Vodacom says digitization to create more sustainable Nigeria - ITREALMS Online

ITREALMS:

Vodacom Business Nigeria has declared that digitization could create more sustainable Nigeria, reports ITRealms.

According to a press statement made available to ITRealms, quoted the acting Executive Head of Operations, Vodacom Business Nigeria, Olumide Idowu as noting that the country is one of the fastest developing countries in the world and the most populous nation in the Sub-Sahara Africa continent.

Matching population growth with infrastructural development, he said, has become an issue of great concern across the country, stressing that finding solutions to this growing concern, was the focus of the discourse at the recently concluded Information Communications Technology and Telecommunications (ICTEL) Expo, 2018 organised by the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry. 

The event which recently took place at the Eko Hotel and Suites in Victoria Island brought together various stakeholders within the Information Communications Technology (ICT) industry to deliberate on ways to increase efficiency in the country through digitization. 

“Leaders around the world are committed to smart city building as they attempt to chart the course towards the development of their cities in order to meet social, economic, and environmental challenges,” he said. 

Idowu noted that Nigeria is at a pivotal moment in its technological revolution and the current lack of infrastructure provides a ready springboard for the utilization of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies to create a smarter and a more efficient nation. By using IoT technology, which is commercially available today, a host of intelligently connected services such as efficient healthcare in rural communities become possible a reality.” 

In the last year, Vodacom Business Nigeria, in collaboration with some State Governments, made significant strides in the development of smart solutions for problems facing rural communities within the State. In the area of healthcare, a solution was deployed to help increase the availability of essential medication by monitoring drug stock levels, improving the delivery of healthcare for citizens who access public health services. In education, Vodacom has also launched a mobile school management solution which provides real-time visibility of all management activities at schools. 

The solution has been deployed to over 4000 public schools in Nigeria. While, in the area of agriculture, our connected farmer solution provides a platform for connecting various stakeholders within the agricultural ecosystem to create better accountability and efficiency within the industry. Other solutions such as payment solutions, backup solutions, energy, utility and security solutions are just a few examples of smart solutions available within the Nigerian context. Idowu stated: “The significance of digitization cannot be overstated in creating a smarter, more efficient and more sustainable economic environment in Nigeria. The sooner the shift to a digitalized system happens, the faster the nation can build a competitive advantage on the global stage and she can begin to reap the social, economic and environmental benefits that are sure to follow.”

Nenye Dom/GEE

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GE unveils Whitepaper on African energy transmission digitization, distribution - ITREALMS

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The General Electric (GE) Power has released a Whitepaper on digitization of energy transmission and  distribution in Africa, reports ITRealms.

According to ITRealms findings, the White paper highlighted the future of smart energy in Sub-Saharan countries, its challenges and opportunities.

Also, it discussed role of smart technology to transform grids and the way energy is generated, distributed, traded, managed and stored, underscoring necessary steps to grid modernization.

GE further recommends holistic solutions to leapfrog ahead Africa’s energy sector and showcases regional examples.

As Africa faces emerging opportunities to help deliver efficient, affordable and reliable electricity to consumers, GE Power’s Grid Solutions business, unveiled a whitepaper on the “Digitization of Energy Transmission & Distribution in Africa.” The paper explores the opportunities and challenges faced in Sub-Saharan Africa as the new future of energy and electrification emerges.The paper also looks at the role of smart technology to transform grids as they continue to reflect the changes in the way energy is generated, distributed, traded, managed and stored.

Co-authored by the Strategic Marketing unit of GE Power in Sub-Saharan Africa and Energy & Environment Research Analysts of Frost & Sullivan, the white paper presents several challenges that affect energy access and power supply stability in Africa. They include inadequate power generation but more significantly, low levels of electrification caused primarily by faulty, aged or wrong setup of transmission and distribution infrastructure.

With the digital transformation of the energy sector rapidly gaining traction on a global scale, new opportunities are emerging to help deliver efficient, affordable and reliable electricity to consumers. 

According to the whitepaper, smart grids can create the potential to combat SSA’s power sector challenges, and provide the opportunity for the region to develop its energy capabilities and, therefore its energy security as well as security of supply. The digital transformation of grids allows users to take a holistic approach to achieve efficiency, flexibility, transparency and long-term sustainability.

