MyBroadband Magazine Q4 2017

MY BRO A D B A N D 201 7

Q4

IOT – PAVING THE WAY FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE INTERVIEW WITH MTN SA CEO GODFREY MOTSA

Reshaad Sha SqwidNet CEO

R 45 .0 0 i n c l va t

BROADBAND IS A KEY ECONOMIC GROWTH ENABLER IN SA

ISSN 2519-7509

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772519

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EDITORIAL Welcome to the 2017 Q4 edition of the MyBroadband Magazine. The magazine is once again packed with great insight into the local ICT market and the companies driving the latest trends. In this edition, we see how IoT, along with its related technologies and networks, is rapidly expanding in South Africa, with market leader SqwidNet driving adoption. We also hear from DFA, which is leading the way in fibre deployment and expanding what the industry can do with a highspeed Internet connection. We touch on the humble Raspberry Pi and Arduino making waves in the business market thanks to their flexibility and low price, the use of blockchain and cryptocurrency mining experiencing explosive growth both locally and internationally, and AI having great potential in SA - as long as we can unlock it. For gaming and entertainment fans, we take a look at the country’s first professional gaming house and speak to Nu Metro about the future of cinemas in South Africa. Thank you for reading, and we hope you enjoy the magazine.

KEVIN LANCASTER EDITOR

IN THIS ISSUE 13 BATTLE OF THE BANDWIDTH: THE REAL DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ADSL, VDSL AND FIBRE 20 WHAT MAKES A VALUE-ADDED SOFTWARE DISTRIBUTOR? 23 THE BUSINESS ALLIANCE TAKING ON THE BLOCKCHAIN

06 IOT – PAVING THE WAY FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE COVER STORY

08 ENABLING A HIGH-SPEED DIGITAL WORLD IN WHICH INNOVATION AND MEANINGFUL CONNECTIONS PROSPER

26 BROADBAND IS A KEY ECONOMIC GROWTH ENABLER IN SOUTH AFRICA

30 INTERVIEW WITH MTN SA CEO GODFREY MOTSA 34 MYBROADBAND UNDERGROUND FOR TECHIES, BY TECHIES 36 WIOCC SEEKS MORE CHANNEL PARTNERS IN SOUTH AFRICA 14 APPLE’S INCREDIBLE NEW DEVICES

38 HOW VUMATEL PLANS TO CONNECT SOUTH AFRICA'S TOWNSHIPS

40 COST-EFFECTIVE LAST-MILE FIBRE OPTIC SOLUTIONS 42 WIRELESS EVOLUTION IN SOUTH AFRICA 44 AWESOME TECH FROM IFA 2017 50 THE RISE OF BITCOIN AND ETHEREUM MINING IN SOUTH AFRICA 52 THE END OF R2 PER MB 55 REDEFINING VALUE IN THE DIGITAL DISRUPTION ERA 60 THE LITTLE BOARDS DOING BIG THINGS 62 MICRO FOCUS SA LOOKING FOR CHANNEL PARTNERS FOLLOWING HPE MERGER 64 ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IS BEHIND SCHEDULE 66 THE INTERNET OF TALENT

68 FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS NEED TO BECOME ‘FUTURE FIT’ TO REMAIN COMPETITIVE 70 YOU CAN’T IGNORE DISRUPTION 72 SPLICEWORKS ENABLES TECH START-UPS IN SOUTH AFRICA 74 CINEMAS GROWING IN THE AGE OF NETFLIX 77 HOW FIBRECO PLANS TO MAKE CONNECTIVITY AVAILABLE TO MORE SOUTH AFRICANS 78 DEVOPS - BRINGING TWO WORLDS TOGETHER 80 THREE6FIVE – PROVIDING THE RIGHT SOLUTION EVERY TIME 84 SOUTH AFRICA’S FIRST PROFESSIONAL GAMING HOUSE 86 HOW VUMA IS SHAPING THE SMART CITIES OF TOMORROW

PUBLISHER MyBroadband ADDRESS Office F01, Ashford House, Midstream Estate, Olifantsfontein, 1692 TEL +27 12 687 5159 WEB mybroadband.co.za EDITORIAL kevin@mybroadband.co.za ADVERTISING cara@mybroadband.co.za ISSN 2519-7509

Internet of Things

IOT – PAVING THE WAY FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

By Reshaad Sha

T

here is no doubt that we are living in times where we will see various data-driven and digital technologies being applied to help address the many social and business challenges that we face. Future sustainability of the planet remains one of the key challenges – so much so that the United Nations Development Programme has adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are a universal call to action to end poverty, eliminate hunger, eradicate disease, protect the planet, and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity. The 17 SDGs include areas such as climate change, economic inequality, innovation, sustainable consumption, peace, and justice, among other priorities. They are interconnected – often the key to success on one will involve tackling issues more commonly associated with another. Clean water and sanitation has been identified as one of these goals, and it has a widereaching impact on most of the other SDGs. Clean, accessible water for all is critical for our survival, food production, essential services, and industries that we depend on. Poor water quality and inadequate sanitation negatively affect food security, livelihood, lifestyle choices, and educational opportunities, especially for those living in rural areas.

Globally, the UNDP have determined that: •

•

•

While 2.6 billion people have gained access to improved drinking water sources since 1990, 663 million people still don’t; At least 1.8 billion people globally use a source of drinking water that is faecally contaminated; Water scarcity affects more than 40

06 MYBROADBAND

•

• •

•

per cent of the global population and is projected to rise; Over 1.7 billion people are currently living in river basins where water use exceeds replenishment; 2.4 billion people lack access to basic sanitation such as toilets; More than 80 per cent of wastewater resulting from human activities is discharged into rivers or the sea without any pollutants having been removed; Each day, nearly 1000 children die owing to preventable water- and sanitation-related diarrhoeal diseases.

In light of this, for countries like South Africa, and for those with increasing population growth rates, water scarcity and poor management of water resources can lead to serious socio-economic issues.

IoT technologies enable a proactive approach to water management, which significantly improves efficiency and the response to water wastage risks. The deployment of sensors across the water supply and distribution network makes data available for analysis, which enables us to understand, predict, and manage malfunctions in the system before they become catastrophes.

Early detection also prevents further problems that can lead to costly fixes in the future. By monitoring data points, such as water pressure levels, vibration levels, flow rates, and leak detection, coupled with the ability to remotely close valves or redirect flow, water can be conserved and wastage eliminated if a risk is detected in any part of the supply or distribution infrastructure.

Agriculture is another area that could greatly benefit from advances in IoT technologies. The department of Water

Cover Story

Affairs and Forestry estimate that the agricultural sector accounts for more than 50 per cent of water use in South Africa and experience water losses of between 30 and 40 per cent. Irrigation water losses are significant and it is estimated that less than 60 per cent of the water used in agriculture reaches the root systems of plants. Even more concerning is that 35 per cent of irrigation system losses, often nutrient enriched and containing herbicides, pesticides, and other pollutants, return to rivers. This has a very negative effect on the water quality of rivers and streams.

Deploying sensors and other IoT technologies in the field enable the agricultural sector to irrigate with the correct amount of water at the most appropriate time.

Water absorption in the ground at root level can also be monitored, ensuring that irrigation is not only efficient but also effective. Irrigation infrastructure can be monitored for leaks, and proactive infrastructure management and maintenance can reduce water losses significantly.

Reshaad Sha SqwidNet CEO

IoT sensors delivering contextual data, together with the platforms for analysing these large volumes of data, help us determine patterns, glean insights, and enable deep learning about the systems in which water is used. We can now manage these systems and their water usage in a much more proactive, efficient, and sustainable manner.

Artificial intelligence and machine learning continuously apply insight from data within these systems – and even across closely related systems – delivering a holistic and systems-based approach to water management and conservation. â–

MYBROADBAND 07

Vino Govender DFA Executive: Product Innovation and Marketing

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Connectivity

ENABLING A HIGHSPEED DIGITAL WORLD IN WHICH INNOVATION AND MEANINGFUL CONNECTIONS PROSPER

By Vino Govender

T

here can be no doubt that the Fourth Industrial Revolution is gaining momentum, and as the elements of this ecosystem are implemented and made available, innovative solutions and business models will emerge that will reshape and fundamentally change the experiences of the services and products that we consume.

Whether it is the Internet of Things, or the services that are delivered on top of this IoT layer, robust and highspeed connectivity remains the foundation for the delivery of these services, including: • •

•

• •

Smart City services Use cases that address environmental sustainability issues Autonomous vehicles and platform based mobility services, Precision agriculture and IoT based business optimisation and risk reduction solutions

High-speed connectivity also goes beyond just enabling the IoT. Ubiquitous connectivity holds the potential to significantly improve the quality of life for communities, while at the same

time, enabling the delivery of vital services in a manner that are made available in an affordable and accessible manner. It can play a role in tele-medicine services, enabling doctors elsewhere to supervise an operation or make a long-distance diagnosis, via video collaboration. In a similar manner, highly skilled educators in schools can be leveraged to deliver lessons to non-urban schools that have high-speed connectivity, providing a platform for the delivery of significantly improved teaching and education services.

There are many other examples of how technological innovations and exciting applications may yet change the world, provided there is a solid high-speed connectivity foundation on which to build them. Ultimately, high-speed connectivity is the key to enabling a wider and more inclusive community to participate in digitalisation and the opportunities it provides. It is the foundation upon which Fourth Industrial Revolution, associated technologies and use cases will be delivered.

Perhaps the biggest promise of this connectivity is its ability to enable a new generation of applications and services,

which will open up vast new opportunities and deliver undreamed of benefits. This promise is such that the G20 Digital Ministers meeting earlier this year agreed that ‘all people around the world should have access to the Internet by 2025’.

ULTIMATELY, HIGHSPEED CONNECTIVITY IS THE KEY TO ENABLING A WIDER AND MORE INCLUSIVE COMMUNITY TO PARTICIPATE IN DIGITALISATION AND THE OPPORTUNITIES IT PROVIDES.

DFA is doing its bit in South Africa, with a network footprint that reaches across a number of public and private sector establishments. Through its deployment of over 10 000 km of open access fibre connectivity infrastructure and services, as well as a national open access IoT network through its wholly owned subsidiary SqwidNet, DFA is enabling a high-speed digital world in which innovation and meaningful connections prosper. ■

MYBROADBAND 09

The Internet of Things is here.

SqwidNet is the SIGFOX network operator for South Africa. It provides an ecosystem for IoT innovation and the development and delivery of IoT solutions by enabling: • long-range, low-cost, and low-power devices and modules • low-cost connectivity.

SIGFOX is a global IoT network deployed in over 30 countries across the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Australia.

The SqwidNet network roll-out started in January 2017.

National coverage is expected during 2018.

For more information or to sign up as a SqwidNet partner, visit www.sqwidnet.com.

Enabling a

high-speed digital world.

Service providers that use our wholesale infrastructure and connectivity services can give you premium access to a world of digital possibilities where innovation and meaningful connections prosper.

For more information on our state-of-the-art wholesale connectivity, visit www.dfafrica.co.za.

COLUMN

Presented by BitCo

BATTLE OF THE BANDWIDTH: THE REAL DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ADSL, VDSL AND FIBRE BITCO EXPLORES SOME OF THE DIFFERENT FIXED LINE OPTIONS – ADSL, VDSL AND FIBRE – IN TERMS OF THEIR BENEFITS, DISADVANTAGES, AND IDEAL ENVIRONMENTS.

D

owntime is crippling for most businesses, and considering our dependence on connectivity, there is little to do other than ensuring you have the ideal connectivity solution that will allow you to stay connected.

ADSL meant higher speed connectivity than before, topping out at a maximum of 10Mbps, and wider geographic availability. The downside is that you will need a landline and upload speeds are a fraction of download speeds. Speed is also not guaranteed as it works on an “up to” basis and both are affected by the condition of the cables, high contention rates, the distance to the provider’s exchange location and even the weather.

Although VDSL connections use the same copper cable medium as ADSL, they offer accelerated speeds of up to 40Mbps with more stable upstream and downstream signals. Unfortunately, the overall speed will still be affected by the same problems as ADSL and comes with an additional price tag for the installation.

From bandwidth perspective, Fibre optics is the superior choice. It enables you to transmit data of up to 1Gbps, is completely resilient to electromagnetic disturbances, and is much more reliable.

Businesses are free to choose an initial 10Mbps line and increase this as their connectivity demands grow, and no physical network infrastructure work is needed with only minor changes to the router.

Fibre is still in the process of being rolled out in Africa, putting it out of reach for some homes and organisations. The installation cost for the ISP also requires a significantly larger capital initial investment than DSL connections. However, as the demand and competition in the fibre space continues to grow, prices are set only to decrease in the future.

Which one is right for your business?

ADSL offers users lower speeds that are adequate for very basic connectivity. Small businesses running internal networks may want to consider VDSL, which is the middle ground between ADSL’s availability and affordability and fibre’s superior speed.

However, these businesses need to keep in mind that their distance from the exchange will affect their connection’s performance, and that Fibre offers other advantages besides speed.

Finally, when fibre is a viable possibility for a business, it generally beats out the DSL options by a long shot. ■

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Smartphones

APPLE’S INCREDIBLE NEW DEVICES

By Kevin Lancaster

APPLE HAS ONCE AGAIN DELIVERED A NEW BATCH OF POWERFUL SMARTPHONES.

A

pple’s annual iPhone event is one of the most exciting spectacles in the tech space, thanks to a combination of Apple fans clamouring to see their next smartphone and the awesome new tech that the company delivers each year.

The 2017 event was no different, with Apple delivering three new iPhones, a new Apple TV, and a new Apple Watch.

The iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X headlined the show, while the Apple TV 4K made a welcome appearance

for streaming fans. Apple also took a moment to remember the late Steve Jobs at the event, who unveiled the company’s first iPhone 10 years earlier.

Apple broke its tradition of updating it existing iPhone range with an “S” iteration, and moved from what many expected to be the iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus straight to the 8 and 8 Plus. The star of the show was the iPhone X, however, Apple’s most powerful iPhone which sports a stunning display that takes up almost the entire front of the device.

If you are an iPhone fan, it is going to be hard to resist opening your wallet for the new devices.

