OPINION
CISCO
CLOSING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE Reem Asaad, Vice President, Cisco Middle East & Africa, has outlined six key tech trends that the global IT leader expects to see materialise during 2021.
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rend 1: Closing the Digital Divide The internet enabled society and economic
activity to continue for those with access to this invaluable resource. But that’s only about half of the global population and the pandemic underlined the urgent need to expand access. Currently only 35% of developing countries have internet access, compared to 80% in more advanced economies. The introduction and expansion of 5G and WiFi 6 networks will improve bandwidth, speed, and latency, and reach areas where fiber is prohibitively expensive. As a
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result, frontline mobile workers, telehealth, manufacturing, and education will all benefit. This in turn will level the digital divide as these new technologies spur growth and innovation for millions. According to PwC, bringing the internet to offline communities would add $6.7 trillion to the global economy and lift another 500 million people out of poverty. Trend 2: Driving experience (and safety) through sensors Sensors for both personal and workforce health, safety and wellbeing will take center stage in 2021. Patch-like sensors will be used to track health and well-being with sports sensors monitoring concussion. While fatigue sensors will be able to Reem Asaad Vice President, Cisco Middle East & Africa
track alertness in ruggedised environments. Data-based insights delivered by sensors will help provide
JANUARY 2021
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