One of Africa’s longest-running ICT research conferences, the Southern Africa Telecommunication Networks and Applications Conference (SATNAC), will get under way in the Western Cape later this month.
The high-profile summit brings together around 400 key stakeholders in southern Africa’s ICT and telecoms sectors, including government decision-makers, researchers, students, telco executives, technology companies and international partners, and will be addressed by dignitaries including the South African Deputy Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, Mondli Gungubele.
SATNAC, now in its 27th year, is considered to be Africa’s leading ICT conference and exhibition, where experts present applied research and share their views on latest trends and developments. Hosted by Telkom SA in partnership with leading ICT industry sponsors, this year’s conference is themed: ‘Africa’s Ascent: Towards a Sustainable and Resilient Future Enabled by Secure Next-Generation Infrastructure, Digital Technology and Artificial Intelligence’.
The conference agenda will include keynote speeches, paper presentations and panel discussions in the fields of computer science (CS) and electronic and electrical engineering (EEE), focusing on research and developments in areas such as wireless communications and next-generation technologies, AI and data-driven applications, data centres, cloud and edge computing, and regulatory issues.
SATNAC runs in parallel with the Telkom Centre of Excellence (COE) postgraduate research initiative and the SATNAC Industry Solutions Challenge for postgraduate and undergraduate students. This challenge gives students an opportunity to tackle industry-inspired challenges and propose innovative solutions under the mentorship of industry experts from sponsoring partners. The winners will attend SATNAC, where they will showcase their solutions to industry leaders.
Mmaki Jantjies, Group Executive Innovation and Transformation and Chairperson of SATNAC, says: “SATNAC is unique on the continent for its consistent focus on research and capacity building and its direct links with the Telkom COE Programme. This programme has trained 3 641 postgraduate students (Honours, Masters, PhD), supported 410 women and 691 previously disadvantaged graduates, produced 7 300+ peer-reviewed research outputs and created a talent pipeline feeding over 3 200 jobs in the ICT sector, with 309 graduates absorbed into Telkom itself. This makes it one of the most proven, longest-running ICT research development programmes in Africa.”
SATNAC 2025 will take place at the Arabella Hotel, Golf & Spa in Hermanus, Western Cape, from Sunday, 30 November to Wednesday, 3 December. The four-day event will also include executive dinners and a golf day, with a SATNAC 2025 App to give delegates access to essential event information, enable them to connect with fellow attendees and help them stay updated in real-time with features like the delegate list, speaker profiles, programme details and networking opportunities.
To register for SATNAC 2025, go to: https://satnac.org.za/registration.
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