5G, the greatest of all technologies, is in danger. Just like all other industries, telecommunications has been also affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and the most visible impact is the delay in the deployment of the fifth generation technology. All efforts made in the past couple of years and that were planned to see fruition in 2020 have been put on hold all over the world.
One of the keywords in the era of 5G is spectrum. Even though several use cases were developed and are trialed on a daily basis by leading operators and vendors and in spite of the fact that several operators have already launched the service, the issue of spectrum allocation still raises a dilemma. Despite Africa being quite behind in the race to 5G deployment, it has been calling for making spectrum available to expedite the development of the fifth generation technology.
Some may describe cybersecurity as “a bit like Alice in Wonderland” where you run as fast as you can only to stay in place. And today, if you wish to stay ahead of cyber criminals, you should run twice or ten times as fast as that.
Cybersecurity has risen to become a national concern as threats are taken now more seriously. Africa has been among the fastest growing regions in terms of cybercrime activities to the extent that the continent is considered as a source of significant cyberattacks targeting the rest of the world.
In 2019, it was made clear that blockchain is not just a hype but an exciting innovation that has gained momentum throughout the past couple of years to reach a not so bad level of adoption. New parties and companies have acknowledged it and a few central banks gave their green light even though a majority admits that they’re still trying to understand the technology. Africa’s stance on blockchain is remarkable in the sense that many countries have caught on the trend and are increasingly adopting cryptocurrencies.
The whole world is aware by now of the benefits of artificial intelligence and how it can transform businesses. A report commissioned by Microsoft and conducted by Ernst & Young on AI maturity in the Middle East and Africa region, found that at least 46% of South African companies are piloting artificial intelligence and are showing more and more interest in deploying the new technology.
A special report by Telecom Review 5G technical investigative team
As many operators around the globe have or are preparing to deploy and launch 5G networks and devices, the 3.5 GHz band has emerged as the de-facto band for most deployments, which has created economies of scale for devices and network equipment.
Revealing 5G technology has enabled operators and suppliers to seek multiple sources of revenue from it. The industry conceptualized new 5G business models and assumed new services fell into three categories: enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machine-type communications (mMTC), and ultra-reliable and low latency communications (URLLC). Each class creates different demands of bandwidth, latency and intelligence. Enhanced mobile broadband and fixed wireless access will lead the way, but IoT applications and use cases requiring ultra-reliable and low latency communications will be more efficient on 5G networks than on previous generation infrastructure.
Operating systems (OS) are the interface with which users navigate their devices and are essential to the functioning of computers and smartphones. That’s why they form a major challenge for their designers in terms of customer loyalty, data flow control and ecosystem development.
Africa and the world are on the verge of enhanced technological capabilities and empowerment. Artificial intelligence will transform organizations, societies, and economies fundamentally. That’s what Sebuh Haileleul, Country General Manager of Microsoft East Africa believes.