MYBROADBAND 15

iPhone 8 and 8 Plus The iPhone 8 and 8 Plus feature Apple’s new A11 Bionic processor, enhanced cameras - which can shoot 4K video at 60fps - and a new glass and aluminum design.

The new design has allowed for wireless charging support to be added to the smartphones, along with a fast charging feature.

The iPhone 8 sports a 4.7-inch display, while the iPhone 8 Plus features a 5.5-inch screen both of which are Retina HD.

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iPhone X The iPhone X received the most attention from industry players observing the event, thanks, in part, to is incredible display.

The device features a 5.8-inch Super Retina OLED display 2,436 x 1,125 - that supports 3D Touch, HDR10, and Dolby Vision, while wireless charging support has also been added.

Apple powers the device with its new A11 Bionic processor, which allows for many new features on the iPhone X - including a facial recognition system which can be used to authenticate the user.

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Apple Watch Series 3 The Apple Watch Series 3 is the first Apple Watch to support standalone cellular connectivity, which is delivered through its custom W2 chip and an eSIM. The new Watch also features an improved heart rate sensor, which, when combined with watchOS 4, will detect a user’s recovery heart rate and irregularities in their heart rhythm.

Apple is selling multiple versions of the Watch Series 3, in 38mm and 42mm sizes, and with or without cellular connectivity.

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Apple TV 4K The new Apple TV brings support for UHD resolutions - 3,840 x 2,160 - along with the HDR10 and Dolby Vision HDR standards.

The device will be available in 32GB and 64GB models, and is powered by an Apple A10X Fusion processor - delivering twice the power of the previous model.

Apple’s 4K TV also supports Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and IR connectivity, and comes with a Siri Remote.

MYBROADBAND 19

Software

WHAT MAKES A VALUEADDED SOFTWARE DISTRIBUTOR? OFFERING A UNIQUE VALUE PROPOSITION BASED ON A SERVICE ETHOS, KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER AND PARTNERSHIP.

S

outh African software distributor and product marketing organisation, Dax Data credits their customer focused corporate values, and their strong product offering for their success. In recent years, Dax Data have become a significant distributor for Adobe – driving the adoption of Creative Cloud for Teams and Enterprise and Adobe Connect in Africa.

Jeremy Matthews, CEO of Dax Data says, “We have worked hard to build a unique value proposition for IT Resellers based on a service ethos, knowledge transfer and partnership.

This coupled with our own strategic partnerships with vendors such as Adobe, Micro Focus and eSyncTraining, have helped us grow significantly in the past few years”.

Matthews says that he is particularly pleased with how the South Africa market has taken to Adobe solutions including Creative Cloud, Acrobat DC and Adobe Connect.

The introduction of Adobe’s subscription licensing model for Creative Cloud made it possible for budget sensitive customers to have access to the solutions.

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Partnering with Micro Focus has meant that Dax Data is able to bring to market key solutions for collaboration, IT operations, compliance, security, file management and endpoint management. Micro Focus, incorporating Attachmate, NetIQ, Novell and now HPE, is a global organisation with over 40 experience supporting enterprise solutions. Micro Focus products like PlateSpin Migrate facilitate the adoption of key trends such as the move to virtualisation and the cloud.

With its 15-year heritage, Adobe Connect has developed into an easy-to-use, customisable platform for digital collaboration, from screen and document sharing, to highly interactive webinars, meetings and virtual classrooms. In today’s hyperconnected society this kind of solution is key in streamlining business communication and reducing costs.

Delivered by Dax Data and their Reseller partners, Adobe Connect web conferencing solutions are being used successfully by a number of large organisations to support a range of communication needs, including UCT, Old Mutual, and IT Web.

Jeremy Matthews Dax Data CEO

Recently, Dax Data has partnered with US based software vendor eSyncTraining to enhance its Adobe Connect offering establishing a holistic eLearning and Web Conferencing solution. eSyncTraining is committed to delivering cutting-edge solutions to help users extend the power of Adobe Connect for virtual meetings and classrooms. Specialising in learning management systems (LMS) and interactive online applications including custom pods, API integration for Adobe Connect, and eLearning courses and training. ■

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Blockchain

THE BUSINESS ALLIANCE TAKING ON THE BLOCKCHAIN

By Jamie McKane

T

here is a wave of excitement around cryptocurrencies and their massive returns on investment, but it is the underlying technology behind the digital coins that has businesses interested. Widelyadopted, stable blockchains like Bitcoin and Ethereum have attracted the attention of many enterprises, due to their increased security and autonomy compared to traditional systems.

A blockchain is a ledger of transactions distributed among all users and validated by the consensus of all participants, making it almost immune to targeted attacks or fraud.

Cryptocurrencies are used as a token of value on a blockchain, and in the case of Ethereum and Bitcoin, are distributed to users who use computer processing power to confirm transactions on the distributed ledger.

While many businesses accept Bitcoin as payment and it is usually the coin making news headlines, the Ethereum blockchain has many unique features on offer for the corporate world.

ledger can contain data coded in Ethereum's Turing-complete programming language called Solidity, which allows users to build programs and applications on the decentralised network.

The blockchain also supports smart contracts which can run autonomously. These smart contracts are the building blocks of decentralised applications, and can be used for everything from escrow services and insurance agreements, to legal contracts.

By creating applications on the public Ethereum blockchain, businesses can rely on the validity of the program's transactions without actively policing or hosting them in a centralised location. However, such applications are transparent by nature and cannot be as complex as centrally-controlled systems.

The limitations and advantages of Ethereum-based applications have resulted in the construction of innovative and efficient applications being constructed, as each line of code within a smart contract costs a certain amount of Ether - the Ethereum blockchain’s cryptocurrency.

Ethereum for business The Ethereum blockchain was conceptualised as a decentralised virtual computer, complete with its own programming language.

Transactions on the distributed

Earlier this year, a number of large international companies - including Microsoft, Intel, and J.P Morgan - acknowledged the potential of Ethereum and formed the Enterprise Ethereum Alliance

(EEA). The organisation was created with the intent of creating real-world business applications on the Ethereum blockchain.

The alliance aims to create open-source standards for Ethereum enterprise applications, while continuing to evolve with the constant improvements to the Ethereum ecosystem.

New members have continued to join the EEA, bringing its total membership to over 150 organisations and making it the largest open-source blockchain initiative in the world.

While the alliance works with the public Ethereum blockchain - the main version of the blockchain widely used by the public - it also helps businesses build private blockchains for specialised applications.

Private blockchains give businesses more control over transactions and allow them to make key changes to the blockchain's structure, but they do not have the strong security provided by the public Ethereum network.

The EEA's biggest focus is research into privacy, confidentiality, scalability, and security on the Ethereum blockchain, and the organisation is open to any members of the Ethereum community.

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Applications While blockchain technology is still in its infancy in both the enterprise and public spheres, companies have wasted little time in creating applications based on Ethereum. Microsoft has partnered with Consensys to offer Ethereum Blockchain as a Service (EBaaS) on Microsoft Azure, allowing developers and enterprise clients to use cloud-based blockchain developer environments.

The EBaaS platform offers a number of tools, including an integrated developer environment called Ether.Camp and private blockchain environment named BlockApps - which can deploy onto the public blockchain.

Microsoft's Ethereum Azure service also allows developers to integrate other capabilities like Cortana analytics, Power BI, and Azure Active Directory into their applications.

Ethereum blockchain-based apps have also been implemented outside of enterprise developer environments, and the blockchain has proven popular in environments where fraud and security are major problems.

French insurance company AXA Insurance recently launched a flight delay insurance product which is built on the public Ethereum blockchain. The application stores and processes payouts and is pitched to customers as a smart insurance tool. The insurance contract is stored in a smart contract on the blockchain and will automatically pay out to clients if a flight delay is triggered. This grants the client assurance that they will be paid out under the correct conditions and allows the company to keep an accurate record of transactions, while reducing the potential for fraud.

Deloitte recently implemented an application on a private Ethereum blockchain, partnering with DNV GL, to create a decentralised application which improves the detection of fraudulent ship safety certificates. Certificate data is stored on the private blockchain and can be authenticated instantly by scanning a QR code on the document, providing an accurate check for fraudulent documents while improving verification time.

The Ethereum blockchain offers companies the opportunity to create secure, decentralised applications resistant to fraud and interference. As developers continue to improve the Ethereum blockchain's scalability and features, it will be able to handle more complex decentralised applications which can interface with traditional systems and consumers platforms. â–

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Communication

BROADBAND IS A KEY ECONOMIC GROWTH ENABLER IN SA ACCESS TO AFFORDABLE AND EFFECTIVE BROADBAND IS A VITAL ENABLER OF ECONOMIC GROWTH AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT.

T

he number of Internet users has more than tripled in the past decade – from one billion in 2005 to an estimated 3.8 billion by the end of June 2017.

That still leaves around four billion people offline, however.

Earlier this year, the Human Rights Council of the United Nations General Assembly declared access to Internet a basic human right that enables individuals to ‘exercise their right to freedom of opinion and expression.’ Additionally, access to affordable and effective broadband is a vital enabler of economic growth and sustainable development, says Brett Nash, MD of Altech Radio Holdings (ARH).

Improving connectivity and access to scarce skills in the less formal areas of South Africa is a big driver for ARH and the Altron Group as a whole. “Growing the economy in a developing market like South Africa is not about growing the enterprise, but rather the SMEs,” explains Andrew Holden, Altron COO. However, people need to be connected to have access to mobile and digital solutions to help them reach and provide

26 MYBROADBAND

better services to their customer base. “You can start a small business from wherever you are as long as you are connected,” Holden says. “You can get payments online, do your banking, and create an online community even if you are in a non-urbanised area, making access to broadband and communication is one of the primary drivers for growth.”

BRINGING EDUCATION TO LESS FORMAL AREAS IS A KEY FOCUS FOR GOVERNMENT AS WELL, WITH PLANS TO DELIVER WIDESPREAD BROADBAND ACCESS TO 90% OF THE COUNTRY'S POPULATION BY 2020 AND 100% BY 2030.

Education has also played a huge role in the growth of other developing countries, and this is a critical issue in South Africa too. “Access to affordable education is a great motivator in giving hope to the population and driving the unemployment down,” says Nash. “Bringing

education to less formal areas is a key focus for government as well, with plans to deliver widespread broadband access to 90% of the country's population by 2020 and 100% by 2030.”

Improved broadband penetration is also closely connected to the establishment of smart cities, Nash adds. “To have a smart city, you need a connected city, and the ways to achieve this is to either leverage existing networks or build new ones, and government is doing a combination of both. Rather than competing with businesses, government has chosen to collaborate and engage with telecommunications companies.”

As a more recent trend, provinces and municipalities have even begun entering the market to commercially provide broadband to citizens.

“Government is starting to leverage broadband, very often its own broadband, to service its citizens and establish smart and safe cities,” says Colin Pillay, ARH Sales Director. “Once the foundation is laid, broadband can enable government to leverage infrastructure to better manage waste, water, health, and so forth.”

From left to right: Noel Watermeyer, ARH Sales Director; Brett Nash ARH Managing Director; Colin Pillay ARH Sales Director

In fact, government is one of the biggest users of broadband.

“While commercial operators often don’t see much benefit in supplying low cost broadband to underserviced areas, government wants to supplement the cost of connectivity to help develop SMEs in those under-serviced areas,” adds Pillay. “This will start enabling a new wave of IT capable companies and people, not only in the metros but all over South Africa, further enabling the country’s economic growth.”

The digitisation of the public sector is following the global digital transformation trends shaping the world today, especially regarding cloud computing and mobility. “Society is becoming more digital and broadband hungry,” explains Nash.

“Just three years ago, 100% of our

turnover came from narrowband, and now as much as 65% comes from broadband.” ARH is responsible for the building and supplying of narrowband and broadband networks and terminals within the Altron Group.

Nevertheless, narrowband technology still has a significant role to play in the future, particularly in IoT technology.

“Narrowband technology is the best solution for instances that require high availability with a low bandwidth requirement, such as for users who require immediate group based communications,” says Noel Watermeyer, ARH Sales Director. “These users have a demand for broadband wireless, but they typically are unable to rely only on third party networks due to the limitations on capacity, functionality,

security and reliability.”

On mission critical networks, such as those of first responders, voice is still considered king and the dependability of the network is of paramount importance. “Availability of spectrum is challenging enough for the networks and even more so for the private sector in critical environments, such as public safety, mines, airports, and so forth, Watermeyer adds. “The consequences of communication problems range from revenue loss for businesses to complete disaster in the case of first responders.”

As technology is advancing, however, two-way radios can now offer advanced services and there is a movement towards the LTEvoice integration. “In the USA and

MYBROADBAND 27

THE ALTRON GROUP HAS A LOT OF VALUE TO OFFER OUR CUSTOMER SECT AND THE GENERAL POPULATION OF SA, AND THESE DRIVERS WILL ASSIST US IN ENABLING ECONOMIC GROWTH, JOB CREATION, AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN THE LOCAL MARKET.

Andrew Holden Altron Chief Operating Officer

Europe, they are implementing an LTE overlay so people who need it will have access to both wireless broadband and narrowband,” explains Watermeyer. “We are seeing convergence in narrowband as it is becoming IP-based, which offers people a far richer experience on their two-way radios while retaining the advantage of being mission critical.”

In Africa, Nash believes that the future will be mostly wireless when considering the drive to get broadband into rural areas.

“This is an enormous country, and to get fibre into rural areas will take many years. As a result, the uptake of broadband over wireless in Africa will be higher for many years to come.

The challenges, though, are both spectrum availability and

28 MYBROADBAND

the number of operators that could feasibly roll out national broadband on a wireless basis.”

Going forward, the Altron Group is striving to remain relevant to both citizens and government by focusing on connectivity, education, financial inclusion, affordable healthcare, and public safety and security. “We chose these focus areas specifically based on the unique needs of South Africans and the challenges that we face as a country,” concludes Holton. “The Altron Group has a lot of value to offer our customer sect and the general population of SA, and these drivers will assist us in enabling economic growth, job creation, and sustainable development in the local market.” ■

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Interview

INTERVIEW WITH MTN SA CEO GODFREY MOTSA

By Kevin Lancaster

G

odfrey Motsa took the reins at MTN South Africa in March, following former CEO Mteto Nyati leaving the company to join Altron.

