MPLS-capablemicrowave router.

The second part to theapproach is correct networkdesign, where we supportoperators in correctlydimensioning the network andusing the correct protocols andnetwork architecture unique totheir needs – including IP/MPLS tothe edge, where useful, along withrings and mesh networks forredundancy and better capacitydistribution.The third part of the approach is

the one that is most neglected:revisiting the network andoptimising what is built. Capacityneeds change, the networkevolves and very often sites havetoo much or too little capacity;important network elements suchas synchronisation, routing andquality of service need updating.We support operators with theskills to optimise these networksas well as the networkmanagement tools required to beable to monitor and spot theproblem areas.

Operators globally will soon befacing the challenge of rollingout 5G and backhaulingdensified networks. Do you seecost control as a major theme ofa 5G future, given that MNOswill not necessarily have theguaranteed revenue streams ofthe past? How could backhaulmodels evolve? RB: Balancing the needs of 5Garound capacity and low latencywith cost is going to be a hugechallenge for operators. Thetraditional way of planning anddeploying networks is simply notgood enough, and operators haveto evolve skills, networktopologies and deploymentstrategies in order to meet the 5Gchallenge. From a microwavebackhaul perspective this meanshigher capacities from access tonew higher-capacity spectrum.More generally in the networks asa whole it means more automationin the network to be able to deployservices faster and react tonetwork changes without the needfor direct human intervention.Using automation technologiessuch as software-definednetworks (SDN) together withmore integrated tools supportingthe full network life-cycleevolution is absolutely key. TodayAviat Networks is the only

microwave vendor to offer nativeSDN microwave solutions with theWTM4000, and the vision of ourAviatCloud tool is to offer anintegrate series of apps thatsupport the end-to-end evolutionof the network – from design, todeploy, to support and maintain –in one single tool. Coupled with along history of microwaveinnovations, Aviat provides acomprehensive suite of localisedprofessional and support servicesenabling customers to drasticallysimplify both their networks andtheir lives. For more information,visit www.aviatnetworks.com orconnect with Aviat Networks onTwitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. �

Smaller antennas are needed toreduce tower costs.

Our AviatCloud tool offers an integrateseries of apps that support the end-to-endevolution of the network – from design, todeploy, to support and maintain – in one

single tool.

Photo: A

viat Networks

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viat Networks

Long Haul Trunking Microwave hasformed the backbone of networksaround the world.


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27www.communicationsafrica.com Communications Africa Issue 3 2018

THE ZAMBIAN GOVERNMENT has launched a web-based InvestmentGuide (iGuide) that is tailored to present a versatile and informativeplatform to increase the number of investment opportunities availablein the country.

The electronic investment platform, the iGuide, has been jointlydeveloped by the MCTI and the Zambia Development Agency (ZDA)with support from the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) incollaboration with the United Nations Conference on Trade andDevelopment (UNCTAD).

The iGuide is a web-based portal that collects, builds anddisseminates investment related information. It is designed to presentquick access to information providing domestic and foreign investorsalike with up-to-date and pertinent information on businessopportunities as well as applicable laws and regulation.

It is a marketing tool where all information about investment is putunder one umbrella for easy access, including chapters on, inter alia,registration, labour, land taxation, investor rights, growth sectors andinvestment opportunities.

The main objective of this web-based tool is to assist government inattracting more investment in line with their development needs.

Information that is found on the iGuide Platform encompasses:• Local data – iGuide contains updated data such as wages, non-

wages, labour costs, taxes, rent values, utility prices and transportcosts which is key for investors in making business decisions.

• Relevant acts, rules and license requirements – Contains relevantcontacts of ministries and organisations dealing with investors;steps in getting licenses; timeframe; among others.

• Experiences of established investors – Summarises the experiencesof established investors of their investment history.

The platform has the following sections: Labour; Production Factors;Land; Taxes; Investor Rights; Growth Sectors & Opportunities.

The iGuide is expected to increase investment activity in thecountry. “The development of the guide will assist in building capacityof local institutions directly dealing with investment issues such asZDA,” said ECA’s southern Africa director, Said Adejunobi.

Zambian government launches web-based investment guide

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IDT has launched IDT Express to enable customers to purchaseDIDs, manage IPs, voice termination quality, among other things.

IDT introduces IDT Express

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The new web-based investment guide will collect, buildand disseminate investment related information.