•             Information Communication Technology Integration will support real-time or deferred bi-directional data transmission that will enable stakeholders to efficiently manage the grid through increased speed and volume of data output, providing utilities the opportunity to maximize cost reductions, increase power reliability and increase customer satisfaction

•             Wide Area Monitoring and Control ensures visibility into the power systems to observe the performance of grid components allowing for major cost-saving benefits associated with predictive maintenance and self-diagnosis.

•             Smart technology like Intelligent Electronic Devices (IEDs), Advanced metering infrastructure and grid automation ensure seamless transition and integration of renewable generation or micro-grids where necessary; predictive maintenance in distributed grids to reduce outages; and effective revenue management.

“Transmission and distribution networks are seen to be the weakest links in Africa’s power systems and hence represent a huge opportunity area for improvement,” said Lazarus Angbazo, CEO, GE’s Grid Solutions business, Sub Saharan Africa. “Going forward, there is a need to move beyond simply maintaining and repairing aged infrastructure. To truly advance the power sector, a holistic approach needs to be adopted; one that ensures sustainability, reliability and longevity of power supply. By utilizing internet of things (IoT) technology, the smarter grids of tomorrow will deliver all-encompassing solutions based on the convergence of operating technology (OT) with information technology (IT) and incorporating emerging concepts such as distributed generation and energy storage,” he further added.

Smart grids will play a key role in the region’s transition to a sustainable energy system through facilitating smooth integration of new energy sources; promoting interoperability between all types of equipment; enabling the growth of distributed generation and its potential incorporation into the main grid; supporting demand-side management; and providing flexibility and visibility of the entire grid. GE’s grid solutions six-step process highlighted in the whitepaper will help utilities along the digitization journey of their energy infrastructure.

Nenye Dom/GEE

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FG explains commitment to broadcast digitization deadline

ITRealms:

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has explained the commitment of the Federal Government (FG) towards meeting the June 2017 deadline for the transition from analogue to digital broadcasting in the country, reports ITRealms.

The Minister made this known in Abuja on Tuesday while declaring open the 2016 AFRICAST with the theme "Digital Terrestrial Broadcasting: Financing Quality Content"

"The digitization of broadcasting offers Nigeria a lot of opportunities. The benefits are multifaceted and very far-reaching – in the areas of economics, politics, education, entertainment, science and technology and several other ways. Many have said that the impact of digitization on television will be revolutionary and I cannot agree less. With digitization, the TV industry in Nigeria will be able to raise over 1 billion dollars in one year. Also, digitisation will increase the number of the current 450 TV stations in Nigeria," he said.

Alhaji Mohammed explained that the Federal Government's idea of Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) is one in which there is free digital TV service called FreeTV - based on Freeview rather than requiring pay TV subscriptions and that the government is providing support to ensure that the FreeTV Set-Top-Boxes, also called decoders, are affordable at a retail price of N1,500.

He said with the Digital Switch Over, Nollywood will have a safe and profitable distribution channel direct to 24 million TV homes through the Set-Top Boxes with no piracy risk, which will generate $250m per annum of extra income for Nollywood.

The Minister said the digitization of the technology of broadcasting, which brought about a paradigm shift in the industry, requires broadcasters to be dynamic, embrace various platforms for diverse content and adapt to new tools with continuous access to content throughout their business.

"The evolution of new broadcast platforms is threatening traditional broadcast platforms and channels. The reality though is that the motivation apparently is that as broadcasters engage new platforms, the market opportunities are increasing, providing new revenue streams," he said.

Mohammed also urged regulators of broadcasting in Africa to begin to envisage and appropriate the larger implications of the emergence of multiple platforms by ensuring that the media continues to serve its peoples in terms of security, economic well-being and technological advancement.

AFRICAST, which was introduced in 1996 by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), the broadcast regulator in Nigeria, is the platform on which broadcast issues as they relate to Africa are discussed every two years by professionals, academics and policy makers.

It is also a platform for manufacturers of broadcast equipment and publishers of content who are targeting the emerging African market.


Uboshe Uboshe/GEE
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