Emerging Technologies

Editor’s note

Emerging Technologies Shaping the Future of Businesses

Recently, Oracle held its Impact Technology Summit in Nairobi geared towards driving awareness of emerging

technologies and their impact on business. The Summit, which brought together business leaders and domain experts focused on how emerging technologies are influencing business innovation. According to Corine Mbiaketcha Nana, Managing Director Kenya Hub covering East, Central and West Africa at Oracle, emerging technologies, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT) and Blockchain are changing the way companies do business at every level, across every function, in ways we are only starting to imagine. This comes at a time when Liquid Telecom Kenya, in partnership with Sigfox, plans to build and deploy a nationwide IoT network covering up to 85 per cent of the Kenyan population. According to the company’s Head of IoT Strategy, the network will allow Kenyans to develop their own homemade solutions for the many unique socio-economic and business challenges they face. According to Guido Verweij, Travelport’s regional managing director, Africa, such emerging technologies are also transforming the travel experience. The future of creating experiences lies in the transformative impact of IoT, Mobile, Big Data, AI, and cloud computing, which are powering the travel industry to offer more than just a trip. Apparently, it’s the high time for business leaders to see emerging technologies as disruptive opportunities rather than challenges. There is no doubt that such technologies will enable significant leaps forward in terms of efficiency, innovation and competitiveness in business.

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Africa 16 Technology

Festus Kiragu, acting managing director, MTN Business Kenya.

MTN Business Kenya: a One Stop Shop for Connectivity and Enterprise Solutions

The company recently invested on a state-of-the-art tier III data centre established using the most rigorous engineered IP networks to meet the

business needs of its customers

By Jennifer Nyawira

When MTN Business

entered the Kenyan market in 2009, its mandate was to provide business solutions that would enable its Corporate and SME customers to not only do more but realize efficiencies in their businesses.

The company’s stellar growth is evidence that it derives fulfillment in customer

satisfaction. “We endeavor to provide exceptional and proactive customer service as we understand that what we offer is critical to our customers,” says Festus Kiragu, acting managing director, MTN Business Kenya.

MTN made its entry into Kenya after acquiring UUNET Kenya, which it then rebranded to MTN Business Kenya. UUNET was previously owned by Verizon Wireless, an American data solutions provider.

Since then, the company has invested heavily in the Kenyan market. “In 2017, we invested over $2 million in the state-of-theart data centre in Nairobi, and a further $1 million in a backup facility in Mombasa,” reveals Mr. Kiragu.

“We have also invested over $15 million in our fibre network in four major towns – Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu and Eldoret.”

Its eight year presence in Kenya has seen it grow into a brand to reckon with in the technology industry today. “We plan to continue investing in this market since Kenya is a critical market within the region and many multinationals headquartered here,” observes Mr. Kiragu.

MTN has an extensive connectivity footprint with presence in 24 markets across Africa and the Middle East.

Shifting focus to enterprise solutions MTN has shifted from just focusing on connectivity to enterprise solutions, a move that was informed by various factors.

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Africa 26 Cover Story

Adil El Youseffi, CEO, Liquid Telecom Kenya.

Liquid Telecom Taps into Emerging Technologies in a bid to Digitize Africa

Plans are underway to roll out the IoT technology, in partnership with Sigfox, a first in the region

By Jennifer Nyawira

Liquid Telecom Kenya recently announced that it will be rolling out the first nationwide Internet of Things (IoT) network covering up to 85 per cent of the Kenyan population. To achieve this, the company has partnered with Sigfox, a global IoT service and network provider in 45 countries that has pioneered low cost, low energy consumption, and long range IoT networks.

The IoT relates to the interconnection – via the Internet – of computing devices that are embedded in everyday objects, which can send and receive data at speed. The network will allow objects to be connected

– be it cars, soil, animals, sewage lines, street lights or water points among others.

If the Wildlife Society for instance wants to track rhinos in a certain conservancy, they can use the IoT network, which is costeffective. In the same vein, the network can be connected to sewer lines to predict and control the outbreak of cholera.

“By getting this information, individuals and policy makers will be able to make better decisions, be it in the business world or any other field,” says Adil El Youseffi, CEO at Liquid Telecom Kenya.

According to Adil, the introduction

of a Sigfox “Low Power Wide Area Network” (LPWAN) means that the cost of connectivity and network roll out will be low making it possible to track large volume of data. The new network runs on the free ISM band 868MHz and will cost Kenyans as little as Sh100 ($1) per year per device or sensor, depending on usage.

Liquid Telecom Kenya is tapping into emerging technologies that are changing the way companies do business at every level and across every function. “We are always looking on how we can bring ICT solutions that can help solve our customers’ challenges and help them tap into available opportunities.”