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TECHNOLOGY VAS

IT’S TRUE THAT mobile moneyis an important feature ofAfrica’s value added services(VAS) scene. But the reach of

news and entertainment-basedVAS is growing – in both mobileand fixed applications. Forexample, technology companyand video on demand (VOD)solutions provider DiscoverDigital has developed variousproducts for telcos, ISPs andloyalty partners to enable themto offer their end-user customersquality digital entertainment asan acquisition or retention tool,as part of a reward programme,as a data-gathering incentive, ormerely to drive traffic and highdata usage through theirnetworks.

A VOD reseller service (calledDigital Entertainment on Demand)a billing switching system(Common Operator BillingInterface), and a locally developedRecommendation Engine (RE). arejust three products, while theservices offered by Discover Digitalinclude a stand-alone studio-compliant Content ManagementSystem (CMS), Multi-Screen

Applications, Digital RightsManagement (DRM), ContentWorkflow Solution, Linear ChannelDelivery services and even livestreaming and broadcastproduction services via asubsidiary, EFX productions. Fullymanaged and integrated VOD/IPTVsolutions can include all these.

As for how this all works inbusiness terms, Taryn Uhlmann,executive head, content andmarketing, says, “Our work in thisspace is underpinned by strategicB2B partnerships with the likes ofmobile operators.” In particularthe DEOD VOD product isadaptable to fit partners’ corporateidentities, pricing strategies, fixedline and mobile data bundlingobjectives and market-specificcontent needs. “This enablesmobile operators to offer digitalentertainment without the need forhefty technical set-up costs andthe high, often prohibitive,minimum guarantees required bythe studios,” says Uhlmann.

Africa of course can offer a fewtechnical and pricing challenges.Accessing video content via amobile phone can be enormously

expensive, Uhlmann points out.“We employ Adaptive Bit Ratetechnology which always servesan appropriately scaled video tosuit your overall environment –considering device, speed ofInternet and availablebandwidth.” DEOD also supportsdownload – and scheduleddownloads, which means viewerscan take advantage of off-peakdata periods and free Wi-Fi todownload content for laterviewing. Short form content isalso part of the service.

The business model is fairlyadaptable too. Mobile operatorsand other key stakeholdersthroughout Africa could, forexample, offer DEOD to theircustomers at subsidised rates, oreven free, building on increasingconsumer appetite for on-demandvideo services to complementtheir core portfolio of services andadd new revenue streams throughadvertising on mobile.

“Africa’s markets and culturesare varied and unique; eachterritory and each partner isfocused on different targetmarkets, utilising different

strategies,” says Uhlmann. Abespoke and relevant VAS offeringis the response. “It furthermoreenables targeting by device and byoperating system and providesautomating direct-to-consumerbilling.“ Advertisers, she adds,benefit from attaining individualrelationships and granularknowledge about their specificcustomers and this in turnsubsidises the costs of streamingfor consumers.

Africa is obviously a promisingmarket for mobile VAS preciselybecause of limited fixed access,but does the company still have todevelop, adapt and promote anews and entertainment offeringfor a specific African market?

Uhlmann explains that DEOD,to a partnering mobile operator, isa ‘base’ product. This means thatit offers an extensive range ofcontent: films, kids’s shows, newsand more. “With each mobilepartner we then assess theirindividual market needs and eachoperator can build on tailored,local content [including locallanguage content] or additionalinternational content as is required


Value added services (VAS) in Africa are not just about mobile money. News and entertainment are also an importantpart of VAS growth in Africa, as two leading enablers of value added services in the region tell Vaughan O'Grady.

New views of VAS

Discover Digital providesaccess to end-to-end digitalmedia and fintechtechnology products.

S07 CAF Issue 3 2018 VAS Opera, Report DA_Layout 1 08/06/2018 15:07

Communications Africa Issue 3 2018 29

TECHNOLOGYVAS

to speak to their unique customerbase. In this way DEOD as a valuedadded service remains relevantand adapts to market needs bothin its market positioning and itsproduct offering.”

Another company with an eyeon Africa is Opera Software,whose portfolio includesinnovative web browsers. JørgenArnesen, the company’s globalhead of marketing & distribution,explains that Opera technologyallows millions of people to getonline content quickly on anydevice. The Opera News app, forexample, collects the top storiesand trending videos from aroundthe internet and puts them in onedata-compressing app. Operatorpartnerships are also important.“Operators appreciate that ourOpera Mini browser is available fora wide variety of handsets andhow it helps them grow theirinternet user base without causingmajor new investments in theirnetworks,” Arnesen says.