Motsa, who was VP of the SEA region at MTN Group, has over 10 years of experience in the telecoms industry - having occupied the positions of CEO of Vodacom Lesotho, CEO of Vodacom DRC, and Chief Officer Consumer Business Unit at Vodacom SA.

What are your goals over the coming years for MTN SA? To return MTN to greatness. At the centre of our greatness is customer advocacy. We have a new strategy framework, we call it BRIGHT. It guides us on our planning and go-to-market.

We are stubbornly optimistic about our plan.

BRIGHT is summarised as follows:

Motsa’s move to CEO comes at a time when local mobile networks are dealing with a lack of spectrum allocation from the government and pressure from subscribers to bring down data prices.

MyBroadband spoke to Motsa about what he has planned for MTN SA and where he hopes to take the company.

30 MYBROADBAND

•

The “B” stands for best customer experience - customer centricity.

•

The “R” represents returns and efficiency focus.

•

The “I” is for igniting our performance.

•

The “G” symbolises growth in data and digital.

•

“H” denotes hearts and minds of our people, and the communities we interact with.

•

Technology leadership is represented by the letter “T”, which is an ongoing quest to provide the best network.

From a network perspective, MTN is showing strong performances in mobile data coverage and speeds - is continuing to improve this a priority for MTN? Yes. We have a deliberate “Dual Data Strategy” to deliver the best experience on both 3G and 4G. This is supported by four main pillars - Network experience, Value, Smart Devices, and relevant Digital content.

The T in BRIGHT is technology – our network is second to none and we have made considerable investments in the last three years, they have been unmatched by any player in the industry. Our biggest barrier to accelerating this execution is the lack of spectrum. It is the oxygen for us to execute on our bold strategy.

If ICASA and the government do not release more frequency spectrum to mobile operators soon, what will MTN have to do to keep up with consumer demand for its services?

Unfortunately, the levels of investment required to make up for the shortage in spectrum will continue to have a negative impact on the market as a whole. We are on a deliberate path of democratising data pricing in South Africa.

Spectrum will accelerate this considerably.

We are on the verge of hitting the spectrum crunch.

We are outspending every operator in the country for three years in a row, but it is not sufficient. We will not be able to spend this money to compensate for the lack of spectrum, as we have to achieve our ambition to reduce our data pricing for all and deliver a return to our investors. ICASA and the government need to release spectrum to operators like MTN to enable us to grow the data revolution, reduce data prices, and inject growth into the South African economy.

What ambitions does MTN have for IoT and the required networks, and how are its plans in this regard progressing?

MTN Business has embarked on an aggressive rollout of new-generation technologies such as Narrow -and IoT to support its machine2machine (M2M) and Internet of Things (IoT) platforms, and enhance the security of business-critical information.

MTN has invested over R30 billion in its network in terms of evolution and capabilities over the past three years. This investment covers a wide range of technologies, including IoT - which MTN believes as very necessary to meet the communications needs of the future.

IOT innovation, beyond just M2M communication, is being pushed to the boundaries inside MTN.

Godfrey Motsa MTN South Africa CEO

This technology will provide MTN Business with an ideal stage to offer cutting-edge and tailored propositions for enterprise clients, while delivering secure and fool-proof connections.

MTN has made many changes to its executive team over the past year - what kind of impact are these changes having on the company?

These changes have strengthened the leadership to enable us to compete effectively. The highlights are that we are back to solid growth. Our brand and our people are on an encouraging recovery.

Your final thoughts?

We need the 2,600MHz spectrum now. [Government] please accelerate the digital migration process so we can free the 700MHz/800MHz spectrum. South Africa is falling behind, and technology waits for no one. ■

MYBROADBAND 31

Enhanced connectivity, faster response times, less downtime, more security, optimised processes, added agility, improved customer experience, increased productivity, digital innovation, greater business efficiencies.

Let’s do business.

www.liquidtelecom.co.za Converged Connectivity | Collaboration | System Architecture and Integration | Managed Services | Cloud and Hosting | Security

MyBroadband Events

MYBROADBAND UNDERGROUND - FOR TECHIES, BY TECHIES

By Kevin Lancaster

THE MYBROADBAND UNDERGROUND CONFERENCE SAW TOP TECHNICAL EXPERTS AND EXECUTIVES SHARE THEIR KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE LATEST TECH TRENDS.

T

he inaugural MyBroadband Underground Conference took place at The Venue in Melrose Arch in August, and was an exceptional success.

The event was an exclusive technical conference, which provided IT professionals and executives with the latest information and trends from the world of tech.

MyBroadband partnered with main sponsor SqwidNet for the event, and was supported by Develop, Concilium Technologies, ZKTeco, Vumatel, and WIOCC.

34 MYBROADBAND

South Africa’s foremost experts in AI, blockchain technology, IoT, fibre broadband, mobile tech, information security, and cloud computing were speakers at the event.

This included SqwidNet CEO Reshaad Sha, SensePost CTO Dominic White, North West University’s Professor Etienne Barnard, Vodacom Innovation Head Jannie van Zyl, Cybersmart CTO Laurie Fialkov, Bankymoon CEO Lorien Gamaroff, and Amazon Web Services Senior Manager Michael Needham. MyBroadband

technical editor Jan Vermeulen was emcee for the event.

The speakers all shared unique insight into their respective fields, and delegates left with a fresh perspective on how their businesses can take advantage of the evolving technologies at their disposal.

Drinks and snacks were also served after the presentations, and delegates took advantage of the excellent networking opportunities on offer. ■

Partnerships

WIOCC SEEKS MORE CHANNEL PARTNERS IN SOUTH AFRICA OFFERING A UNIQUE VALUE PROPOSITION BASED ON A SERVICE ETHOS, KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER AND PARTNERSHIP.

B

us iness parks and shopping malls across South Africa are firmly on the commercial radar of small to mid-sized Internet Service Providers (ISPs), wireless ISPs (WISPs) and operators, because most enterprises in these areas want reliable, cost-effective direct access to the global internet.

WIOCC, which created the Johannesburg Metro Fibre Internet Access (MFIA) network, has reconfirmed its wholesale approach and will not compete directly for this end-user business.

Instead, WIOCC remains firmly focused on enabling such suppliers to target enterprise customers and prospects with ever-more competitive solutions.

WIOCC COO Ryan Sher explained: “As a committed wholesaler, WIOCC is dedicated to supporting its ISP and WISP customers in targeting this important channel. We are looking to work with more of these types of businesses, offering them the ability to develop competitive, easily-scalable, high-performance solutions for the enterprise market”.

A key factor for enterprises in their choice of connectivity provider is the level of uptime

36 MYBROADBAND

they can expect. Providers offering a solution that’s underpinned by WIOCC’s unique, diversity-rich, high-redundancy network - incorporating 55,000km of terrestrial fibre in Africa and more than 60,000km of submarine cable – are extremely well positioned to offer excellent service levels. …and as WIOCC has invested in building its own extremely scalable, high-capacity domestic and international network, it is also able to offer ISPs, WISPs and operators very competitive prices for carrying traffic.

Owning the network makes it easy for WIOCC to deliver scalable and flexible solutions, which can be of great value, particularly to enterprise customers operating in dynamic markets and environments.

With its new Jo’burg Metro and extensive South African network, WIOCC is now offering partnership opportunities to South African ISPs, WISPs and operators looking to profit from the growing number of enterprises seeking cost-effective, high-quality internet connectivity. ■

Ryan Sher WIOCC COO

WIOCC’S JOHANNESBURG MFIA INCLUDES MORE THAN 40 POPS (POINTS OF PRESENCE) AND PROVIDES DIRECT ACCESS, OVER A FULLY REDUNDANT NETWORK, TO MORE THAN 2,000 BUSINESS CUSTOMERS’ PREMISES ACROSS 95 BUSINESS PARKS AND NUMEROUS SHOPPING MALLS IN JOHANNESBURG AND PRETORIA.

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Why WIOCC? Africa’s leading carriers’ carrier No competition for end-customers Operates an extensive Jo’burg Metro network High uptime with unique, diversity-rich, high-redundancy network Very competitive pricing Dynamic – responds rapidly on commercial/service decisions Flexible – bespoke offering in SA and cross borders Find out how you can partner with WIOCC and target enterprise customers with the most competitive solutions. Contact us at marketing@wiocc.net

Fibre

HOW VUMATEL PLANS TO CONNECT SOUTH AFRICA'S TOWNSHIPS

By Jan Vermeulen

V

umatel recently announced an ambitious plan that aims to connect 10 million South Africans living in townships with fast, uncapped fibre.

The company aims to offer 100Mbps uncapped packages for what seems to be an impossibly-cheap price, R89 per month, but Vumatel CEO Niel Schoeman said the project is backed by a commercial model.

Schoeman said that for it to be sustainable, it must make sense for Vumatel and its shareholders.

"Contrary to popular belief, there will be no cross-subsidisation," said Schoeman. He said they believe they can do this by cutting costs in a few key areas.

Firstly, they plan to run fibre cables overhead, rather than trenching and installing underground ducts. This will reduce the initial capital expenditure and the time it takes to connect homes.

To reduce the monthly price for 100Mbps uncapped fibre to less than a tenth of what it costs in the suburbs, though, Vumatel will have to save on more than just the build costs.

Schoeman said that in the suburbs, every home gets their own uncontended connection to a local concentration point.

In other words, you don't share

38 MYBROADBAND

Niel Schoeman Vumatel CEO

your line with anyone. More technically, Schoeman said that there is no contention on their Active Ethernet network, while services are statistically uncontended on the GPON Gigabit Passive Optical Network.

In townships, Vumatel will adopt a model that shares lines with up to 20 other subscribers, for a contention ratio of up to 20:1.

Schoeman likened the difference between the two approaches to different transportation options when travelling to a destination.

"You could choose to take an Uber Black, which may cost you R450, or you could share a Toyota Quantum with twenty other people and pay only R45," he said.

The elephant in the room One area of concern is the issue of crime, especially criminals targeting fibre installers in South Africa. The FTTH Council Africa recently revealed that it had noticed a disturbing trend of fibre installers being targeted for their equipment.

Robbers would fence the gear, which would then be resold to entrepreneurs eager to break into the fibre installation space, but who couldn't afford the expensive testing equipment from a retailer.

Schoeman said they will work with the rest of the industry, and align with the FTTH Council's

programme, to eliminate the second-hand market for stolen fibre equipment.

The programme requires that all installers check the serial numbers of any kit they buy against a database of stolen equipment.

"We're quite a big part of the market, and we are trying to help coordinate this effort with our network builders," said Schoeman.

He said there have already been several telecommunications infrastructure projects in townships from which Vumatel can take as lessons. They will also benefit from their experience in working with communities to roll out fibre.

Schoeman said that just like the leafy suburbs in which Vumatel had its start, townships have homeowners' associations. "We will work with the community, as we always do. We believe the project will be of such importance

to citizens that they will help ensure it works,” said Schoeman.

Vumatel will also hire local labour to help with the deployments.

prove the business model, see if we can replicate it, and then throw [nitrous oxide] in the engine," he said.

Pilot, replicate, ramp up

Once they've replicated the model in Diepsloot, Schoeman said they will figure it out as they go.

Other townships which are natural next steps include Ebony Park and Soweto, though they would have to tackle Soweto in stages.

As a pilot, Vumatel will roll out fibre in Alexandra. It plans to start before the end of 2017 and wants to provide 60,000 homes in the township with fibre access before March 2018.

Schoeman said they selected Alexandra because it provided an interesting pilot site. It is big enough to be material, so they can test the service with a significant number of subscribers. It is also diverse - homes in the area include informal dwellings, RDP houses, and larger standalone homes.

Should the pilot prove to be a success, Schoeman said they will replicate it in Diepsloot.

"Our method is always to

In two years, Vumatel hopes to have connected 2.5 million homes, housing 10 million South Africans, with fibre-to-the-home.

These homes sit on the fringes of Vumatel's network, which will allow them to expand rapidly once they know if the model works.

Schoeman acknowledged, however, that connecting 2.5 million homes in two years is an ambitious goal. "Is it feasible?

Yes. Will it be easy? No.” ■

Last-mile provider

COST-EFFECTIVE LASTMILE FIBRE OPTIC SOLUTIONS A

ccording to MiRO CTO Marco de Ru, the last decade has seen explosive growth in the number of private ISPs providing internet services over wireless networks. While the growth in wireless connectivity continues to accelerate, there is a new trend towards deploying fibre as a last-mile option as well.

“Fibre networks have traditionally been very expensive to build, using the same hardware as large telco operators, but the adoption of technology from new innovative manufacturers such as BDCOM, allows for cost-effective last-mile fibre to the home (FTTH) and fibre to the business (FTTB) installations. This allows the private ISP to enter the fibre network market without having to incur huge capital costs. It also substantially reduces operating expenses, as the maintenance required for fibre networks is virtually zero,” says De Ru. Last-mile fibre deployment is gaining ground specifically in newly-built residential and business estates where houses and offices are built with in situ connectivity capabilities.

“Depending on the scale of the project, our clients have eliminated the last-mile interference by offloading their wireless networks through BDCON’s EPON or GPON technology. The beauty of this technology is that it is able to connect multiple clients to a

40 MYBROADBAND

single fibre strand and, when compared to traditional copper (ADSL) networks, fibre allows for much higher speeds to subscribers - up to a couple of hundred megabits per second,” De Ru points out.

THE SOUTH AFRICAN FTTX INDUSTRY IS STILL IN ITS INFANCY AND WE BELIEVE THAT THERE WILL BE GREAT GROWTH IN THIS SPACE.

Passive fibre networks or Passive Optical Networks (PON) make use of a single strand of fibre that travels from the POP (head-end unit or OLT) to each subscriber (ONU). En route, this single fibre strand is divided through the use of optical splitters.

Splitters are passive optical devices that require no power and can split the fibre strand into 2, 4, 8, 16 or 32 optical fibre lines and multiple splitters can be used in the fibre path.

The maximum distance between the POP (OLT) and CPE (ONU) is generally around 20 km allowing for great flexibility in planning deployments. PON networks offer a maximum data rate per port, with subscriber communication managed via TDMA (all subscribers will share the bandwidth available on the fibre strand).

