This Industry Spotlight was authored by Soma Naidoo, Global Head of Telco at Endava
Did you know that roughly half the global population would rather have their smartphone instead of their wallet when away from home? An unsurprising trend given that the rate at which we rely on our digital devices grows every day. This has a direct impact on the telecommunications industry and is intensifying the already fierce competition among carriers and networks. … [visit site to read more]
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What is described as a “landmark agreement” will lay the foundation for South Africa’s Gugulethu Colliery, a newly developed mine in Mpumalanga, to integrate 5G technology in its operations.
Mpumalanga is a province in eastern South Africa, bordering Swaziland and Mozambique.
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed in Cape Town between Menar, a private investment company with an actively managed and growing portfolio of diversified minerals, mobile network operator MTN, and technology firm Huawei, will enable implementation of 5G technology at the Gugulethu mine, which is to start producing in early 2024.
Plans under discussion include the possibility of rolling out a three-phased project to install 5G connectivity on the mine campus and shafts among other elements.
Supported by MTN’s telecommunications expertise and Huawei’s technological infrastructure, the aim is to enhance communication onsite, ensuring people’s safety and well-being, as well as operational efficiency.
As we reported at the time, in December 2022 Canyon Coal’s Phalanndwa Colliery also based in Mpumalanga, signed an agreement that ultimately saw the mine adopting 5G technology. The team at Phalanndwa reportedly registered improvements when it comes to enhanced communication, safety, and real-time monitoring.
The role of 5G in this sector is likely to go on expanding, if comments from Menar’s chief innovation officer Cleavon Moothoosamy are any indication. He says: « We want to be at the forefront of mining innovation, and this partnership is a bold step towards a future where technology and connectivity redefine the mining landscape.”
A collection of interesting items from around the sector this week: … [visit site to read more]
A clutch of regional fiber projects to catch up on from around the country: … [visit site to read more]
Data center development in northern Virginia is never done. DataBank said this week that it will be building a major new campus a bit further southwest of the DC area than the main clusters of Ashburn. … [visit site to read more]
Converged open-access digital infrastructure company WIOCC Group has launched what it calls “the first truly holistic managed network and infrastructure services company to serve Africa”.
Launched at the ongoing AfricaCom event in Cape Town, the new company, Open Access Technical Services (OATS) enables carriers, operators, hyperscalers, major enterprises and governments to outsource the building, management, operation and support of their digital network and infrastructure in Africa to a company with the experience, expertise and local licenced entities to meet their requirements.
In the field of logistics OATS can provide expert support for CDNs (content delivery network operators) and multinationals wanting to establish or expand their footprint in Africa.
For CDNs, carriers and hyperscalers that require connectivity or fibre pairs, OATS can terminate capacity and manage the infrastructure at the cable landing station (CLS), power feeding equipment (PFE) hub or in a carrier-neutral data centre.
OATS can also support services such as backhaul and licence termination, as well as providing comprehensive, expert field service support, while CDNs, carriers and hyperscalers with terrestrial dark fibre management requirements can take advantage of the dark fibre economics with managed capacity expertise from OATS.
In addition, for providers who own a percentage share of spectrum on fibre, OATS can oversee spectrum management and provide a comprehensive solution that encompasses the design, operation and support of core infrastructure.
OATS can also provide an outsourced managed network and operations centres (NOC) service.
As well as OATS, WIOCC Group is the parent company of WIOCC, described as Africa’s digital backbone, and Open Access Data Centres (OADC), Africa’s fastest-growing data centre company.
Bell Canada has tapped FirstLight Fiber to help deploy new connectivity options between the Canadian hubs of Toronto and Montreal and the NY metro area, and more specifically Secaucus NJ. The three new routes will support speeds up to 400G, each terminating in Equinix’s Secaucus data center campus. … [visit site to read more]
As the 5G revolution rolls on, coverage specialists like Nextivity are seeing more room to run in the enterprise space and beyond. Maintaining coverage everywhere within an enterprise location is key to using the next generation of automation and connected device technologies. The range of communications tasks that can be called ‘critical’ is only going to grow from here. Nextivity and others are actively preparing for that future. With us today to tell us about Nextivity’s approach and the company’s plans for the future is Stephen Kowal, Chief Commercial Officer. … [visit site to read more]