Opera tailors products carefullyto the conditions and needs in themarkets via research andfeedback. “A good example ofthis,” says Arnesen, is thedevelopment of our data-savingmode, which can be enabled in allOpera products and is a keyfeature of Opera Mini. Enablingdata-savings in Opera Mini allowsusers to compress data andaccess the internet in areas wherenetwork conditions may not beoptimal.”

In addition, says Arnesen, “werecognized the need for one app toprovide the trending stories from awide variety of news sources. Youno longer need multiple apps for

staying up to date with what’shappening locally and globally,Opera News keeps users on top ofthe latest stories, all whilecompressing data and offering adownload feature to enjoy thecontent offline later.”

Thus, he adds, thanks to theartificial intelligence integrated inthe company’s products, it cancontinuously provide users with aunique experience that is basedon their usage habits. “We haveon-the-ground teams in eachcountry that gather stories fromthe most important sources as wellas continuously work to improvethe quality of our news offerings.“

Local ‘ambassadors’ areanother important part of theOpera offering. “At the moment,we are working with two brandambassadors in Nigeria: ChelseaFC player Victor Moses and theNigerian award-winning singerand songwriter Simi.

“We cooperate actively with ourambassadors and keep ourfollowers up to date on our socialmedia channels.” Chances to winprizes, including devices, or meetthe ambassaodrs, are all part ofthis engagement.

While entertainment matters toOpera Arnesen says, “As for mobilemoney, we don’t expect this trendto slow in the future and haveintroduced products to the marketthat provide the reliability andsecurity required in this field.”Strategic investments to encouragethe development of onlineproducts and services that willanswer the demands of millions ofusers are a part of this approach.“Modern mobile buyers aredemanding easier, faster and lessexpensive methods to transfermoney, request loans, or makepeer to peer transactions,” he says.

Opera has made a strategicinvestment into OPay, an OperaGroup company with a focus onproviding financial services inAfrica. Recently, Opay announcedthe launch of OKash, the firststandalone app of OPay whichfacilitates almost instant microloans with flexible pay back termsdirectly from your mobile phone.

So had non-financial VAS beenoverlooked in Africa until recently?Uhlmann of Discover Digital says,“I don’t think sport orentertainment-based value-addedservices have been overlooked;

rather I think sport andentertainment is not traditionallythe core business of telcos and, assuch taking sport andentertainment to market hasvarious complexities. Aside fromcost most telcos and mobileoperators require a partner in thecontent/broadcast and ortechnology space whose primarybusiness is sport and/orentertainment. Additionally, rightsto sport content in particular areoften tied up in long-term pay TVdeals, making a mainstreamsports offering difficult to procure.”

However, she adds, the futureis still bright for this VAS market.“Over time, both sports andentertainment providers areseeing the value of ending theirexclusivity in traditional pay-TVdeals and including OTT mobileofferings where they canimmediately attract a muchgreater audience and generaterevenues over a wider base. Theyalso develop a direct and richerrelationship with their customerand fan base, so in time thismarket will most certainlyoutperform other VAS services andproducts.” �

Africa is obviously apromising market formobile VAS preciselybecause of limited

fixed access, but doesthe company still haveto develop, adapt andpromote a news and

entertainmentoffering for a specific

African market?


DEOD is the first converged online OTT television service to launch in Africa.

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DATA GDPR

T HE NEW ROLL out will have a strong focus on data protection and archiving practices. Ignore GDPR, and you run the risk of hefty fines (up to $23.7mn or

four per cent of annual global turnover,whichever is greater), a loss of consumer trust,and untold damage to your reputation. Are youready to face GDPR head-on? If you have beenreadying yourself for compliance to our ownPOPI (Protection of Personal Information) act,then you should not be far off complying withGDPR which is based on similar principles.