There are two standards to be considered when you plan your fibre network: EPON and GPON. EPON – Ethernet Passive Optical Network EPON is based on the Ethernet standard (802.3ah) and provides data rates of 1.25 Gbps in both the downstream and upstream directions. EPON is fully compatible with other Ethernet standards, so no conversion or encapsulation is necessary when connecting to Ethernetbased networks on either end.

GPON – Gigabit Passive Optical Network GPON complies with the slightly more complex ITU-T telecoms standard and operates three Layer 2 networks simultaneously, with voice, video and data running on separate layers, for the provision of enhanced quality of service.

GPON provides a downstream data rate of 2.488 Gbps.

“The South African FTTx industry is still in its infancy and we believe that there will be great growth in this space. MiRO acknowledges that different applications call for different requirements, so we provide a consultative service that matches best practice technology to each user. An extensive range of wireless and fibre optic technology ensures that there is a solution for every user,” says De Ru. ■

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Wireless

WIRELESS EVOLUTION IN SOUTH AFRICA O

ne of the inherent problems with regard to wireless data communication in densely populated metropolitan areas is interference. This, according to MiRO CTO, Marco de Ru, is due to the fact that license-exempt spectrum is free to use and therefore very popular. There are wireless applications that are mission-critical and in order to guarantee uptime and service quality, wireless connectivity providers are looking for solutions in either light-licensed or fullylicensed higher frequency spaces.

De Ru explains that the 60 and 80 GHz license-free and lightlicensed spectra, with higher frequencies and narrower beam widths, result in a reduced probability of interference compared to networks that operate on the lower frequencies such as 2.4 and 5 GHz. “Narrow beam width allows for reduced co-location interference, which allows users to install more radios on the same high site without the previous concerns about interference between devices. These new highfrequency technologies also allow for higher throughput of up to 5 Gbps, alleviating most of the current backbone bottlenecks.

One of the applications we have seen is for an upgrade path where the existing 5.8 or 17 GHz equipment simply could not supply enough throughput for the growing network demands due to limitations in either the frequency or because of the interference encountered,” says De Ru.

42 MYBROADBAND

For short- to medium-distance applications of up to 10 km, Siklu’s E-band products can deliver nanosecond latencies with Gigabit throughput. E-band is regulated

by ICASA in such a way that the band is split into two blocks: one is fully licensed and the other is light-license. Light-license is easy to obtain as one merely needs to input one’s details on an online database for the deployment link to be activated.

V-band technology, which operates at a frequency at 60GHz, allows users to set up high-throughput low-latency links of sub-1 km. The reason for this limited operational distance, De Ru explains, is that oxygen absorption is at its maximum in this frequency range, causing a rapid loss of signal strength as soon as the link distance exceeds 1 km. Devices from Ignitenet are available in PtP (point to point)

MiRO is able to supply solutions in all of these spaces and can assist with planning in the E-band, V-band and 11 GHz arenas. “Due to our extensive experience in the wireless market and our knowledge of the exacting requirements for each frequency licence application, we are able to assist clients with their applications for frequency licences at ICASA,” says De Ru. ■

and PtMP (point to multipoint) configurations which allows one to bring numerous high-capacity links back to a central point.

“The technology used allows for minimal interference due to the short distance travelled by the frequencies and eliminates any outside interference from 60 GHz sources in the region. For example, on one high site one can deploy multiple independent radios without causing selfinterference. This is not the case with other ISM bands,” says De Ru. Some of the applications for V-band include the extension of fibre connectivity across roads and areas that do not lend themselves to the digging of trenches, as well as for high-capacity short-distance connectivity for applications such as surveillance within a residential estate.

Another trend in the wireless sector, says De Ru, is the use of slightly lower frequencies like the licensed 11 GHz band. Traditional 5 GHz vendors like Ubiquiti have moved into this space with

products like the airFiber® AF-11X, which is very cost effective and allows private internet service providers (ISPs) to establish high reliability and high throughput links without worrying about external interference. The 11 GHz technology’s biggest advantage over V-band and E-band technologies is its ability to provide a superior service over extended distances of in excess of 20 km.

DUE TO OUR EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE IN THE WIRELESS MARKET AND OUR KNOWLEDGE OF THE EXACTING REQUIREMENTS FOR EACH FREQUENCY LICENCE APPLICATION, WE ARE ABLE TO ASSIST CLIENTS WITH THEIR APPLICATIONS FOR FREQUENCY LICENCES AT ICASA

MYBROADBAND 43

Smartphones

AWESOME TECH FROM IFA 2017

By Kevin Lancaster

IFA 2017 PLAYED HOST TO THE LATEST HARDWARE AND DEVICES FROM MAJOR TECH PLAYERS.

I

FA bills itself as “the leading showcase for the global technology industry”, and features multiple major tech players showing off their latest products.

organisations reporting on product and service launches, but IFA also serves as a place where retailers, buyers, and experts from the tech industry meet.

IFA 2017, held in Berlin from 31 August to 5 September, featured 1,805 exhibitors, and partnered with companies, startups, research laboratories, and universities to put on the exhibition.

This year’s event saw Samsung, Acer, ASUS, LG, Bang and Olufsen, Lenovo, Dell, Sony, and many more companies show off their latest gear.

The event features a large media presence, with news

44 MYBROADBAND

A standout of the show was the unveiling of mixed reality headsets for Windows’ mixed

reality platform being unveiled.

ASUS and Dell were two of the main players which unveiled their mixed reality headsets - which are also set to be compatible platforms like Steam VR. The headsets also feature compatible motion controllers, which will be used in conjunction with the new devices to immerse a user in a scenario, while giving them control of their surroundings.

Smartphones Several smartphones were launched at IFA 2017, including the LG V30, the Sony Xperia XZ1, and the Motorola Moto X4.

The Xperia XZ1 packs a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor and Sony’s Motion Eye camera system - along with an HDR display.

Smartwatches also made an appearance at the show, including Fitbit’s Ionic smartwatch and the Samsung Gear Sport.

New gaming PCs, powerful laptops and notebooks, and PC peripherals were among the other items on display at the show.

MYBROADBAND 45

ASUS Windows Mixed Reality Headset The ASUS Mixed Reality Headset features a 3D polygon design, a head strap which will evenly distribute the weight of the device, and “premium antibacterial cushioned materials�.

ASUS has fitted the headset with two 1,440 x 1,440 panels - one for each eye - with a refresh rate of 90Hz. The device also features two built-in frontfacing tracking cameras - which allows a user to walk around a space without external sensors - which are typically required to detect movement.

ASUS said the headset weighs under 400 grams and is very comfortable to wear.

46 MYBROADBAND

Samsung Gear Sport The Samsung Gear Sport was one of the new wearables Samsung unveiled at IFA 2017, and is the latest smartwatch from the company aimed at active users and athletes.

The Gear Sport features a Super AMOLED display covered

by Gorilla Glass3, a 300mAh battery, weighs 67 grams, and is powered by a dual-core 1.0GHz processor. The watch runs the Tizen OS, and provides users feedback via an accelerometer, gyro sensor, barometer, and a heart rate monitor.

Connectivity support includes Bluetooth 4.2, Wi-Fi, GPS, and NFC. The Gear Sport is available in Black or Blue.

MYBROADBAND 47

Sony Xperia XZ1 The Sony Xperia XZ1’s standout feature is its Motion Camera, which can record video at an incredible 960 frames per second. This is possible thanks to its Exmor RS image sensor and its Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset.

Sony also punted the smartphone’s excellent display and audio performance, with the Xperia XZ1 sporting a 1080p HDR display and highresolution audio capabilities.

48 MYBROADBAND

The Xperia XZ1 packs stereo speakers with S-Force Front Surround - which brings users 50% more sound pressure than previous Xperia devices, said Sony.

Mecer’s Xhibitor All-in-One Series PC is the elegant way to bring high performance computing to your space. Its unibody design has a timeless style and impressive performance. A pin sharp 4K-UHD display, gives you eye popping detail with vivid colour from any angle. The Mecer’s Xhibitor AIO Series is powered by the latest Windows 10 Pro and/or other operating systems. Combined with 7th Generation Intel® Core™ processors, the Mecer Xhibitor AIO Series PC is assembled in SA with the

.

Mecer recommends Windows Pro. For more information, visit www.mecer.co.za

Cryptocurrency

THE RISE OF BITCOIN AND ETHEREUM MINING IN SOUTH AFRICA

By Kevin Lancaster

THE POSSIBILITY OF ACCRUING CRYPTOCURRENCY WHICH WILL GROW EXPONENTIALLY IN VALUE IS DRIVING THE MINING BOOM.

A

t the start of 2017, if you walked into a gym and looked around, chances are of the people working out - and those pretending to work out - none would know what cryptocurrency mining was. There would be an even smaller chance any of them owned a crypto-mining rig.

South Africa. What was once the venture of your seriously tech-savvy individuals has now become a pastime of those who have access to Google and a bit of disposable income.

Fast forward to Q4 2017, and of the group of guys and girls in tight vests waiting for their turn on a weight bench, there is at least one person who can tell you the benefits of using AMD over Nvidia GPUs and which algorithms in NiceHash are the most profitable.

and click on the graphics card section. The prevailing message these days in “sold out” under most mid-to-high-end AMD and Nvidia GPUs. Local retailers were predicting 10-month backlogs of GPU orders in the middle of the year, thanks to high local demand and a global shortage of graphics cards due to the mining boom.

Cryptocurrency mining has gone big, globally and in

50 MYBROADBAND

The growth of crypto mining in South Africa is evident if you visit your any online PC store

The reason for this is that GPUs

are the workhorses of your “consumer” mining rigs.

Bitcoin and Ethereum There are many cryptocurrencies available to purchase and mine in the market, but the two leading players are Bitcoin and Ethereum.

Unless you are a serious player in the Bitcoin mining game, you are likely to use a GPU-based rig to mine the currency. Specialised mining hardware known as ASIC - application-specific integrated circuit - is available, but comes with a hefty price tag.

Online systems such as NiceHash - which “sells” your hashing power to clients who wish to purchase

it - lets you mine altcoins (smaller cryptocurrencies) using a GPU rig and get paid in the equivalent Bitcoin value - once the relevant fees are deducted.

GPU mining rigs can also mine Ethereum directly, with a popular point of entry large online mining pools which you can join. By joining these mining pools, such as Ethermine, users are paid for how much hashing power their rig contributes to processing transactions on the blockchain.

These cards help combat two of the main challenges miners face - electricity usage and the associated cost, and keeping the graphics card in a rig cool.

A hot card is bad news, as it can lead to throttling - which drops its mining power.

attracts large mining operations.

MGT Capital also mines Ethereum and Ethereum Classic.

Big players

JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon recently called Bitcoin a “fraud” that will eventually blow up, and said if any of his traders purchased the cryptocurrency they would be fired for being “stupid”. Dimon’s statement is not the only voice from the finance world warning citizens against Bitcoin, with many investment experts questioning the longterm value of the cryptocurrency and its lack of regulation.

It’s not only your average Joe putting money into a mining rig this year, and big names in the tech world like John McAfee have stated their

A recent survey by MyBroadband showed that Bitcoin mining using a GPU system and NiceHash, and Ethereum mining were by far the most popular for cryptomining rig owners in South Africa.

The survey further showed that Bitcoin and Ethereum were the most popular cryptocurrencies among local investors.

McAfee called out Dimon after his comments, stating that he was a Bitcoin miner and it cost him “over $1,000” to make a Bitcoin.

“What does it cost to create a US dollar,” said McAfee. Farzam Ehsani, blockchain lead at RMB,

The excitement of joining the ranks of the mining pioneers coupled with the huge increase

in value of Bitcoin and Ethereum since the start of the year have been responsible for the mining boom. GPU makers Nvidia and AMD have seen this, and despite their hesitation to call cryptocurrency mining the next big thing for graphics card makers, the companies have both started producing cards aimed at crypto-miners.

Not everyone is a fan of Bitcoin, Ethereum, and the people who mine it however - particularly traditional finance firms.

faith in cryptocurrencies.

McAfee is part of the leadership team at MGT Capital, a company which specialises in crypto mining and cybersecurity. It recently raised $2.4 million in new funding to expand its Bitcoin mining operations in the northwest US - where an abundance of hydro powers

also criticised Dimon for his comments, stating that “money is no more real than Bitcoin”.

The lure of huge growth potential in the likes of Bitcoin and Ethereum appear to be drowning out the noise of the naysayers for now, with more miners joining mining pools and online services like NiceHash every day. ■

MYBROADBAND 51

Mobile

THE END OF R2 PER MB

By Rudolph Muller

T

he out-of-bundle price of R2 per MB has been with us since January 2005, when Vodacom slashed its OOB rates from R10 per MB at the time. The company recently announced it is saying goodbye to R2 per MB, however, and has introduced a new 99c per MB default out-of-bundle price. However, much more needs to be done to satisfy mobile subscribers.

Even with the lower rate, it is still too expensive for consumers to freely use the Internet on their mobile devices without worrying about going out of bundle. High out-of-bundle prices have resulted in many mobile users becoming the victims of bill shock - particularly when they do not manage their mobile data use carefully. Good news is that mobile operators are looking at a permanent solution to address this.

entry-level and out-of-bundle data prices, which he called a “legitimate public concern”.

Joosub also acknowledged the problem, saying Vodacom has a focus on reducing the price of out-of-bundle data.

The solution A solution to high out-of-bundle prices was launched by Vodacom in 2009, when it unveiled its Broadband Advanced service.

The service saw out-of-bundle rates set the same as in-bundle rates. If mobile subscribers are forced to purchase a data bundle when using data, where in-bundle and out-of-bundle prices are the same, out-of-bundle prices ceases to exist - as users are essentially purchasing a data rate for the lifespan of the bundle.

Launching data bundles where the out-of-bundle rate is the same as the in-bundle rate has the added advantage of users being encouraged to buy larger data bundles - which is good news for mobile operators looking to increase their average revenue per user.

So, if the solution has been around for nearly a decade, it raises the question as to why it has not been implemented. The answer is simple - money. Mobile operators are making billions thanks to out-of-bundle rates and high entry-level data prices. Revenue generated from out-of-bundle prices has the added benefit of significantly strengthening an operator’s bottom line. The profit margin on data priced at R1.00 per MB is obviously much higher than in-bundle rates, which are as low as 5c per MB.

