Internet of Things (IOT) innovations have a major role to play in improving African public service delivery, says MTN Business.
Speaking at the launch of MTN's new pan-African Internet of Things (IOT) platform, Mteto Nyati, MTN Group Chief Enterprise Officer, said IOT technologies present any number of opportunities for African innovators to address challenges unique to Africa.
Across the continent, interest is growing in M2M for use in facilities management, security, utilities and agriculture, he said. MTN notes that traffic and logistics management; utilities maintenance and management, health and education are among the areas where M2M has a role to play in reducing costs, improving efficiencies and facilitating better service delivery. However, connectivity is crucial in making IOT potential a reality.
Enabling an effective IOT ecosystem starts with an advanced platform dedicated to M2M data. MTN's new IOT platform, going live across Africa over the next 12 months, is designed to support the IOT ecosystem expected to grow across the continent. The new platform removes cost and accessibility barriers, enabling development on a broader scale and leading to the creation of a solutions ecosystem to address Africa's challenges, says MTN.
To fast-track this solutions ecosystem, MTN and its partners have already launched a developer contest - Mind2Machine - seeking innovative M2M solutions for mining, manufacture, agriculture and transport. The challenge, launched earlier this year, provides developers, including students, graduates and small enterprises, with a unique opportunity to participate in MTN's pan-African IOT ecosystem and community.
"We are excited at the level of proposals we have already seen from the developers," says Nyati. He believes the contest, to be followed by the release of a software developers' toolkit, will set the scene for solutions that not only address Africa's problems, but also create business opportunities and jobs for innovators across Africa.
Melao Mashale, Senior Manager: Enterprise Mobile Solutions at MTN Business, says through the Mind2Machine contest, six new applications will be available on the platform by September this year. The platform's open architecture lends itself to entrepreneurs adding their solutions to the platform in rapid succession. He adds that there is also scope for value added service providers to build businesses within this new IOT ecosystem. With the wholesale M2M market expected to grow to R1.2 billion by 2017 in South Africa alone, MTN expects to see significant opportunities for innovators in this space.
Written by Tracy Burrows.
Share