More than 7.6-million people around the world tuned in to watch a unique 5G live stream hosted by Huawei on Telkom’s 5G temporary network from Boulders Beach near Cape Town, home to the largest group of African Penguins in South Africa.
“The popularity of the live stream demonstrates just how transformative 5G will be, not just in business and entertainment but also for education, conservation, and the promotion of tourism,” says Yang Chen, VP, Huawei Southern Africa.
Held on 9 December 2021, the live stream was designed to showcase the capabilities of 5G and illustrate the power of technology in protecting the environment and in attracting tourists to areas of natural beauty.
Some 6.7-million people watched the video live, with 7.6-million watching in total. Additionally, the video received more than 40-million impressions across Huawei’s social media channels and more than 1.7-million engagements across three major social media platforms: Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.
“The Boulders Beach live stream allowed people from around the world a unique opportunity to experience a natural wonder,” says Chen.
“It also demonstrated the role 5G and other technologies will play in educating people on nature and the importance of protecting the natural world. The successful event also comes at a critical juncture in the scaling of 5G in South Africa and helped create a new path for 5G business development.”
The event had the support of the Department of Digital Communications and Technologies, with Minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni commending Huawei for the streaming of the Penguin colony, as an innovative way to engage potential tourists from far and wide within Huawei’s reach, to stimulate foreign tourist interest in the area.
“Post pandemic travel is immersive with opportunities for enhanced technologies to give tourists a digital-first experience of a destination,” she said.
“Huawei is fully committed to using technology as an enabler of conservation,” Chen adds. “In addition to the Boulders live stream and the one we hosted at a remote Chinese panda sanctuary in June 2021, we are involved in several other ongoing conservation initiatives around the globe.”