Pressure from the #DataMustFall campaign, Parliament's investigation into the “excessivelyhigh” price of data, and an inquiry by ICASA into the country’s mobile data prices have forced mobile operators to react. Communications Minister Ayanda Dlodlo has also weighed in, pledging to reduce data prices in South Africa.

Both Vodacom CEO Shameel Joosub and MTN CEO Rob Shuter have said they are working on driving down data prices. Shuter said the biggest problems in South Africa are

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Rob Shuter MTN CEO

Shameel Joosub Vodacom CEO

MORE RECENTLY, HOWEVER, THE POSSIBILITIES OF THESE LOW-COST AND CONFIGURABLE PLATFORMS HAVE BEEN NOTICED BY USERS IN A BROAD RANGE OF AREAS.

Mobile operators have become addicted to these profits, and when Joosub and Shuter say they are looking for solutions to high out-of-bundle prices, they are actually referring to a solution which will make up for the lost revenue from cutting prices.

With the mounting pressure from civil society and politicians, they are pressed to come up with a solution sooner rather than later.

Service model Experts, however, view the current business model of selling data bundles and charging per megabyte as outdated. They expect the industry to migrate to a model where mobile operators sell access to services like voice, messaging, web access, video streaming, and social media - instead of data to use these services. A subscriber will, for example, purchase a video streaming bundle - which will give them access to unlimited video streaming for a certain period.

Service-based products have already started to emerge in South Africa, with Cell C’s unlimited WhatsApp bundles and Telkom’s LIT service, which offers unlimited video and music

streaming. It is also rumoured that South Africa’s newest operator, Rain, is looking to launch servicebased products with a simple and affordable pricing model.

Should service-based mobile products take off, it will eliminate concerns about high out-ofbundle data prices. It will also resolve the problem of expiring data bundles, which has become a hot topic in recent months. This may be the solution the mobile industry is looking for, with one big caveat – subscribers will have to be happy to pay for services instead of data. This will require re-educating a market which has become used to buying data in megabytes and gigabytes.

The goal of mobile data would be to replicate the uncapped solutions seen on fixed broadband services. This will completely remove the need for in-bundle, out-of-bundle, or service bundles. This is unfortunately not feasible today, due to the high cost of deploying mobile data networks in a country as vast as South Africa - especially with the government dragging its feet in providing additional spectrum to operators. ■

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IT Distribution

REDEFINING VALUE IN THE DIGITAL DISRUPTION ERA AS THE FOURTH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION BECOMES MAINSTREAM, BUSINESSES ARE HAVING TO RETHINK THEIR VALUE PROPOSITIONS TO THE CHANGES THAT ACCOMPANY THIS AGE.

Platform Business Technology distributors play a fundamental role in bringing products and service to the channel. As the fourth industrial revolution becomes mainstream, businesses are having to rethink their value propositions to the changes that accompany this age. There is a growing realisation that companies that don't do this could become irrelevant in the business landscape. For a leading IT distributor, which uses and sells technology that fuels this revolution, market relevance and alignment determines success or failure.

In this digital disruption era, companies have to redefine their value in a market that is redefining how products and services are consumed. Axiz, understands these dynamics and has invested to present a transformed value proposition coupled with knowledge and experience attained in its successful past. Confident that it's ready for success, Axiz has established a bimodal business approach, leveraging of its traditional business and enabling it to seize opportunities.

Mode one business focuses on traditional distribution business while Mode two business operates

in the world of software defined solutions bringing cloudbased products and solutions to market. Mode one business is still responsible for most of Axiz's revenues but mode two operations are growing. The synergy between the models is key in sustaining business in Axiz's digital transformation and therefore the transformation to a platform business is essential.

IN THIS DIGITAL DISRUPTION ERA, COMPANIES HAVE TO REDEFINE THEIR VALUE IN A MARKET THAT IS REDEFINING HOW PRODUCTS AND SERVICES ARE CONSUMED.

The platform discussion is twofold. On the one hand, there is the 'technology platform' which facilitates the business to business transactions which is essentially establishing a digital business identity and presence. On the other hand, there is the 'platform business' where a business builds an ecosystem within which innovative products or services

are procured, designed, dispensed and aggregated based on an OSS/BSS architecture. These two platform concepts must co-exist to achieve a consistent digital presence driving the organisation’s strategic outcomes.

To this end Axiz has identified six key platform-functional systemic layers that the business platform requires in achieving a reliable digital presence and experience for all stakeholders in the ecosystem. Through its transformational journey, Axiz has gained insights into the intricacies of the relationships between these layers in order to build value driven ecosystems.

Next Generation Technology focus Axiz’s strategy encompasses the journey from edge to cloud, including a division dedicated to everything digital, such as data-driven, mobile and big data analytics. The digital team leaders are accomplished in fields such as Mechatronics and Industrial Systems Engineering, are advocates of design thinking, and use this methodology in developing business capabilities.

Design thinking is about developing for outcomes, and being agile enough to adapt as requirements change.

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Pla

t fo

rm

Bus

in ess

Ecosystem

• The ecosystem entails a dynamic evolving network of relationships driven by delivering relevant value to the market.

• The ecosystem is dynamic in three ways: • The membership of the ecosystem.

• The relationships between the members.

• The invested development or evolution of each member considering relevance to current and future markets.

Innovative Data-Driven Solution Architecture • Data driven innovation happens on two levels. Firstly on how the platform architecture redesigns itself to improve seamless delivery of current & future products.

• Secondly on the platform using data to forecast and assess product/service market relevance.

• This is achieved through analytics across product/services verticals along with understanding technology consumption behaviours.

• This insight process is executed initially on a tactical outlook: the day-to-day transactional determining next logical purchase.

Service & Product Provisioning • This is the 'middle-ware' linking business processes to how products and services are delivered and consumed.

• Products and services are delivered from diverse sources to a variety consumption models subject to different billing schedules.

• Active products & services require system lifecycle management which incorporate a network of contractual agreements, stored and executed here.

• This layer executes product and services provisioning while performing product lifecycle management across all Axiz defined products and services’ Edge, Core, Cloud and Software verticals.

Workflow Management System • Responsible for sequential execution of business activities & tasks across departments, product verticals & business systems.

• Functionality encompasses bi-directional messaging between a variety of internal and external managed systems and their edge devices.

• Aims to achieve orchestrated task execution between analogue & automated processes involving people, devices, machinery and the ecosystem’s business systems.

• Supports effective, seamless provisioning of products by facilitating services between business departments & interacting with customers.

Enterprise Resource Planning • High business impact if selected without understanding current and strategic business requirements.

• Allocation of enterprise resources to profit generation mechanisms is executed on a transactional level.

• Having achieved transactional integrity the next level is intelligent enterprise resource planning with the ability to accommodate the required level of transactional complexity.

Transactional Integrity • Achieved through data security and transactional rules ensuring compliance on how data must flow within acceptable data parameters with quality data points.

• Data integrity control and management is a necessary platform base on which complex multi-agent transactions are to be facilitated.

www.axiz.com

Axiz now has a focused development team, giving it a competitive advantage: defining the functionality its customers desire and commit to delivering it.

trends and maintaining an eye on the next generation technologies. It is geared up for incoming disruptive technology.

Digital Transformation

Axiz spends a significant time engaging with customers from how the company will remain valued and relevant to understand what kind of technologies and services investments will best service the user community.

Applying artificial intelligence

to data gathered in the cloud allows organisations to draw intelligent conclusions. With cognitive analytics, the business case for users moves away from a product sale towards beneficial value sale, and what services a user could consume.

The team is working on exciting innovative projects that talk to specific verticals based on market research and requirements from partners. Axiz is committed to staying at the forefront of technology, monitoring emerging

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Axiz’s digital transformation journey has been a humbling one that teaches it how to best leverage off the traditional business IP in its transformation to a Digital, Software and Services Distributor. With over 27

years of experience in building channels and distribution business models within an ever-changing technology industry, the opportunities and challenges presented in this environment continue to refine its ability to deliver products and services to market and reshapes the organisation as it redefines its value to vendors, the channel and ultimately the consumers of the technology.

In 2013 Axiz completed the Digital Readiness Assessment, gaining

insight into its digital capabilities and requirements and revealed areas for improvement to keep pace with the speed of digital transformation. Since then Axiz has been replacing aged systems and re-examining workflows and is ready to roll out a new ERP system which will be at the core of its new digital business structure.

Axiz realises that in order to maintain market relevance, transforming to a platform

business is key. Axiz will continue to maintain strong relationships with its valued ecosystem partners through the journey and continue to demystify access to technology with support from its partners in an ever-changing technology environment. â–

Computing

THE LITTLE BOARDS DOING BIG THINGS

By Alastair Otter

F

or most people, the words Raspberry Pi and Arduino conjure up images of school classrooms and electronic hobbyists. And in truth, these single-board, lightweight computers are very much at home in education. The Raspberry Pi was originally created to encourage computer science in schools and developing nations.

And the Arduino was started in the early 2000s as a platform to allow to students to prototype interaction design projects.

More recently, however, the possibilities of these low-cost and configurable platforms have been noticed by users in a broad range of areas - from business, agriculture, and big industry, to artists and musicians.

Kin Le Roux, a figure from the Linux and open source software scene in South Africa in the early 2000s, started Botshop seven years ago. Through the platform he sells a growing range of robotics and electronics products, and he says the interest in Arduino and Raspberry Pi has grown rapidly in recent years.

“Last year, we had just 30 items listed on the site. Today, we have more than 350 items,” said Le Roux. “The increase in interest in small robotics and electronics has been phenomenal.” Le Roux also builds robotics projects for customers, and has had to turn

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away work as they cannot handle all the development. “I take on a couple of projects a month and then I have a database of developers that I pass work onto.”

Although the education market makes up the bulk of Le Roux’s customers, there is growing interest from a broad range of businesses. “I've got one customer, CraneCert, which provides services to the crane industry. One of the risks for these large cranes is high winds. If the wind picks up beyond a certain speed, the cranes could be at risk of falling over. So we built a little device that uses a windspeed sensor that checks the wind speed and, at the bottom, there is a buzzer that alerts the operators to a possible problem.”

MORE RECENTLY, HOWEVER, THE POSSIBILITIES OF THESE LOW-COST AND CONFIGURABLE PLATFORMS HAVE BEEN NOTICED BY USERS IN A BROAD RANGE OF AREAS.

Le Roux said that for projects like this, they build the initial prototype using an Arduino.

“When it’s working properly, we then make a custom PC

board where everything fits on and it looks nice and neat.”

An example of a completely different customer is one which works with coffee kegs, and has a small sensor with Wi-Fi connectivity that detects when a keg has 10% coffee left. It then notifies the user before the keg is empty. “Another customer has a big punch that punches out motor parts. So we built a little stepper motor to guide the punch through all of the parts to be punched out. Buying something like that could cost R50,000 or R60,000, but doing it this way it costs as little as R1,000 or R2,000.”

Another growing market for the microcontrollers is farmers who are interested in the hydroponic capabilities of the various Arduino modules, from relays for controlling valves, to soil and moisture sensors, said Le Roux.

MIx and match One of the appeals of the Arduino platform is not just the fact that it costs very little to buy - an Arduino Uno costs under R200 - but that they are easily extended using various modules and sensors.

“The Arduino Uno is one of the smallest of the boards. And it’s basically a board with a big chip, the microcontroller. You then get various shields, like an LCD shield,

that plug into the board to add functions. What we sell a lot of are CNC shields for people who are building CNC machines with steppers. You just plug this little unit on top and there you go, you've got a CNC machine. From there on it's really just about the programming,” said Le Roux.

Although the Raspberry Pi is perhaps the better-known of the two platforms, it is usually used for projects requiring more powerful hardware. “The Raspberry Pi is basically a complete computer. If you’re designing a home entertainment system, then it makes sense. On the other hand, you can’t really build a multimedia system using an Arduino, but for electronics

projects it’s great,” said Le Roux.

Innovation and experimentation Because these prototyping boards are so cheap, they’re great at promoting experimentation and innovation at companies.

They also make it easy to build custom solutions.

“One of the courier companies we’ve worked with is doing a lot of business with pharmaceutical companies and there is law that deliveries have to be monitored from pickup to their destination.

They now use a small GSM system on their delivery vehicles that sends an SMS to a server every five seconds. If they had to try and buy something like that, they

may not have found exactly that they needed. And it could have been fairly expensive. But building this using an Arduino prototype made it affordable and they got exactly what they needed.”

It’s not all work and no play for Arduino however, said Le Roux. “We’ve seen interior designers using them for controlling lighting systems in their designs. And recently I was doing training at the University of Pretoria for performance artists and musicians who want to use them in their shows.” ■

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Business

MICRO FOCUS SA LOOKING FOR CHANNEL PARTNERS FOLLOWING HPE MERGER

By Vicky Sidler

MICRO FOCUS IS LOOKING FOR SALES-CERTIFIED PARTNERS FOR ITS NEW, EXPANDED PORTFOLIO FOLLOWING ITS MERGER WITH HPE SOFTWARE BUSINESS.

M

icro Focus’ merger with Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s (HPE) software business has created the seventh largest pure-play enterprise software company in the world.

This merger has brought together two leaders in the software industry to form a new, combined company uniquely positioned to help customers maximize existing software investments and embrace innovation in a world of Hybrid IT.

WE UNDERSTAND THAT THE ECOSYSTEM IS KEY TO OUR JOINT SUCCESS AND THE OPPORTUNITY ACROSS THE WHOLE PORTFOLIO IS SIGNIFICANT.

“As a legacy HPE Software and Micro Focus distributor, we are very excited with what the Micro Focus business will bring in the future,” says Jim Holland, Executive at Axiz.

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“The new combined company presents us with the 7th largest Enterprise Software vendor in the world – the opportunities for our channel partners are significant.”

toolchain of commercial and open source offerings -- leveraging the largest portfolio in the industry.

•

Hybrid IT: simplifying the management of a complex mix of platforms, delivery methods and consumption models to help organizations address business needs, control costs, and ensure availability and performance at global scale.

•

Security & Risk Management: Securing data, applications and access; powering security operations and governance to mitigate risk and maintain compliance; and harnessing the power of secure DevOps practices to ensure endto-end risk management.