The requirements of GDPRGlobally, recent years have seen some of theworst data leaks and malicious hacks inhistory. As a result, people are far moreconcerned about their fundamental right toprivacy and have also become more vigilantand aware of their liberties when it comes totheir digitally-gathered personal data, andwhat businesses are doing with it. GDPR

outlines a new set of regulations that aredesigned to prioritise the rights of EU citizensand give them more control over their privatedata, including valuable and sensitiveinformation such as financial details, phonenumbers, addresses, religious and politicalviews, and much more. Regardless of where abusiness is located, if it collects or processesthe personal information of any EU resident,GDPR applies. In this regard, it’s imperative tounderstand what data you collect, where it isstored and how it’s being used. The legislationhighlights two main data rights for customers:the right to be forgotten, where a customer canrequest their data be deleted; and the right fordata portability, where a customer can requestthat their data is moved from one company toanother. Customers are further protected in theform of necessary updated privacy notices,which need to be worded in clear, concise andplain language that anyone can understand. Byoutlining exactly what you’ll be doing with thedata, a strong focus on transparency isemphasised, and customers feel more at ease.

Another important aspect of the regulationinvolves data breaches. Businesses arerequired to notify authorities of any kind ofcybercrime within 72 hours. In an effort tominimise exposure to these kinds of attacks, acompany is encouraged to only collect, shareand keep the data that they really need, and toensure that it is effectively searchable in casethey are called upon to provide it.

The importance of change and complianceAny South African company needing to alignitself with the GDPR requires the appropriateinternal processes and technical capabilities to

be able to execute these changes correctly. Forexample, a data processing company, such asConnection Telecom, would need to sharpenits security controls and data breach continuityplans, and seek advice from a specialistattorney that can assist with updating itspolicies and documentation to ensureinformed consent and water-tight compliance.

The relationship and transfer of databetween data controllers and dataprocessors is an important part of GDPR, andbusinesses need to work together to ensureconsumer information is secure. Companiesshould also consider assigning dedicatedindividuals or teams to focus on GDPR, toensure that data is accurately documented,safely stored, and permanently deleted – notto mention that practices are regularly testedto ensure optimal protection.

Beyond the negative financial implicationsof non-compliance, there’s anotherimportant reason for businesses toimplement these data security and integritypractices: a digitally-savvy generation ofcustomers is better informed than everbefore, and the reputational risks associatedwith irresponsible handling of data areknown all too well. Consumers expect ethicalbehaviour and utter transparency, even fromthe largest corporation.

Finally, it is worth noting the positives ofGDPR compliance. By gaining a trueunderstanding of a business’s data practices,more effective business decisions can bemade in the long run. It’s not just a legalresponsibility, it’s an opportunity to do betterbusiness – and organisations across the globewould do well to embrace it with open arms.�Rob Lith, director of business development

at Connection Telecom

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The relationship and transfer of data between data controllers and dataprocessors is an important part of GDPR

As of 25 May, anyone trading with EU businesses, marketing to EU citizens, or holding thepersonal data of even a single European national, needs to be fully compliant. This meansmaking major changes to how one captures, processes and stores consumer data.

The Implementation of GDPR and it’spotential impact on local businesses

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TECHNOLOGYShadow IT


Shadow IT is a term used to describe technologysystems and solutions built and used by business unitsin enterprises without explicit organisational approvalfrom the IT function.

Embrace the shadow

SHADOW IT IS becoming bothpervasive and unavoidable across awide range of departments withinmost organisations. Technology

now allows business users to download theirown digital solutions without the permission,participation, or even knowledge of theofficial IT department. There have been manynegative stories around the consequences ofthis trend. However, if managed correctly,shadow IT can actually serve as a keyenabler, driving innovation and rapid time tomarket, rather than becoming a sinkhole foreffort and budget. Given that it will happenregardless of attempted central control, ITdepartments should therefore learn toembrace shadow IT as an essential elementof modern business life – and be prepared tomanage it effectively. In doing so, they willgenuinely empower employees and start todemolish the traditional divide between thebusiness and IT.In this article we will look at some of the

drawbacks and potential benefits of shadow IT,and how companies can go about reapingthese benefits. We will focus on the software-as-a-service (SaaS) aspects of shadow IT, notbecause all SaaS solutions are deployed asshadow IT, but rather because SaaS is currentlythe approach most used by employees toinstall shadow IT solutions.