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Technology

Africa 28

Nikki Summers, Regional Director, Sage East Africa.

Sage: Market Leader in Cloud Business Management Solutions

By Nikki Summers

Sage is the market leader in cloud business management solutions with three million global customers. Our solutions enable clients to re-imagine their business and stay ahead of their competition. Our integrated accounting, payroll and payment systems combine social, mobile and real-time technology to put live information at clients’ fingertips, so they can make fast, informed decisions.

Our Sage Business Cloud offering is designed to be the only cloud platform

that businesses will ever need. Sage Business Cloud offers a powerful set of products for small business accounting and advanced financial management, including industry-specific enterprise management software. Customers can join the platform at any stage of their business journey and continue to grow as their needs evolve.

Another way we are differentiating ourselves is through the extensive investment we are making in our channel, localisation of our software and on-theground infrastructure. We have offices

in several key markets in the Middle East and Africa, and a well-developed partner network. We have also localised our software for the tax and regulatory landscape in all our core markets.

Software business solutions on offer

Sage Business Cloud Accounting One solution that brings all aspects of midsized business’s operating environment together, providing full control over its financial situation as well as its relationships with customers, suppliers and employees.

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Automation

Africa 30

By Corine Mbiaketcha Nana

Three Early Industry Adopters of Autonomous Technologies

Automation has already transformed industries in which complexity and performance demands must meet the challenges of fewer available resources, narrower profit margins and expanding product volumes. Examples include the car manufacturing industry, online reservation systems in the travel industry, the introduction of ATMs by the banking industry and more recently, automated mobile money kiosks.

Now the future is beginning to move to autonomous technologies: driverless vehicles, self-tuning databases, delivery robots and the like. While automation involves programming a system to perform specific tasks, autonomous systems are programmed to perform automated tasks, accommodate for variation and self-correct or self-learn with little or no human intervention.

In effect, autonomous is the next level of automation. True autonomous solutions can, once powered on, fully operate on their own to make decisions that are not only the most efficient for the user but, because of the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), might even suggest a better outcome.

Previous technology waves, such as the internet, have actually served to introduce greater complexity into organisations. Autonomous technology differs by bringing to life the idea that technology can manage itself without human intervention. Autonomous technology doesn’t hide complexity behind new technology, it resolves complexity.

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Africa 42 TRAVELWISE

These Five Technologies are Transforming the Travel Experience

Recently, Guido Verweij, Travelport’s Regional Managing Director for Africa, addressed over 100 senior members of travel agencies at The Kenya Association of Travel Agents’ (KATA) inaugural Annual Convention on the topic of technologies transforming the travel experience. This article is a summary of the presentation, penned by Mr. Verweij

The whole notion of what today’s hyperconnected travellers want, and what they value, has changed. While cost, choice and convenience are still significant, booking decisions are now based on the experience.

Right from the moment that a traveller thinks about a trip, to planning it, booking it and living it, we in the travel industry must deliver a convenient, personal, endto-end experience.

Competition in the industry is fierce. Disruptive business models delivering new kinds of inspirational experiences have changed the landscape, overthrowing longstanding monopolies and causing travellers to question their loyalty.

We believe the future of creating experiences lies in the transformative impact of five key technologies: The Internet of Things; Mobile; Artificial Intelligence; Big Data and Cloud Computing. These technologies are powering the travel industry to offer more than just a trip. We call this evolution in travel retail ‘Distribution 4.0’ - the travel industry’s implementation of the fourth industrial revolution.

The Internet of Things (IoT) The IoT relates to the interconnection – via the Internet – of computing devices that are embedded in everyday objects, which can send and receive data at speed. Growth in the technology is impressive, with experts predicting that there will be 27 billion IoT devices globally by the end of next year.

Guido Verweij, Travelport’s Regional Managing Director for Africa.

The IoT is fundamentally changing the travel experience. Sensor-based baggage solutions, for example, can send push notifications to tell travellers when their bag is loaded, when it arrives and where it is being transferred to. In addition, hotels are using IoT technology to know if a room is empty by getting intelligent sensors to help detect occupancy.

As growth in IoT devices continues, so will the number of possibilities the travel industry will have to enhance the experience it delivers.

Mobile More than two-thirds of the world’s

population, 5 billion people, are now connected to a mobile service. According to a recent report, Kenya is leading globally in share of internet traffic coming from mobile phones – overtaking Nigeria, which topped the list in 2017. This is attributed to the high smartphone penetration rate, which stands at 41 million, with a reach of 90 per cent of the adult population.

Our own research conducted with 11,000 respondents from 19 countries revealed just how vital the mobile is for contemporary travellers. Not only do 33 percent of travellers book their trips on a mobile device, but 62 percent say digital boarding passes and e-tickets make

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