•

Predictive Analytics: Helping customers translate siloed data into real-time proactive analytics at scale, anchored on supporting open and cloud-based stacks to create new insights across applications, operations, security and the business.

Micro Focus is designed from the ground up to build, sell and support software, and with the addition of HPE’s products and services, the portfolio has expanded considerably.

“Both Micro Focus and HPE have strong, complimentary products with very little overlap across the whole portfolio,” says Gary de Menezes, Micro Focus South Africa General Manager.

“Customers will benefit from this hugely as we have integrated products and interfaces at a rapid pace.”

The new portfolio of the combined company helps solve the most complex technology problems for customers, delivering worldclass, enterprise-scale solutions in key areas including: •

DevOps: enabling the rapid delivery of quality, secure applications with endto-end visibility across a

Now, though, de Menezes admits that Micro Focus

needs “feet on the street” as Micro Focus intends to drive the new portfolio completely through channel partner community.

with both portfolios, and we don’t need to wait for them to rationalise and integrate the products,” explains de Menezes.

“While most vendors need partners because they need to skill up locally from a technical perspective, we want partners to get sales certified so that we can get them on the street,” he adds.

“The relevance to the channel and market is something that Axiz is working hard to develop and the close partnership with both HPE and Micro Focus is key to the success of this business,” adds Holland.

“Then we will work with them on the technical side over time to help them to evolve into Micro Focus consultant partners.”

“We understand that the ecosystem is key to our joint success and the opportunity across the whole portfolio is significant.

Micro Focus works closely with its Premier Partners that are skilled and certified, each in different categories, but needs to increase this because the new portfolio is so large.

“Axiz is investing significantly in this business and we will continue to work closely to develop the channel to take advantage of this opportunity.”

As such, Micro Focus has an important relationship with Axiz, who has been Micro Focus’ only major distributor for the whole of Africa and also a major partner of HPE, and is therefore in a unique position.

“Our partnership with Axiz is now a huge advantage for us, as Axiz is the only distributor

With Axiz, Micro Focus has already integrated the teams and started educating channel partners, and as a result Axiz and South Africa are already far ahead of the curve globally “We are now ready to head out to market, together with channel partners, with a portfolio that is second to none,” concludes de Menezes. ■

For more information about signing up as a reseller, visit the Axiz website.

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Artificial Intelligence

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IS BEHIND SCHEDULE

By Tamsin Oxford

IS SOUTH AFRICA READY FOR THE INFLUX OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, OR IS THIS YET ANOTHER TECH THAT DROOPS SADLY IN THE WAITING LINE BEHIND INFRASTRUCTURE, ECONOMY, AND CORRUPTION?

A

rtificial Intelligence (AI) has been on human minds since computers arrived in giant laboratories with enormous disks and power requirements. The concept was first introduced

by Marvin Minsky, Allen Newell, Herbert A. Simon, and John McCarthy in 1955. It then shifted into the realm of science fiction, dominating popular culture - with only a dedicated few beavering away towards it becoming a tangible reality. Now, it’s back.

However, despite solving Ms. Pac-Man faster than any human, and achieving god-like status with ex-members of Google – Anthony Levandowski, an ex-Google engineer, has established Way of The Future, a non-profit religious organisation that worships an AI deity – is it actually doing anything worthwhile? Most pundits say yes. Others are not so sure. Most are uncertain about its capabilities in Africa.

“AI is definitely behind schedule,” said Colin Thornton, MD of Turrito Networks and Dial a Nerd.

“Currently, it is most widely used in a watered-down form for chatbots and service bots.

There are international companies like Macy’s or Chevrolet using

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AI to help customers online, but the culture there is quite mono. Africa has thousands of cultures and languages, which means AI would need to be much smarter or it could face some embarrassing faux pas.”

Still, there’s no stopping technology and its relentless invasion, and a recent GIBS Accenture report underscores this reality neatly. It suggests that soon it won’t be brand that dictates customer choices, but corporate AI. If that’s going to become the success marker, then local companies need to catch up. The report found several issues impacting on uptake and implementation in South Africa, including data quality, data privacy, workforce

FROM A SOUTH AFRICAN PERSPECTIVE, AI IS STILL LARGELY BEING EXPLORED BY DIGITAL TEAMS FOR FUTURE APPLICATIONS, WITH LIMITED APPLICATION IN FULL PRODUCTION.

readiness and re-skilling, and potential job losses.

“From a South African perspective, AI is still largely being explored by digital teams for future applications, with limited application in full production,” said Ryan Falkenberg, co-CEO at Clevva. “This is largely due to the state of organisational data and the limited integration across legacy systems. This will be steadily resolved, however, so you should see a significant increase in adoption over the next 5-10 years.”

Positive outlook Accenture certainly believes there is an extremely positive outlook when it comes to AI. Intelligent automation, augmentation of existing labour and capital, and innovative diffusion – these three channels within AI can potentially add an entire percentage point to annual economic growth rates in South Africa by 2035.

That’s great, but how?

“Machine learning isn’t naturally intelligent and needs to learn by analysing data,” said Akhram Mohamed, Consumer Business Group SA Product

Marketing Director at Huawei.

“In the business space, AI is now developing lifetime learning capabilities and understanding without being provided this information from the outside.”

like DataProphet, Clevva, Aerobotics, Kudi.ai, Stockshop, and Aajoh making AI waves.

Universities

Mohamed points out that in the past six years, AI has already gone from an emerging technology to one where there are already hardware-based AI platforms with lifetime learning capabilities. It is very likely that AI will soon be at the core of all the technology that organisations and individuals interact with.

There is also significant research and development taking place in South Africa with organisations

Local universities are also contributing to the advancement of AI in South Africa. “The Centre for Artificial Intelligence Research is a South African national research network that conducts research into various aspects of AI, with nodes at five South African universities,” said Anet Potgieter, Technical Director at Cognitive Systems. “This is coordinated and managed by the Meraka Institute at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research

in Pretoria. And the Technology Innovation Agency has funded our company to support our work in fully integrating AI with the Internet of Things and big data.”

To truly realise the economic and business potential of AI, it needs to be supported by government and adopted intelligently by organisations.

Effective integration into fields such as healthcare or agriculture could present significant benefits.

Imagine if crop yields could be increased, environmental impact decreased, and water usage managed more effectively – these are just some of the potential benefits of AI done well in the public sector. There is no reason why it can’t shine as fiercely in the private one.

“Businesses should apply AI where it can add value, using it to create a data virtualisation of their current systems and to inform AI strategy and its role in the organisation,” said Vinny Perumal, MD at Macrocomm. “While it still may be hype in Africa, the rest of the world is aggressively adopting AI in different sectors. That said, there are many unique aspects to Africa that could enable us to become more innovative in solving our problems, and AI could be the perfect platform.”

AI is more than the sum of its hype, but it is also far behind its imagined potential. It is being used to create efficiencies and transform industries, to change roles and transform markets and businesses. What happens next will depend entirely on competitive markets, inventive minds and, adventurous leaders.

Hopefully, none of these roads will lead to Skynet, especially the one being created by Anthony Levandowski. ■

Colin Thornton MD of Turrito Networks and Dial a Nerd

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Talent Development

THE INTERNET OF TALENT

By Tamsin Oxford

THE INTERNET OF THINGS NEEDS SKILLS TO THRIVE AND SURVIVE, BUT THE ONE THING SOUTH AFRICA LACKS IS JUST THAT – TALENT.

T

he prognosis for the Internet of Things is pretty good. A PwC report released at the end of 2016 entitled “Uncovering the potential of the Internet of Things” states that it will be this decade’s great disruptor. A Bain report found that IoT was fuelling over $75 billion in M&A investments by major vendors and predicted that by 2020, annual revenue could rise above the $450 million mark for IoT vendors. McKinsey also threw its hat into the ring with an estimate of $3.7 billion in IoT market size by 2020, with a CAGR of 32.6%.

which are conducive to retaining and attracting this talent.”

IoT oozes potential, but will South Africa benefit? In the Skills Supply and Demand in South Africa report released by the Labour Market Intelligence Partnership project in 2016, it was found there is a need for more science, engineering, and technology graduates. The skills needed by the economy, and IoT.

“The problem is a lack of understanding around what IoT is, and what it is not,” said Stuart Hanford, Technical Marketing

“South Africa already produces a fair amount of its own talent, in IoT as well as in ICT in general,” said Jarryd Chatz, CEO of BitCo. “In fact, many South Africans have gone on to found companies that are changing the world. The problem is creating environments

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This is not down to cost. It isn’t the economy receding as ominously as the shoreline before a tsunami. South Africa is still responsible for over 60% of Africa’s IT market and leads the way on the global stage when it comes to solutions and outsourcing. In fact, the economy could well be a boon for IoT, boosting its adoption as it cuts costs and enhances business processes - while putting the business on the front line.

GOOGLE, MICROSOFT, THESE GIANTS ARE ALL LOOKING TO BUILD LARGE DATA CENTRES IN SOUTH AFRICA. THEY WOULD NOT BE DOING THIS WITHOUT THE FUNDAMENTAL BUSINESS CASE FOR IT.

Director at Arrow Altech. “IoT is more about having the correct idea than it is about having a big business, investment, or a team of people. We have a challenging economy and a creative population. The result is we have a perfect environment for the creation of unique applications particular to our environment.”

Strategic focus There is also committed corporate investment into skills development across the country and a clear strategic focus by tertiary institutions to enable students for the new marketplace. There have been programs focused on IoT, big data, and convergence engineering introduced to many under or postgraduate programs, and big business is supporting this skills development through bursaries and grants that are allocated exclusively for IoT-focused studies.

“The biggest hurdle lies in driving critical and analytical thinking as a medium of education,” said Jeremey Potgieter, SADC Regional Head at Eseye. “If these are not fully embraced, the human capital required to drive initiatives will be lacking. More needs to be done.”

In fact, IoT lends itself to a chaotic environment. It can be used to correct challenging situations like cable theft by preventing them from happening at all. It can introduce solutions that require less power, that run without cables, and that can leapfrog off existing infrastructure to save on costs - but deliver on promises. It is also adaptable, and can be made to suit South Africa’s environment and the skills limitations that inhibit it.

“We are already seeing interest in South Africa,” said Chetan Mistry, Marketing and Communications Manager at Schneider Electric.

“Google, Microsoft, these giants are all looking to build large data centres in South Africa.

They would not be doing this without the fundamental business case for it.” ■

Jarryd Chatz CEO of BitCo

Simon Carpenter, chief technology advisor at SAP Africa, agrees. “We need skills that can reimagine how the business operates and that can apply advanced analytical techniques to the data to create value from it, and can integrate IoT into the fabric of the enterprise. In this regard, SA has many STEM skills challenges that will not be overcome until the deficits in our education system are righted.”

So while South Africa waits for its talent pool to fill and for ingenuity to evolve, will any of the dreams of IoT hit the country in the near future? It is easy to be overcome with a sense of futility when

Johannesburg City loses 30km of electrical cabling in one night, leaving people without power and water for more than a week.

“It’s easy to get distracted by what’s wrong, but bear in mind that as a developing nation, South Africa’s growth continues,” said Wynand Smit, CEO at Inovo.

“We must look to solutions for power and water shortages – indeed, our local scientists and engineers are seeking to do just that. As we build our infrastructure and partner with others, we’ll have more capacity to roll out all sorts of new and emerging technologies.”

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Disruption

FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS NEED TO BECOME ‘FUTURE FIT’ TO REMAIN COMPETITIVE S

outh Africa’s retail banking sector has managed to remain relatively untouched by change and disruptive forces.

However, as new banking licenses are awarded, FinTech continues its rise, and potential threats from companies in other sectors come into play, we need to look at the future of banking and understand how existing financial institutions must embrace technology to remain competitive and relevant.

A recent study performed by BCX, looked at South Africa’s top five retail banks and compared them with a potential disruptor from an adjacent sector, who experts believe could pose a threat to traditional banking institutions, should they move into the financial sector. The aim of the study was to identify the South African banks’ level of digital maturity and to identify areas of improvement that, if addressed, could see the banks being categorised as “Future Fit”.

The study revealed that South African retail banks can be categorised as ‘Developing’ in terms of their level of digital maturity, while the potential disruptor was placed ahead of them in the ‘Maturing’ category.

It’s a sobering result, one that reflects the need for local retail banks to embrace technology and digital transformation more

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enthusiastically and innovate more quickly to remain competitive in a rapidly digitalising world.

Key Insights Regulation, advances in technology, and a more demanding consumer are driving the financial services industry towards a digital transformation.

A greater focus is being placed on innovation as digitalisation gives rise to several interesting new enterprises such as Ripple, mVisa, RainFin, and Apple Pay. These technologies are set to make in-roads into the revenue streams of the more established players.

So how can South Africa’s retail banks protect themselves effectively against the potential threats from emerging FinTech companies, and cutting-edge disruptive players in adjacent sectors? While the banks are making an effort to transform,

REGULATION, ADVANCES IN TECHNOLOGY, AND A MORE DEMANDING CONSUMER ARE DRIVING THE FINANCIAL SERVICES INDUSTRY TOWARDS A DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION.

the report noted that they are not yet leveraging operational data for a competitive advantage and suggested that the use of emerging technologies such as IoT and Big data analytics as well as implementing crossfunctional teams, could improve their performance. There is the opportunity for them to improve using insights gained from analysing customer interactions to create more personalised products or service offerings based on individual customer needs.

In addition, banks should focus on more proactive, and personalised, service-related communication.

This can be achieved by leaving the legacy systems behind, removing siloed structures, and migrate to analysing data on a single platform to provide a true single view of each customer.

When it comes to analysing Big Data, banks would also do well to not only focus on their customer data, but also look inward, to employee and operational data in order to gain a competitive edge. This would help them gain a greater understanding of their employees’ needs, and create a more meaningful working environment, something that is appealing to their potential millennial customers and employees. Banks also need to embrace automation, not

only using biometric and facial recognition technology for account authentication, but rolling out automation for customer service and Know Your Customer (KYC) authentication too.

The banks scored well on innovative strategies, and while a number have made significant investments into innovation, their efforts would benefit well from a more consolidated approach.