Why shadow IT is unavoidable Enterprise software is set up and configured tosatisfy the requirements and needs of thebusiness, rather than those of individual users.The aim is therefore to deliver a consistent,standardised approach. However, in today’shighly personalised world, where thecommodity off-the-shelf applications we useevery day can be heavily customised, usersnow expect far more of the systems they use intheir business lives. In many casesstandardisation has led to businessesdeploying inflexible, bureaucratic, non-

intuitive software applications, for which itfeels as if the solution is the master and theemployee the servant.IT organisations, processes, tools and

technology have evolved over time to addressmajor project and business needs – such asdelivering back-office efficiency through ERPsoftware. However, the process of re-platforming from legacy technologies and waysof working to current-day needs has simply notprovided the same level of personalisation anduser-friendliness that employees expect intoday’s consumer-driven digital world.By contrast, shadow IT is seen as fresh and

new, using what is perceived by employees asleading-edge technology. It aligns perfectlywith their demands and requirements, as itwas set up by business users. In addition,shadow IT embraces the latest technologies via

SaaS, platform-as-a-service (PaaS),infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS), and otherconsumption-based models, and is agile bydesign – not as a costly retrofit.Focusing on shadow IT using the SaaS

model, it is obvious why users are embracingit: Ease of access. A SaaS application isaccessible over the Internet, usually solelythrough a browser. Little or no client software isneeded, so the employee can access theservice from anywhere.Ease of maintenance. SaaS applications aremaintained by the provider. There is nonecessity for the end user to install patches orupdates, and no need for expensive and/or

scarce internal technical resources. Free/lowcost. SaaS applications are generally availablethrough a pay-as-you-go licensing model – allthat is needed is a credit card, with norequirement for an enterprise-level agreement(and all the complexity attached). Many arefree for small-scale or personal use.Subscriptions can be terminated at any time,meaning there is no residual cost or need towrite down capital expenditure.Fast deployment. Solutions are available ondemand – end users do not have to wait tohave their applications deployed or for anenterprise agreement to be signed. They canjust get on with their work.

The drawbacks of shadow ITPress coverage of shadow IT has normallyconcentrated on its negative points, focusingon a long list of detrimental implications. Infact, the term “shadow IT” itself is most likelyto be used by IT functions in a pejorative way.This is understandable, as traditionalenterprise IT departments place a premium oncontrol and centralisation, and don’t like endusers going behind their backs, especiallywhen the implied message is that what ITprovides is not good enough. Shadow IT istherefore normally seen as an unacceptablerisk to the organisation that needs to beactively eliminated, with the most commondrawbacks being that it:Creates inconsistency in business logic and

approach, as different parts of the organisationmay end up using different IT services andprocesses, which do not necessarily integrate.For example, if some parts of an organisationuse Google, while others use Microsoft Office365, this potentially creates discrepancies inworking practices, such as around documentsharing, meetings and communication.Adds extra cost to the business, as the

business has to pay for its traditional servicesas well as shadow IT, which do not generally situnder the same budget and are not subject to

Businesses must recognise thatshadow IT emerges as employees

seek to be more efficient and takecontrol of their working lives.

IT departments must learn toembrace shadow IT as an

element of modern life andpractices that will happen

regardless.

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the same scrutiny in terms of cost/benefits.This makes it difficult for the organization toestimate the true cost of IT. For instance, ateam within the business may be using adifferent chat system, such as Slack, andcharging it back to the business, meaning theorganisation ends up paying for multiplesystems.Creates inefficiencies, as the business

needs to support more than one service, whichcan lead to duplicate support costs, as well asintroducing potential extra expenses tointegrate different systems.Increases security risks, as data held in

shadow IT services may not be managed,maintained and secured in the same way ascorporate data. For example, using personalDropbox accounts to store sensitiveinformation might result in employees stillhaving access to the same data after they leavethe business.Constitutes a barrier to enhancing IT

services, as end users, satisfied by shadow IT,may not feel the need to push for betterservices from the IT department. For instance, ifdiscrete parts of the business are usingWhatsApp or Slack for communication, theymay not push for the whole organization tomove away from traditional collaborationsystems. This means that small pockets ofemployees have leading-edge tools, while themajority of the business struggles withoutdated or inadequate legacy technology.

The benefits of shadow ITDespite the long list of possible problems andopposition from IT, end users continue to seebenefits from shadow IT, often crediting it ascentral to driving innovation, businesstransformation, and increased productivity. Byembracing shadow IT, enterprises can realizebenefits, including: Increased productivity. Dueto their informality and the fact that they maybe hidden, it is difficult to uncover metrics forimproved productivity driven by shadow ITsystems. However, with the main reason givenby end users for using shadow IT solutionsbeing, “I want to do my job,” the implication isthat existing, official systems are, at best,cumbersome or not fully fit for purpose. Theshadow IT solution provides a better userexperience that allows employees to performmore effectively, driving user adoption. A goodexample of this is a DevOps team that ADLrecently worked with, which needed to manageproduct fixes with suppliers in real time. Theteam started using the free version of Slack toreach all parties and reduce the time to detectproblems. This localised success has led to amore formalised solution being rolled out forthe rest of DevOps.Innovation. Shadow IT solutions fill a gap

