Author: Contributor

Huawei launched Global Industry Vision (GIV) report today, continuing its predictions for technology and industry development up to 2025. Drawing from Huawei’s own quantitative data and real-world use cases of how intelligent technology is permeating every industry, this year’s report identifies 10 megatrends currently shaping how we live and work. GIV also predicts technology trends up until 2025, including 5G coverage, AI deployment, home robot adoption, and smart assistant use rates. The 10 trends and examples of GIV’s key predictions for 2025 are as follows: Living with Bots: Advances in material science, perceptual AI, and network technologies are powering the…

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The SA SME Fund’s CEO Circle has announced the initial seven recipients of the CEO Circle Entrepreneurs 2019 Award. Each recipient will benefit from a ‘personalised pathway’ of support to help them scale into significant companies of R500 million-plus in value, as part of SA’s private sector efforts to stimulate the economy and create jobs. Endeavor ScaleUp helped run a rigorous selection process. Industry experts and senior businesspeople interviewed and assessed the entrepreneurs and businesses for track record and ability to scale. A panel of CEOs chaired by Adrian Gore of Discovery, joined by Fani Titi of Investec, Shameel Joosub of…

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by Vino Govender While estimates for global investment into 5G over the next few years vary, one thing is certain: the funds needed to make 5G a reality is easily the largest global capital outlay in telecommunications history. A PwC report on the 5G opportunity estimates that the expenditure for the roll-out of 5G infrastructures, such as network densification, equipment upgrades, and additional spectrum, will exceed US$57 billion by 2022. The services that will be based on 5G are enhanced mobile broadband and fixed wireless services, with massive machine-to-machine communications and ultra-reliable low-latency applications set to follow. What remains to…

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by Rachel Adams The Fourth Industrial Revolution is, ostensibly, upon us. The term was coined in 2016 by Klaus Schwab, the founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum. Broadly, it refers to the collapsing of boundaries between the physical, digital and biological spheres. More specifically, it’s about the digitalisation of all kinds of systems and processes. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is at the forefront of this reality. This involves systems that, as the European Commission puts it, “display intelligent behaviour by analysing their environment and taking actions … to achieve specific goals”. AI is used today in everything from…

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Technology can be used to unify and industrialise African economies, says Trade and Industry Minister Ebrahim Patel. “Data is to the 21st century what oil and steel was to the 20th century. Africa must become more than a consumer market for digital services produced elsewhere. We must become innovators and producers too, exporting services and building capabilities,” said Patel. The Minister said this at a dialogue session of the African Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA) Forum held in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, on Tuesday. Patel, who was co-chairing a session of AGOA with United States Deputy Trade Representative, Ambassador CJ Mahoney,…

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Southern Africa Telecommunication Networks and Applications Conference (SATNAC), takes place on 1 – 4 September 2019 at Fairmont Zimbali Resort in Ballito, Durban. The country’s premier ICT conference will examine the changing requirements of the telecommunication sector and the country’s infrastructure needs to meet these changing requirements. According to conference chairman, Alphonzo Samuels, CEO of Openserve, South Africa’s leading wholesale infrastructure connectivity provider, South Africa has seen unprecedented growth in data usage with most South Africans accessing this data through some form of a mobile device. “We must ensure that telecommunication companies have the networks, mechanisms and systems to deal…

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FNB is expanding the roll-out of contactless ‘Tap & PIN’ functionality to 600 more ATMs across South Africa in the next 12 months. This is in addition to over 100 FNB ATMs which have been equipped with the functionality since 2018. The ‘Tap and PIN’ functionality allows FNB customers with contactless-enabled debit and credit cards to perform convenient and secure ATM transactions without the card leaving their hand. At launch, FNB was the first bank in South Africa to announce the availability of contactless-enabled ATMs. Currently, Gauteng, Kwa-Zulu Natal and the Western Cape have the largest device footprint of FNB…

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by Santosh Vijaykumar Search for “climate change” on YouTube and before long you’ll likely find a video that denies it exists. In fact, when it comes to shaping the online conversation around climate change, a new study suggests that deniers and conspiracy theorists might hold an edge over those believing in science. Researchers found evidence that most YouTube videos relating to climate change oppose the scientific consensus that it’s primarily caused by human activities. The study highlights the key role of social media use in the spread of scientific misinformation. And it suggests scientists and those who support them need…

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South Africa can become a leading world economy in the 21st century if it leverages transformative technologies like 5G, Cloud and AI to boost its productivity and innovation capabilities, says Huawei VP for Wireless Networks Marketing & Solutions Dr Mohammed Madkour. Madkour was speaking at the first annual Huawei ICT Editors Xchange hosted at Founders Factory Africa, which saw tech media mingle with ICT experts and industry analysts, sharing thoughts on South Africa’s move towards digitisation and how step changes like 5G connectivity will benefit society. In Madkour’s keynote presentation, he emphasised that during the roll-out of 5G – the…

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By Anita Layton and Mehrshad Sadria Imagine that your son Tommy is about to turn two. He is a shy and sweet little boy, but his behaviours can be unpredictable. He throws the worst temper tantrums, sometimes crying and screaming inconsolably for an hour. The smallest changes in routines can throw him off. Is this a bad case of the so-called “terrible twos”? Should you give Tommy some time to grow out of this phase? Or, are these signs of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) — the neurodevelopmental disorder that affects around two per cent of the population, the equivalent of…

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