By developing an organisationwide, outwardly-focused strategy, banks could effectively respond to threats from emerging FinTech companies. By leveraging their assets and moving towards a Banking-as-a-Platform (BaaP), they could also unburden their balance sheets, and use their existing infrastructure as a launch pad for accelerated growth. There is also a unique opportunity to create white label solutions around their existing infrastructure such as ATMs, and core banking systems, to leverage their own assets and generate new (as yet undefined) revenue streams.

Another way that South African banks could better serve their future customers and remain relevant, is through collaboration with customers and partners.

This will empower employees, communities and crowds to create innovative solutions.

Rather than offering packages

with limited customisation, banks could use social media to engage with customers and communities at the beginning of the product design process. There are also opportunities in which crowdsourcing can help banks to tap into a wealth of ideas on new products and how to enhance existing services. The report suggests that building strong partnership networks can enable banks to respond quickly to the demands of the future customer, as well as assist them to transform areas of their core business.

When it comes to digital leadership, the sector needs to expand its development from executive level throughout the organisation, and up its investment in skills development and diversity. Strong digital leaders are critical, but transformation needs to be embraced by every level of the company. While all the banks have a Chief Digital Officer in place, and some even have Chief Analytics Officers, to remain ahead of the curve, digital leaders must be identified and developed at all levels and in all service areas. When the right structures are in place, transformation can be driven by the people and not just by the company’s executives. These structures include a cohesive digital strategy, skilled digital evangelists

and an organisational system that supports self-organising teams. The responsibility for spearheading a digital culture should not lie with only one member of the C-suite, but with the entire business.

Over and above their current large investments in CSI, South African banks must consider creating a core purpose that is seen to be beyond-profit, and become true champions of transformation. By improving transparency they will enable employees and customers to feel in control of their own information and destinies.

The important thing to remember is that “Future Fit” is not just about technology, but rather fusing digital into the entire DNA of a business – from strategy development to the way customers are served. It’s about creating a digital culture and is driven by today’s incredible advancements in technology. The ultimate goal being to become a truly digital business. ■ To read the full report visit https://www.bcx.co.za/ financial-industry-insights/

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Summit

YOU CAN’T IGNORE DISRUPTION

By Jess Mason

"D

isruption” is all the rage these days. Every brand out there is looking for the next technology or innovation that will change the way we do business, redefine categories, and decimate the competition that didn’t have the foresight to think of it first.

At BCX, we know disruption isn’t a passing fad, it is the new norm.

Industries that have thrived for centuries are now becoming obsolete in a matter of weeks or days. The companies that embrace disruptive thinking are the ones that will thrive in the digital economy.

But how does a brand differentiate itself when almost every other brand in every vertical is discussing the latest piece of “disruption” they are introducing?

For BCX, it is a matter of realising where we can be most effective within the disruptive ecosystem.

What is the common denominator for all the big disruptors we’ve heard about the past few years?

Brands like Uber, Apple and AirBNB? These disruptions use technology. Technology is the backbone of disruptive innovation.

At BCX, we pride ourselves on being one of Africa’s premier end-to-end digital solutions partner. We work with your business to make sure you have the digital solutions you need to scale, grow, remain relevant, and are powered to embrace the

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next big thing, no matter what new technology it requires.

We’ve built our business on providing the technology and business tools that enable disruption. Cloud services, IoT, automation, augmented reality – these technologies have the potential to revolutionise industry as we know it. And if South African companies embrace this disruption, our country has the potential to grow into the world’s next big technology leader.

We at BCX take our roles as the enablers of disruption very seriously. That’s why we’re bringing some of the world’s biggest disruptors, like will.i.am and Malcolm Gladwell, to South Africa to educate business leaders on disruptive thinking and trends for the first-ever BCX Disrupt Summit. Gladwell, will.i.am and others like him, represent the kind of big thinker that doesn’t just build a better mouse trap, but makes the process of catching mice obsolete.

Join us at the BCX Disrupt Summit on 16 and 17 November at the Kyalami International Convention Centre to immerse your mind in new possibilities.

Get ready to discover new potential directions or wake up to possibilities that have been lying in wait all along. One thing is certain: you’ll never think the same again. And BCX will be your disruption enabler every step of the way. ■

EVERY BRAND OUT THERE IS LOOKING FOR THE NEXT TECHNOLOGY OR INNOVATION THAT WILL CHANGE THE WAY WE DO BUSINESS, REDEFINE CATEGORIES, AND DECIMATE THE COMPETITION THAT DIDN’T HAVE THE FORESIGHT TO THINK OF IT FIRST.

Jess Mason BCX Chief Marketing Officer

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Interview

SPLICEWORKS ENABLES TECH START-UPS IN SOUTH AFRICA

Floris Buys SpliceWorks CEO

"T

he Entrepreneurial Ecosystem of South Africa: A Strategy for Global Leadership in 2017 � report recently recommended that entrepreneurs need assistance in the form of higher touch-loan management in SME lending, better market access to ease large-firm dominance, and the continuation of public and private sector programs.

We spoke to Floris Buys, CEO of SpliceWorks, to find out what this BCX-backed, technologyspecific platform is doing to help improve the state of entrepreneurship in South Africa.

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What is SpliceWorks, and what need is it fulfilling in South Africa?

SpliceWorks is an online platform that introduces tech entrepreneurs to business development partners, funders and potential customers, by leveraging Telkom and BCX’s vast network of partners and customers. Its aim is to bring together the tech start-up eco-system in South Africa, addressing their challenges, and helping them to turn their ideas into sustainable businesses.

This platform has benefits for both the entrepreneur and those supporting it. The Telkom Group, as well as BCX customers, need access to the latest and greatest digital technology innovations to

stay relevant in today’s digital age. SpliceWorks is fulfilling this need by on-boarding, curating and introducing entrepreneurs to the Telkom Group of companies through BCX to other potential large business, corporate and public sector customers.

How is SpliceWorks different to a traditional incubator or accelerator?

Generally speaking, traditional incubators and accelerators limit the intake of businesses into their programs. We want to offer assistance at scale, and have therefore designed the platform to provide support to hundreds of tech disruptors through a network of partners, providing the services that these small and medium enterprises might need to grow their business.

SPLICEWORKS IS FULFILLING THIS NEED BY ON-BOARDING, CURATING AND INTRODUCING ENTREPRENEURS TO THE TELKOM GROUP OF COMPANIES THROUGH BCX TO OTHER POTENTIAL LARGE BUSINESS, CORPORATE AND PUBLIC SECTOR CUSTOMERS.

How will SpliceWorks support entrepreneurs?

SpliceWorks has negotiated discounted pricing with service providers, and partnered with funding providers that can help entrepreneurs establish their businesses. In addition, SpliceWorks will actively look for business opportunities for entrepreneurs within the Telkom Group and BCX. How does SpliceWorks work and how can interested entrepreneurs sign-up?

Entrepreneurs can register on the platform and build a profile by answering some questions. Their profile will be matched with potential funders and customers, and introductions will be made.

If entrepreneurs are not yet mature enough to be introduced to investors and customers, they can make use of the business development services available on the platform at discounted rates.

Currently the platform is a by-invitation only, closed beta. However, there are lead forms on the platform for entrepreneurs, prospective partners and customers to leave their details. We will then either invite them to be part of the closed beta, or let them know as soon as the platform is officially launched. â–

For more information on signing-up on the SpliceWorks platform visit www.spliceworks.net

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Entertainment

CINEMAS GROWING IN THE AGE OF NETFLIX

By Kevin Lancaster

W

hen it comes to epic battles in the world of tech, there are several showdowns dominating the scene. Apple vs Samsung for smartphone glory, AMD vs Nvidia for the GPU throne, and Netflix vs cinemas for the first choice in blockbuster entertainment.

Netflix is not holding back in the fight, and has embarked on a multi-billion-dollar mission to produce original content including original movies starring big Hollywood names. With this content available on Netflix first, the company aims to keep users away from other streaming services and movie houses, and in front of their media device of choice. To do this, it has signed up crowd-pullers like Adam Sandler and Will Smith to star in original films. It has also launched awardwinning - and addictive - series like Narcos and The Crown.

In South Africa, the playing field is no different. A recent MyBroadband survey showed that 84.85% of local respondents who subscribed to a streaming service had a Netflix package. This poses a threat to local cinema chains like Nu Metro and Ster-Kinekor, which have to ensure they offer moviegoers an experience which

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cannot be matched by watching a film at home. Despite the rise of streaming services, Nu Metro is doing just that in South Africa.

NETFLIX IS NOT HOLDING BACK IN THE FIGHT, AND HAS EMBARKED ON A MULTI-BILLION-DOLLAR MISSION TO PRODUCE ORIGINAL CONTENT.

Nitesh Matai, managing executive at Nu Metro Cinemas, said they have not detected a direct correlation between cinema ticket sales and home entertainment options as yet. “These two entertainment options have distinctly different offerings.

We screen films - including the latest blockbusters - from the world’s top movie studios and local producers, long before they become available via online streaming or any other homebased content delivery systems,” said Matai. This is done “in an environment which no TV or computer screen can replicate”.

Magic of the movies A cinema chain having the latest Hollywood movies before competing services is not the only drawcard. Matai said movies for cinemas are made to be viewed on “big screens with big sound” and with the experiential elements only found in cinemas. This includes the likes of Nu Metro’s 4DX and Xtreme cinemas. “For Nu Metro, it’s not only about showcasing films with the latest technology, but to also give moviegoers a fully-inclusive experience of superb quality, to see movies as the filmmakers intended.”

4DX cinemas are described as an “immersive experience”‚ and use motion‚ vibration‚ water‚ wind‚ lightning, and scents to help viewers feel as if they are part of the movie. South Africa’s first 4DX theatre opened at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town on 16 December 2015.

Nu Metro’s backing of the cinema experience is not just talk, with the company recently opening a new eight-screen cinema complex at Cornubia Mall in Umhlanga Rocks. “The multiformat cinema complex includes 4DX, Xtreme, and VIP theatres, in

addition to standard 2D and 3D cinemas,” said Matai. “The cinema experience is growing. In the last three years, Nu Metro has opened 40 VIP screens, six Xtreme cinemas - including South Africa’s first laser projector - and six 4DX cinemas. Nu Metro is constantly looking to expand our cinema footprint.” Along with Cornubia, Nu Metro has opened cinema complexes in Welkom, Parkview, Trade Route Mall, and Ballito.

3D and 4DX Matai said customers are also responding well to technological developments and the company has seen a steady growth in new audience members. “Nu Metro embarked on a national rollout of multi-format cinema options at our complexes about three years ago. These cinema formats serve to reignite the magic of the movies - to give customers an experience that

can’t be duplicated anywhere else.” Following the success of 4DX in local market, four new 4DX cinemas have been opened in two years, with the sixth 4DX cinema opening at the new Nu Metro complex at Cornubia Mall.

Bronwen Auret, a marketing executive at Nu Metro, said the cinema chain is focused on delivering value to its customers and experiences that cannot be duplicated by home entertainment systems.

“We are incredibly sensitive to consumer spending capacity, and emphasise programmes and key partnerships to allow our customers to enjoy more movies more often,’ said Auret.

some of the lowest movie ticket prices in the world.”

With cinema chains like Nu Metro continuing to build new theatres and streaming services like Netflix spending more money on original content, there will not be a dearth of choice for South African movie-lovers in the future. ■

This is achieved through projects like its Scene Club loyalty programme and partnerships with ABSA, Clicks, and Multiply to provide preferential pricing.

“South Africa still boasts

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High-speed, high-capacity networks are critical to the future of the world’s internet and digital economy.

FibreCo’s network is designed for emerging technologies and is completely future-proofed for gigabit and terabit broadband needs.

MANAGED FIBRE™

MANAGED ETHERNET

entire network for clients to light routes using their own equipment. This allows

Managed Ethernet is FibreCo’s nextgeneration Ethernet service at its best.

This lit service connects sites simply and

network. based networks.

ACCESS CONNECTIVITY

HOSTING FACILITIES

Access connectivity allows clients to connect houses, buildings, malls or

FibreCo offers country wide hosting facilities for client’s equipment at openaccess data centres in metropolitan areas, undersea landing stations on the East and West coast, wireless equipment on masks as well at its secure repeater facilities.

wireless access solutions.

MANAGED LIGHT allowing clients to connect directly to a wavelength on the FibreCo network. With 10Gbps and 100Gbps options available, clients can connect their own Layer 2 or Layer 3 devices hosted in the FibreCo Open Access facilities.

FIBRE & EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE FibreCo provides optimal network operations and maintenance functionality underpinned by a carrier grade functional framework. Proactive surveillance of transmission equipment ensures effective management of preventative maintenance and corrective fault management.

Fibre

HOW FIBRECO PLANS TO MAKE CONNECTIVITY AVAILABLE TO MORE SOUTH AFRICANS A

s the move towards cloudbased services and big data requirements increases, Internet connectivity needs continue to grow exponentially.

Through its drive to deliver high speed Internet across South Africa, FibreCo is ramping up its efforts to expand its network to take broadband to more of South Africa’s outlying areas that desperately need reliable high-speed connectivity.

FibreCo’s CEO, Simon Harvey, believes that “whilst there are high speed networks connecting major cities, including our own, there are a lot of areas not as well connected and as such FibreCo is on a drive to close these gaps”.

Since incorporation in 2009 and commencement of operations in 2013, FibreCo has established itself as a leading open access, national fibre network operator offering bespoke, high capacity data transmission solutions, including dark fibre, capacity and infrastructure hosting facilities to operators, ISPs, Government and enterprises throughout South Africa. FibreCo owns and operates both national long distance

and metro fibre optic networks throughout South Africa in cities such as Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, Bloemfontein, Port Elizabeth, East London and Kimberley as well as to the submarine cable landing stations of SAFE, SAT3, Seacom, EASSy and WACS.

AS THE MOVE TOWARDS CLOUD-BASED SERVICES AND BIG DATA REQUIREMENTS INCREASES, INTERNET CONNECTIVITY NEEDS CONTINUE TO GROW EXPONENTIALLY.

FibreCo is aggressively expanding its network and by the end of the year will light up towns along its major routes including along the N3, N12/N8, N6 and N1. This is just a start of its ambitious expansion plans that will start to open opportunities for ISPs and WISPs who will be able to expand their own networks in the towns along these routes as well

as meeting the growing cloud services demand of its clients.