between what IT currently supports and whatan end user needs. These gaps highlightinefficiencies with existing IT solutions, while

new tools introduce innovative new ways ofworking that challenge existing ideas, bringingnew benefits. One example of this is Trello, alightweight tool that helps support project

management, commonly used by employeeswho want to create a simple scrum/agileboard. Using such simple and user-friendlytools would enable end users to adoptinnovative ways of working faster than a morecomplicated one would. Innovation can comefrom any direction – simply limiting technologyselection to the IT department reduces thepotential for the rest of the company to drivenew ideas and ways of working.Ability to attract talent. End users are

generally more engaged and productive whenthey can choose their own systems. Therefore,allowing shadow IT helps attract and retainhigh-performing talent. For instance, allowingusers to choose their own project managementtools, such as Pivotal Tracker or Teamwork,empowers teams within the business andenables them to be more efficient.Flexibility. In organisations in which shadow ITis accepted, end users are more likely to followthe latest technology trends by choosing eithersystems they know and love (such asWhatsApp), or that are generally the best onthe market. Embracing these intuitive,consumer-style technologies enablescompanies to move to new systems faster thanthrough traditional channels, with less need forformal training and rollout activities.

How businesses can manage shadow IT andreap its benefitsIt is a natural response for IT to feeloverwhelmed by shadow IT, and to thereforeattempt to block everything and anything notdirectly sanctioned by the IT function. However,that will stifle innovation and productivity –businesses must recognise that shadow ITemerges as employees seek to be moreefficient and take control of their working lives.It is not a conscious attempt to endanger orundermine the business. As such, IT must startlooking at ways to manage and monitorshadow IT usage. The enterprise must be ableto keep pace with today’s rapidly evolvingbusiness landscape, and that requires takingadvantage of the cloud/SaaS revolution. It alsorequires a more collaborative approach acrossthe organisation, recognising that technologyinnovation can no longer be the preserve of asingle business department.There are multiple methods that can be

used by IT to pragmatically manage or channel

shadow IT: Training around BYOD andapplication/cloud services – Cloud solutionsand highly connected applications, fromFacebook to WhatsApp and Skype, are nowpart of our daily lives. However, this ubiquitytends to create a false sense of confidence inthe security of all SaaS applications.Consequently, training is a vital first step toprovide end users with the necessary mindsetof ensuring security in the cloud.Training and talking to users is therefore the

most important step in managing shadow ITeffectively. Typical IT policies, which restrictindividual users from choosing theapplications they are able to install, willgenerally not work in today’s world, as there isa whole generation of employees who solelyuse browser-based, cloud services in theirdaily lives. It is therefore much more effectiveto help users understand the risks, work withthem to mitigate them, and inculcate a cultureof trust and personal responsibility.IT as a platform – Traditionally, IT supports

applications that aim to provide employeeswith the required tools for their jobs. However,as users have increasingly different and morespecialized needs, they are turning to shadowIT. In this new world, IT should aim to supportplatforms and allow users to choose their ownpreferred solutions. IT’s focus should shift tosupporting integration between differentapplications, removing barriers to choice. Forexample, Okta and Box’s platforms enableorganisations to build identity and contentcollaboration into their applications,supporting multiple users based on theirpreferred choices and allowing simple workingbetween both Microsoft and Googledocuments. One benefit of this approach is toensure that all documents are still on thecompany’s platform, which negates the risk ofan employee leaving with sensitiveinformation. Effectively, by moving frommaintaining a standard application tosupporting a broader-collaboration platform,the real risk of data leakage is managed, ratherthan relying on the rigorous but ineffectualpolicing of an application that is increasinglybypassed.3. Network monitoring – IT should mostdefinitely not be in the dark about which appsare being used and, most importantly, whatdata is being sent into the cloud. Vendors suchas Microsoft and Cisco have identified thisrequirement, and are now offering solutionssuch as Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB)and Cisco’s Elastica Audit. These solutionscollect data from all network devices, such asfirewalls, in order to analyze traffic and providea detailed picture of the cloud apps employeesare actually using. This allows the business toeffectively manage and monitor app usage anddata flows. Each app can then be rated in termsof whether it meets industry standards, itssecurity risks, and its business value, and an

Traditionally, IT supportsapplications that aim to

provide employees with therequired tools for their jobs.


