Operators and broadcasters face many challenges on the African continent including getting to grips with complex data streams, increasing pressure for productivity, the introduction of new practices notably in the mobile sector and high expectations from users with regards to continuous connectivity, for both satellite and terrestrial technology.

From the 13th to the 15th November, over 15 000 participants came together in Cape Town, South Africa to discuss these issues at the 2019 edition of the AfricaCom conference. For over 20 years, AfricaCom has been a major technology and telecoms event in Africa, a place to meet the key players who are leading digital transformation and the ideal venue to learn more about the latest developments in the technology sector on the African continent. This year, over 400 exhibitors showcased technology and solutions covering issues from 5G to artificial intelligence, IoT, television, Fintech and more besides. In addition, over 450 speakers presented case studies, ideas and best practices during numerous round tables, thus confirming AfricaCom’s position as a truly unique event.

Following this event, we highlighted the following areas of interest:

  • SD-WAN is quickly establishing itself as the ideal solution for deploying and managing hybrid networks within territorial constrictions.
  • The performance of Internet connections which offer the same benefits as MPLS connections but with increased cost optimisation.
  • The arrival of 5G which will build on the foundations laid by 4G and not directly from 2G or 3G
  • The acceleration of the development of Cloud solutions on the African continent for businesses and NGOs. The majority of service providers and operators rely on partners to build customer solutions.
  • The datacentre market remains moderate and inconsistent from one country to the next, but connectivity is the key factor which is accelerating growth in this industry.
  • The Democratic Republic of Congo was named several times by various different speakers as a country which can expect high economic growth in the future along with Ethiopia and Nigeria
  • The numerous calls from participants to the regulatory bodies asking for flexibility in order to ensure efficient development of facilities and infrastructures
  • The use of AI which will require large amounts of data and will therefore give rise to new connectivity requirements

The next edition of AfricaCom will be held from the 10th to the 12th November 2020.

For more information, click through to their website here

The SONEMA team is always available to answer any additional questions you may have.

Contact us via email at: sales@sonema.com