While fibre is its core business, FibreCo is technology-agnostic when it comes to access connectivity and has started to deploy its own towers in the regional areas to host and deploy wireless solutions for connectivity to sites further afield. Furthermore, as a carrier services provider, FibreCo offers a specialised services portfolio throughout South Africa aimed at service providers including open access infrastructure, managed services, professional services and connectivity services providing an end to end solution for clients with best in class SLA’s.

“Improving connectivity in the outlying areas for both the public and private sectors has a positive socio-economic impact on the area and helps to meet the nation’s aspirations for world-class broadband connectivity – but it needs to be affordable.” says Harvey. ■

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Entertainment

DEVOPS - BRINGING TWO WORLDS TOGETHER

By Alastair Otter

D

espite its growing popularity, there is still no broadbased agreement on a definition of DevOps, said Jaco Viljoen, Agile Specialist at IndigoCube.

“It’s still early days and DevOps is still evolving as a field.”

The general definition of DevOps is a “software engineering practice that aims at unifying software development - Dev - and software operation - Ops”. The main characteristic of DevOps is to “advocate automation and monitor all steps of software construction”.

“In essence, DevOps is a culture, or a philosophy, of how development and operations teams can work better together.

Others view DevOps as a set of tools and practices. Either way, it is still evolving,” said Viljoen.

Aslam Raffee, LPI Southern Africa Director, said that as the pace of software development and deployment speeds up, many businesses are looking to make their operations more agile by “finding ways for better collaboration between traditional operations staff and their software development teams”.

The problem This sounds great, but there is a problem. Understanding the value of DevOps requires taking a step back and looking at how development and operations

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teams have worked up to now.

“Traditionally, we talk of build and run. The build team, or development, would work separately from the operations, or run, team. The dev team would build a system and then throw it over the wall to the operations team who would then have to figure out how to put things into operation,” said Viljoen.

IN ESSENCE, DEVOPS IS A CULTURE, OR A PHILOSOPHY, OF HOW DEVELOPMENT AND OPERATIONS TEAMS CAN WORK BETTER TOGETHER.

These two teams have traditionally had very different aims in life. “They are essentially opposing groups. For the dev team, their work is all about creating new functionality. They build new things and introduce change, and the more change they introduce the better they are doing their job. On the other side is the ops team, and their life is all about stability and providing a better service for customers.

They’re all about mitigating risk.

Which pits the teams against each other. The solution is the DevOps movement which encourages the teams to work together.”

“So for example, when the dev team is starting a new design, they would talk to the ops team to see if they can design it in such a way that makes it easy for the ops team to deploy,” said Viljoen.

Rapid deployment Another issue is that the development team wants to push changes into production as often as possible. The operations team would be happier if production deployments happened just once or twice a year. The business, however, doesn’t see any return on investment if software is not in production, so it’s in the interest of the business to see rapid and regular deployments.

DevOps is built around the idea of regular deployments. “One of the keys to regular deployments is automation. If we can automate the process of getting something into production then we mitigate the risk of something going wrong,” said Viljoen.

“Also we want to do this many, many times, because if we then introduce a problem into production it's going to be a very small one and it's easy to back out of that and fix it. So we want to do daily deployments into our operations environment.”

“In the 2016 State of DevOps Report, they talk about how many times you can do a deployment into production and the

high-performing companies are those that are doing thousands per day, not just one or two. Lowperforming companies do just one or two every three months.”

doing DevOps to the benefit of the business by improving time to market so that the business can realise the return on its software investments,” said Viljoen.

DevOps certification. The global certification agency recently held beta DevOps exams, the final step in the process of launching its new certification.

Practices, challenges, and success

One of the major challenges in DevOps adoption is a lack of skills, added Viljoen. “In South Africa, the problem we have is that we don't have the skills yet. It's a new emerging field and if you're looking for a DevOps engineer with three to five years’ experience, you're just not going to find them.”

Another major challenge with DevOps is measuring success.

“It’s easy to adopt tools and practices, but not get the results you're looking for,” said Viljoen.

Although DevOps is still evolving, there are a number of emerging practices that underpin successful DevOps. One of these is the automation that allows for continuous and regular deployments. The other is holding both the development and operations team accountable for the running of software.

A third is ensuring that the DevOps discussion is not led by the IT department and that the business is at the centre.

“That's one of the things we've seen - IT trying to be DevOps, but they're not involving business in the discussion. IT should be

There are certain emerging certifications for DevOps engineers, however, and the International Consortium for Agile offers a DevOps track. Various organisations - including LPI and IndigoCube - are also introducing DevOps training courses.

Fortunately, there are emerging metrics that make it easier to measure the success of DevOps processes. DevOps Research and Assessment, for example, has created a set of benchmarks for the field. Using their assessment, it’s possible for companies to benchmark themselves against the rest of their industry. ■

Raffee said the LPI is in the final stages of launching its

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Services

THREE6FIVE – PROVIDING THE RIGHT SOLUTION EVERY TIME THREE6FIVE OFFERS A RIGOROUS APPROACH TO IP SERVICES IMPLEMENTATION THAT SATISFIES CUSTOMERS’ BUSINESS NEEDS EVERY TIME.

F

ounded in 2009, three6five may still be a fairly young company, but it has earned an excellent reputation in the IT industry. “From the onset, three6five aimed to stand out above the rest, and our brand is particularly important to us,” says Tyrone Carroll, three6five CEO. “It’s been a challenge to keep that ‘special factor’ as we’ve grown into a company with 3 regional offices, just under 200 team members, 528 customers in over 31 countries on 4 continents, and 501 technical certifications.”

Carroll explains that three6five sets itself apart by focusing on what matters most, including its team members and customers.

“We don’t refer to our people as staff because everyone contributes to the growth of the company and we work together as a team,” Carroll adds. “We encourage our team members to continuously develop, and as a result we have some of the best engineers in the country.”

He adds that three6five also values its customers highly. “For

Tyrone Carroll three6five CEO

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us, customers are not king – they are everything. We believe that if our customers are successful and grow their businesses, it will help us to grow our business. And that’s not to say that things don’t necessarily go wrong occasionally, but the way we respond when things break is what sets us apart.

We look after our customers.”

As such, three6five has the advanced technical skills to support its four service divisions, which are ready to handle any communication and networking requirements. These solutions are based on real-world experience and a rigorous, practical approach, explains George Stylianou, three6five CTO. “The four divisions include Professional Network Services where we will work with your technical team to provide guidance on equipment and selection, network architecture, strategic design choices, or product development, says Stylianou. “It also includes Systems Integration where we have formed alliances with many of the world’s best technology suppliers and our engineers are trained and highly skilled in the implementation and management of these products. We are always on the lookout for new technology

George Stylianou three6five CTO

from leading vendors and new entrants in our space, and we try to test these as early as possible so we remain cutting-edge.”

Another division is Cloudnet, in which three6five offers a range of network services which complement and enhance the performance, versatility, stability and services of an IP network. These network services are available as on-site or as cloud-based solutions. Then the final pillar is the Academy, three6five’s educational division that provides quality training to enterprises across Africa.

Courses currently on offer include short and long courses focused on cybercrime and security.

As digital transformation becomes increasingly important, three6five is continuing to ensure that it keeps up with industry trends, says Mark Baptiste, three6five CCSO. “Regarding virtualisation and cloud, for instance, we are bringing in solutions from Office 365, Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services and other Network cloud offerings from

various providers today. This is all underpinned by security, which is the biggest threat as virtualisation and cloud takes off, T6F have a coherent Cybersecurity strategy that covers the full realm of security requirements.”

Three6five is focused on ensuring that it builds the in-house skills and capability to address the upcoming trends in the industry around SD WAN, IoT, big data, analytics, and the ongoing evolution in cloud computing and virtualisation.

Carroll concludes that: “It is important for us to be recognised as leaders in the industry, offering the best to our customers and driving profitability so that we can invest in our people and grow our business. At the same time, we are equally serious about purpose and passion. Passion is often lacking in the world, but if you are not going to do it with precision then why do it at all?

At three6five, we have a team driven to enable our customers grow their businesses.” ■

Mark Baptiste three6five CCSO

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eSports

SOUTH AFRICA’S FIRST PROFESSIONAL GAMING HOUSE

By Kevin Lancaster

From left to right: Nicholas "Schlinks" Dammert; Travis "CastawaY" Waters; Charl "welp" Geldenhuys; Ryan "ChiDoWi" Lancaster; Wesley "oDu" Rose

P

rofessional gaming also known as eSports - is on a path to huge growth.

Internationally, the top professional players make more than many of our local sports stars, and South Africa’s

The challenge with eSports is that a normal day-to-day schedule does not always work, due to the player base being active mainly during late hours of the night.

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gamers have their eyes on reaching this global standard.

Big names like Telkom and SuperSport have thrown their weight behind eSports in the country, and companies in the ICT space are also keen to get involved with the top South African teams. The growth potential of the industry and related exposure has resulted in a recent first for South Africa - a professional gaming house.

Local team White Rabbit Gaming has established a gaming house for their Dota 2 in Johannesburg, where their members live, train, and prepare

for big tournaments. The house includes everything gamers need, from high-speed Internet access to a dedicated LAN room.

The Dota 2 squad has been living in the gaming house for most of 2017, and its performance has substantially improved due to the intense training sessions the house allows for.

The house Alwyn Venter, managing director at White Rabbit Gaming, said setting up the house took a lot of planning and they faced a few challenges. “At the moment, investment into eSports in

South Africa is still small, with tech brands leading the way and few other brands willing to take the risk - despite the projections and growth of gaming worldwide,” said Venter. “We had to ensure the entire project made business sense and can be something that will last, and not vanish in a year or two.”

Venter said the team has wanted to set up a gaming house since 2015, and kept an eye on the international scene to see what benefits there were to owning and running a team house. “The benefits became very clear when discussing the topic with parties on the international scene, and we decided to follow suit with a basic model until investment in eSports grows. The investment is paying off, and we are seeing a significant improvement in team and individual skill levels.”

The training The training regime in the house is currently determined by the players, so they can optimise their schedules, said Venter.

“The challenge with eSports is that a normal day-to-day schedule does not always work, due to the player base being active mainly during late hours of the night and

tournaments and events being hosted on an ad hoc basis.”

“A typical week would consist of about eight hours practice time, which can be split into multiple sessions consisting of scrims against other teams, playing solo games, or reviewing strategies and creating new ones. Before tournaments, practice times will increase to about 12 hours per day, while still maintaining some off time to maintain balance.”

White Rabbit Gaming believes that the gaming house is a step forward in building long-term careers in the eSports scene in South Africa, and will help its players grow. “We would love to see our players succeed on the international scene, of which The International is definitely the longer-term goal, but a lot of preparation is needed to achieve that,” said Venter. “We are looking at qualifying for some major events, and we are also aiming to expand on the team house to accommodate our other teams.”

More gaming houses Venter said the launch of the gaming house has also raised the bar for other South African gaming organisations, which will ultimately improve the overall

player base in the country.

“We know there are other teams working on similar plans, which we think is a step in the right direction as major gaming organisations who are serious about eSports in South Africa start to put their money where their mouth is.”

“We have more plans to reveal as promised at the start of the year as we continue to take major strides forward,” said Venter - adding that White Rabbit Gaming is planning to add more teams to its roster. “We would also like to thank our partners - ASUS, Cool Ideas, and Logix Design and Development. We are looking forward to making 2017 our best year so far.” ■

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Fibre

HOW VUMA IS SHAPING THE SMART CITIES OF TOMORROW VUMATEL IS KICKING OFF A PROJECT TO ACCESS MARKETS PREVIOUSLY UNCHARTERED BY AIMING TO CONNECT ALEXANDRA TO WORLD-CLASS FIBRE BY MARCH 2018.

A

mere 15 years ago, you couldn’t use your landline, and connect to the internet at the same time. 3 years ago a 1Gbps fibre connection, which was only available to businesses, cost the customer R100 000 a month and today it costs a home-owner under R2000. The rapid acceleration of progress and innovation is underpinned by advances in technology.

We now have a more powerful computer in our pockets, than was accessible to NASA in 1969, when they sent the first man to the moon. That kind of access to technology has put us on a path of exponential growth.

Fibre is the veins and arteries that form the foundation for smart cities and pumps life into the cities of the future.

Abundant and prolific access to information is the key to enabling the progressive firstworld cities of tomorrow.

Cities are diverse, complex ecosystems. They are the hub of economic activity and are metropolitan melting pots.

Johannesburg is not Sandton.

Cape Town is not Newlands.

Johannesburg is Sandton and Soweto. Cape Town is Newlands

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and Langa. If we are to build the cities of the future, then we need to build a better, smarter, more progressive Sandton and Soweto.

The telecoms industry has been a catalyst for progress in this country but it has also exacerbated the digital divide and created technological inequality.

The consequences of which, are enormous. Until we find a way to provide affordable, accessible, abundant Internet access to all, some measure of the population will always be left behind.

We need to come up with a sustainable, scalable way to roll out broadband infrastructure to all. This is not about charity. This is about making the business model work to access markets previously unchartered. Charity is unsustainable and difficult to scale. A working business model allows for proper service delivery, the maintenance and upkeep of the network, and the delivery of a network that goes beyond providing internet access to the people – it provides internet abundance.

Wi-Fi hotspots & prepaid data are helpful and necessary, but they are not enough. They

will not change lives. Give people unlimited access to the internet, in their home, at a price that they can afford and watch their lives change.

Watch the economy change.

Watch the country change.

VUMA will be tackling the issue of digital inequality head on. The company is piloting a project in the township of Alexandra in Johannesburg and has devised a business model to sustainably and profitably provide households with uncapped internet at about R89 per month.

Abundant internet access at an affordable price point. Education, information, entertainment and opportunity for R89 per month.

This project aims to give the residents of Alexandra technological equality. A world of internet abundance to provide the residents with endless opportunity.

Vumatel will kick off the project in November and aims to connect Alexandra to world-class fibre

by March 2018. Watch this space because this time next year, Alex will be transformed. ■

THE MOVERS THE SHAKERS THE INNOVATORS TRANSFORM THE WAY YOU EXPERIENCE THE INTERNET WITH VUMA FIBRE

Use your mobile phone camera to read.

Meet the future, today.