S10 CAF 3 2020 Post-COVID era_Layout 1 18/06/2020 12:37 Page 30
Technology
INTERNET OF THINGS
IoT applications set to boom in post-COVID era Photo: Adobe Stock
With applications across a range of industries, and for use by businesses, government and in the home, Africa has the potential to be at the forefront of IoT use. Georgia Lewis looks at some of the possibilities for the continent.
Africa is a land of opportunity for IoT developers across a range of industries.
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HE INTERNET OF Things (IoT) revolution has improved lives on a global scale. Now Africa has the potential to develop and utilise IoT across a diverse range of sectors, including water management, mining, and accessibility for disabled people. Smart meters have become an invaluable piece of IoT technology, especially in water-imperilled areas. In South Africa, Jojo, a water tank manufacturer has linked smart meters to its products to help residents, businesses and municipalities monitor consumption and detect leaks. The meters can be checked via a mobile app by Lesira-Teq and users can receive notifications to their phones with information such as when a tank is full or water levels are running low.
“Mining is an industry which was historically slow to adopt radical ideas. It is now beginning to embrace IoT but still working out how to make the most of it.” “These smart meters transmit their consumption information, which a user can then be able to access through a mobile app on their smartphone ... It is both a monitoring and management device, placing the power of consumption in the hands of the end user,” says Edwin Sibiya, Lesira-Teq’s CEO. In the mining industry, there is plenty of scope for growth. Research 30 Communications Africa Issue 3 2020
conducted by Inmarsat found geographical variance in IoT adoption across the mining industry in different regions, with 98 per cent of North American respondents having deployed IoT projects, compared with 50 per cent in Africa and 38 per cent in South America. There are many challenges to overcome if the mining industry is to fully realise the potential of IoT, particularly in regard to using it as driver for organisational change. A lack of skills, investment and cultural challenges, as well as unreliable connectivity, patchy cybersecurity processes and underdeveloped data management processes were highlighted in the report and will all need to be remedied in the coming years. Despite the challenges being faced, the study found mining companies are looking to increase their investment in IoT and are positive about the value IoT can bring and the benefits it is delivering or will deliver in the future. Joe Carr, global mining director at Inmarsat, said, “Two years on from our last research, Inmarsat wanted to get a measure of what had changed in the mining industry ... What we discovered was an industry that, historically slow to adopt radical ideas, is now beginning to embrace the use of IoT, but still working out how to make the most of it.” Innovate Now, Africa’s first assistive technology accelerator, meanwhile, has launched Cohort 2.0 to fund technology for people with disabilities. One entry is from Toto SCI, a startup that has developed AlexCane. AlexCane is a smart stick that incorporates IoT technology to help blind people share their location, request help or connect with other users at the touch of a button. ✆ www.communicationsafrica.com