TECHNOLOGY Shadow IT


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TECHNOLOGYShadow IT

informed decision can be made on whether toencourage or discourage its use. Greatervisibility and monitoring of shadow IT cantherefore effectively allow an enterprise tofoster innovation while minimizing risk.4. Shadow IT amnesty – Instead of going downthe usual, binary path of blocking access toapplications that employees are using, ITshould attempt to talk to end users by offeringan internal amnesty, bringing shadow IT intothe light. This will allow IT to gain knowledge ofapplications being used and start a dialog,inviting end users to describe why they requirea particular shadow IT solution and existingenterprise systems are not up to the task.Fostering dialog between end users and IT isoften surprisingly difficult – especially forsomething as divisive as shadow IT. Both sidesof the discussion therefore need to beprepared to leave their prejudices at the doorand genuinely listen if progress is to be made.

How embracing shadow IT led to 43 per centOPEX savings A global education company, operating acrossthe world, was facing rapidly escalating costsfor its video-conferencing (VC) solutions, whichwere a critical part of its business environment.Arthur D. Little was brought in to identify costinefficiencies with the current solution, assessalternative VC tools, and select the best toolsto fit the organization’s global needs anddigital strategy.The client had been using the same VC tool

for the past 20 years, and while it had been fitfor purpose in the 1990s and undergone aseries of upgrades and retrofits, it no longermet today’s business needs. This resulted intwo types of behavior:Employees who used the official tool, but

asked the provider for increasing amounts ofoptional functionality. This led to a verycomplex, fragmented and costly globalcontract – with more than 300 additionalservices included in it.Users saw the tool as unsuitable for their

needs and took it upon themselves to find anew video-conferencing solution throughshadow IT.While assessing the tools available in the

market, ADL also engaged with end users toidentify their VC needs and real-world usecases, while offering an amnesty for shadow IT.

Employees were encouraged to be honestabout their VC experiences through interviews,polls and forums. Research and employeefeedback pinpointed a specific tool that notonly met business needs, but that a largenumber of teams were already using – andeven paying for separately, unknown to IT.The client therefore added the new VC

solution to its existing platform, seamlesslyintegrating it with the company portal, helpdesk and email. Additionally, training wasprovided on the solution, through instructor-led sessions, quick-help articles and regularopen engagement on the client’s internalforum.Embracing shadow IT and adding the VC

solution to the corporate platform broughtannual OPEX savings of 43%, by eliminatingduplicate payments and unnecessaryadditional services. It also greatly simplifiedinternal processes, as the employees’ favoritesolution was directly integrated into thecorporate platforms, allowing for much richerfunctionality. This illustrates some key lessonsthat can be applied more broadly:

● Embracing shadow IT and listening toemployees’ needs can unlock large-scalesavings● The earlier IT engages with users, thesooner costs can be reduced●While not all shadow IT tools work for allusers, it is still likely that some toolsemerging from shadow IT will become thesolution of choice for the whole business.

Insight for the ExecutiveShadow IT is an accepted trend, with themajority of users already deploying SaaS

solutions in their workplaces without theknowledge or sanction of the IT department.There is no way to reverse this – the reality ofour cloud-pervasive, highly connected world isthat shadow IT is the new normal within today’senterprise.IT departments must learn to embrace

shadow IT as an element of modern life andpractices that will happen regardless. Instead,they should spend their time, energy andbudgets on tools, practices and training toproperly manage shadow IT and effectivelyempower employees.This means the IT function needs to take a

more collaborative approach across theorganization, and adopt new practices formanaging shadow IT by effectively making it anintegral part of the overall enterprise ITstrategy. This can be accomplished by:

• Training employees in using SaaS in asafe and secure manner• Shifting the focus of IT towards platformsrather than specific applications• Monitoring and analysis of shadow IT used• Engaging in dialog to understand whyand where shadow IT is being used,including offering an internal amnesty toensure accurate reporting.

Shadow IT is effectively a paradigm shift in themodern world of enterprise IT that has createdprofound changes in the fundamental model ofhow IT departments must serve the needs ofthe business. As with all change, there arechallenges to be addressed, but also ampleopportunity for significant benefits to begained.�

It is important for organisations to adopt a strategy to boost cybersecurity.

