From 5G-powered soccer, video streaming or driverless cars to cost-effective rural connectivity and more, ITU Telecom World 2018 highlighted the innovative technologies and solutions being deployed across the region. Top names on the showfloor included MTN, Liquid Telecom, Telkom and Vodacom.
Delegates were invited to demo their soccer skills, pitching themselves against MTN’s 4G and- as an ultimate challenge, 5G –powered goalies to score goals. Other areas to explore included HD video streaming and VR Education, all powered by 5G, plus the opportunity to look into the future of autonomous vehicles with a 5G driverless car showcase.
Also on show were ultra-rural mobile communications, base stations providing solar connectivity over a 60km radius. This innovative technology has been deployed in locations in South Africa and Nigeria with further rollout planned for 2019. Delegates could discover MTN’s IoT based innovations, covering areas as diverse as mine management- using IoT sensors to monitor conditions inside mines, with the opportunity to take a VR look inside the mine – IoT brooms and secure health applications.
Integrated communications provider Telkom invited visitors to a welcoming stand, built out over two levels, to explore their work, including more on its redesigned wholesale division, Openserve, infrastructure provider to most corporates, businesses and government.
The future is exciting. Ready? visitors to Vodacom’s stand were asked, before stepping into an immersive VR exhibit space to embark upon a journey through an underwater world and into a smart city and hospital, with the opportunity to explore solutions in the areas of citizen engagement, the connected farmer and SmartGov.
Also on show was independent data, voice and IP provider Liquid Telecom, where delegates could explore the reach of the company’s extensive open access single-fibre network.
