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2020
Photo: Jerry Michalski
The year in review
A year like no other 2020 looked like being a newsworthy year for telecommunications, and it was – but not in a manner that anyone expected. Vaughan O’Grady looks at the many ways in which telecommunications made news – often very positive news – during the pandemic.
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HE YEAR 2020 started unexceptionally, at least in telecommunications terms. In issue one of Communications Africa we reported on many of the issues that Africa is addressing – or needs to address – in features that touched on satellite communications, OTT TV, fraud, remote connectivity mobile commerce, 5G and power supply. Twelve months later, we are still looking at these topics – but through the prism of a worldchanging pandemic. All industries have been affected by Covid19, mostly for the worse. And certainly, as consumers and businesses reined in their spending, retailers closed and movement was restricted, telecoms was also affected. Phone purchases suffered just about everywhere, with many end users putting off planned purchases or upgrades as income levels fell. Spectrum auctions were delayed. Engineering and maintenance become more difficult. Investment was held back. Coronavirus has also had a significant impact on production and supply chains globally: network infrastructure and phone manufacture were both hit. And trade shows – for many, the lifeblood of the industry – were cancelled. In issue one of 2020 we previewed the broadcast, satellite and content show CABSAT. It didn’t happen – at least not in the form originally intended. Like many other shows, it went virtual. By issue two our regular show preview had
22 Communications Africa Issue 1 2021
been replaced by a look at how African countries were beginning to support access to remote learning during the Covid-19 pandemic. And that, at least for telecommunications, has been the upside of this health disaster: it reminded everyone of the importance of telecommunications, even – or perhaps especially – in the poorest regions, and what telecoms can do to teach people, to inform them, to help them or simply to bring them together. For example, televisions, computers and mobile phones have all been adapted for elearning initiatives through governments, NGOs and operators. It’s not the same as being in a classroom but it’s much better than not being taught at all.
“This health disaster reminded everyone of the importance of telecommunications, even – or perhaps especially – in the poorest regions.” Steps were taken in Egypt to implement distance learning and assessment during the school suspension that began on 15 March 2020. In Kenya the ministry of education designed online learning programmes and resources that could also be delivered using radio, television, YouTube and other platforms.
The perceived health benefits of cashless payment during the pandemic boosted mobile money services.
Orange Liberia granted free access to online educational content to students and teachers while schools and universities were closed. South African operator Telkom offered education websites to provide cost-free access to learners. Further north, the Tunisia-based Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO) launched an e-learning initiative on 12 March. Ten North African and 12 Arab countries benefited from this initiative. These were far from the only examples. Telecommunications did much to support continuity in education during this crisis. Another demonstration of the importance of telecommunications came in the form of mobile money. A flurry of activity in Kenya early in 2020 saw banks and operators make cashless payments easier to carry out. Fees were waived or transfer limits raised. Many major names – from Mastercard and Visa to NSIA and Ecobank – have embraced the opportunities of mobile or cashless banking to allow them to reach a larger potential market, especially as, since the arrival of Covid-19, the attractions of cashless banking to both governments and consumers have been greatly enhanced. And many companies have encouraged this. In South Africa, for instance, Ukheshe, a micro transaction platform, launched a 90-day ‘zero rating cash management fee’ to assist South African merchants and consumers using its platform.
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