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Enterprise software is setup and configured to satisfythe requirements and needsof the business, rather than

those of individual users.

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THE RECENT AFRICAN Innovation Summit (AIS II) took place in Kigali, Rwanda.AIS II focused on innovative and disruptive solutions to the major challengesfacing African countries, which include energy access, water, food insecurity,health systems, and governance. As a platform for multi-stakeholder dialogueand actions, AIS II is Africa’s only summit on innovation that seeks to fosteraction-driven dialogue between African innovators and stakeholders ingovernment, private sector, civil society and academia to ensure Africansolutions are concretely given the opportunity to scale in a measurable way.

At the launch of the event, Prime minister Edouard Ngirente said: “Thechallenge facing Africa is building robust ecosystems of innovation. I amhappy that AIS is helping our countries build a culture of innovation as a wayof life. It is a critical element of development and economic growth. InRwanda, we will be launching a research and innovation fund to address thekey needs of our country. Resolutions and recommendations from AIS will playa key role,” said Prime Minister Edouard Ngirente.

Simba Mhuriro, an innovator and speaker from Zimbabwe, challengedAfrican governments to support innovators who are tackling Africa’s majorchallenges. “To our leaders, 20 years from now, how will you explain it to usif most of us innovators are employees instead of entrepreneurs drivingAfrica’s development forward?” He said. “Local innovations can only be localif the benefits are realised in Africa. Governments have to create regulationsthat allow financial institutions to fund African innovators at a large scale.”

The event gave 50 innovators the opportunity to engage stakeholders indiscussing potential solutions to some of the blockages that are preventingsolutions from going to scale.

IT HAS BEEN four decades since South Africa hosted its first supply chainconference, SAPICS. Since then, there has been significant innovation,leading to evolutionary trends and a change in approach. But, whatmatters more today, and has for many decades, is the service deliveredversus the product produced. Cassie Lessing, MD, Strato IT Group, amobile business solutions provider, said that the majority of today’sindustries are driven not just by technology innovation, but by theservice provided.

Lessing said that as the industry enters the 4th Industrial Revolution,there are several emerging technologies that will influence and shapethe future of supply chain: “We are faced with technologies such as theInternet of Things (IoT), Robotics; Augmented and Virtual Reality;Artificial Intelligence, and 3D Printing. These will all influence and impactsupply chain immensely, with the majority touching on the concept ofservice and the importance of the role it plays.”

Lessing noted that perfect order metrics often defines success forclients. He says that this mostly means delivering the right product to theright person, at the right time, with the correct information: “It’s the latterwhere things often go wrong, documentation is often lost, incorrect orunsigned upon delivery. This can cause significant issues for bothcompanies and even lead to non-payment.StratoPOD, the Strato IT Group’s app, has helped clients work towardsthe industry standard of ‘right first time’ and has assisted in buildingstronger and more information-rich supply chain departments: “The appgreatly assists in improving service delivery and also providesinformation-rich data to the client.”

Kigali hosts African Innovation Summit App assists in enhancing service delivery

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FIBRECO HAS ANNOUNCED it has gone live on its open access darkfibre link along the N3 from Johannesburg to Durban including thesubsea cable landing stations of SEACOM and EASSy. The N3,Johannesburg to Durban, is a strategic link for FibreCo offering theshortest dark fibre route inter-connecting the regional data centres ofInternet Solutions and Teraco as well as the SEACOM and EASSysubsea cable systems. The route offers connectivity to sites includingGermiston, Heidelberg, Warden, Harrismith, Ladysmith, Estcourt andPietermaritzburg and the cable landing station in Mtunzini.

“This investment provides a long awaited open access redundantdark fibre infrastructure to the existing connectivity making themultiple Tbps of Internet connectivity from the subsea cables moreresilient,” said Simon Harvey, CEO FibreCo.

Venita Engelbrecht, head of technology at FibreCo added: “Our clients are able to lease dark fibre and connect using their ownoptical equipment, hosted at our built for purpose repeater sites,allowing complete flexibility of managing their own network. Thecompany’s open access network consists of underground fibre routes,high speed optical equipment, carrier-grade Ethernet equipment andhosting and tower facilities interconnecting over 59 points of presenceacross the country.

FibreCo increases dark fibre reselience



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issue 3 2018 caf 3 2018 - cover layout 1 08/06/2018 10:25 ...communications africa/afrique is a...

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