BusinessDay 31 Oct 2017

26
BUSINESS DAY Tuesday 31 October 2017
BDTECH
E-mail: technologybusiness@businessday.com
Report predicts 18 billion
connected IoT devices by 2022
Jumoke Akiyode Lawanson
The latest Ericsson
Mobility
report predicts
that Internet of
Things (IoT) devices
will surpass mobile
phones as the largest category
of connected devices
starting from as early as
2018 and that there will be
about 18 billion connected
IoT devices in 2022.
This massive uptake, the
company has said, would
require a different approach
to network planning, design,
operations and capabilities
than traditional mobile
broadband networks.
To support operators
in this expected massive
Internet of everything will spur SME growth, economic development- Experts
Jumoke Akiyode Lawanson
& Angel James
Information, Communication,
Technology
(ICT) experts say that
as the world has become
a global village through
internet connection of everything
(IOE), Nigeria can
further tap into the unexplored
potential of its ICT
sector to grow small and
medium scale enterprises
(SMEs), which will result
in the continuous development
of the nation.
Giving a speech during
the Lagos Chamber of
Commerce and Industry
(LCCI), ICT Group annual
summit held in Lagos on
Wednesday October 25,
2017, Nike Akande, President,
Lagos Commerce
and Industry said that;
“there is a need for business
and investment elements
that strengthen the
private sector to catch the
increased opportunities in
ICT.
Akande said that to
make it possibly for opportunities
to be utilised, “the
regulatory environment
must also be sensitive to
the ideals of a conducive
business environment that
can attract private sector
participation and foreign
direct investments.”
According to her, “the
information and communication
sector has become
a catalyst for boosting
business operations in
Nigeria and beyond. Electronic
transactions have
IoT use cases, Ericsson has
packaged a broad range
of radio network services
together to enable operators
to smoothly introduce
Internet of Things applications
on their networks.
This includes the introduction
of new IoT software
features such as Voice over
LTE support for Cat-M1 and
automated machine learning
to Ericsson’s Network
Operations Centers (NOC).
Peter Laurin, Head of
Business Area Managed
Services, Ericsson, says:
“Introducing new IoT software
features, such as Voice
over LTE (VoLTE) support
for Cat-M1 will enable operators
to explore new use
cases in which it can be advantageous
for IoT devices
made it possible to achieve
high quality and speed in
service delivery, especially
in areas like travel, e-commerce
and e-government.
We reiterate the need
for policies that encourage
and support innovation
software development and
protection of intellectual
property. This is necessary
for achieving useful
collaborations with other
technologically advanced
countries and attracting
investments into the ICT
sector,” Akande added.
Recent statistics form
the International Telecommunications
Union (ITU),
shows that out of 940 milto
support voice services,
opening up opportunities
to expand enterprise services
to areas such as security
alarm panels, remote firstaid
kits, wearables, digital
locks, disposable security
garments, and other types
of IoT-enabled applications
and services.”
Laurin also adds that
“introducing automated
machine learning to its Network
Operations Centers
(NOCs) will help operators
to manage delivery cost and
take a proactive approach to
event and incident management.
In a trial, 80 percent
of all incidents were identified
by machine learning
only with no human intervention
– and the root cause
lion people living in the
least developed countries
– mostly African countries,
only 89 million people use
the internet. This translates
to a 9.5percent penetration
rate.
However, Nigeria has
about 145million mobile
subscribers, with a present
penetration rate of about
55percent.
Experts say that the statistics
in Nigeria’s telecom
sector are a clear call for
the need to identify opportunities
for collaboration,
sharing best practices and
exploring inclusive technologies
to drive Nigeria
into a truly connected
was identified correctly in
77 percent of cases.”
Heterogeneous IoT networks
and diverse use cases
with varying needs will require
a different approach
to network planning and
design. To support this, Ericsson
is introducing scenario
assessment, network
modelling, design development,
and developmental
appraisal for massive IoT
networks.
Jamie Moss, Principal
Analyst, Consumer Technology
and IoT at Ovum,
says: “Operators need partners
that can help them to
introduce new technologies
smoothly and quickly. This
is especially true in the case
of LTE-M and Narrow Band
global community.
According to Manon
Chignon, Managing Director,
RCI Document Solutions;
“The Internet of
everything can improve
Africa’s productivity and
efficiency, improve business
performance, impact
sustainability and increase
profit if workers maximise
the use of technology to
achieve productivity.”
Also speaking at the
summit, Zakari Usman,
Chairman of the ICT
Group said; “the future of
business and commercial
activities all over the world
lies in the hands of SMEs.
The enterprise that
IoT (NB-IoT). As enhancements
to LTE, they appear
to represent the operators’
core competency. But
LTE-M and NB-IoT will be
used, and will be required
to perform, in ways that
are completely new. Their
rollout, the handling of the
traffic they generate and the
management of the services
they exist to enable require
network services that offer a
comprehensive portfolio of
abilities. Machine learning
and artificial intelligence
are not just buzzwords, but
are vital and exciting tools
being employed by Ericsson
for use within a network to
help operators manage the
many new devices they will
need to serve in the future.”
reaches out to us in our
time of basic needs and
necessities are the engine
room of our economy.
They need to be enabled
because the most basic
transformation in the
works of ICT today is the
revolution of the internet
that now affects every aspect
of our Lives,” Usman
said.
According to him, “the
revolution of IOE is shaping
different aspects of
our lives; from healthcare
delivery, national and
neighbourhood security,
e-commerce to learning
and every other aspect of
our lives.”
StartZone partners
Bramo digi to host
the Social Good
Summit
Jumoke Akiyode Lawanson
StartZone, an indigenous
innovation hub, focused
on solving Africa’s biggest
challenges by supporting
the digital ecosystem
partnered with Bramo digi
to host the 2017 Social Good
Summit.
The Social Good Summit
examines the impact of
technology and new media on
social good initiatives around
the world and is held annually
during United Nations General
Assembly (UNGA) Week.
The Summit which unites
a dynamic community of
global leaders and grassroots
activists to discuss solutions
for the greatest challenges
of our time had at this year’s
session; entrepreneurs and
social innovators discussing
how social media and (new)
technologies can be used
to achieve the Sustainable
Development Goal.
The panel session consisted
of Victoria Ibiwoye from
the United Nations and Dayo
Samuel who is the Lead Consultant
for ‘Audacity to Lead’.
The panellists spoke about
the way technology is assisting
in the achievement of the
millennium development
goals, lots of success stories
were shared and the audience
was given actionable advice.
The social good summit
was one of the events that
StartZone hosted during
the Lagos StartUp Week.
Other events included the
Girl Meets Tech; an event
designed to inspire and
empower young women in
technology and the android
community; an event for
android programmers around
Nigeria.
StartZone also hosted the
for loop community event
which is the largest community
of software developers in
sub Saharan Africa; the event
helps showcase best practices
in software development.
According to StartZone, its
mission is to “build Africa one
start-up at a time, this also
extends to building communities
of founders, designers
and venture capitalists.”
The Social Good Summit
had over one hundred delegates
comprising of entrepreneurs,
technology experts and
enthusiasts and was held at
the mini conference hall of the
Zone center in Gbagada, Lagos.
StartZone has been assisting
the development of communities
of skill, knowledge
and putting in place the right
environment to build communities
of capital in Nigeria.