communications africa 1 2014

Afrique

Issue 1 2014Édition 1 2014

Mobile WorldCongress

Innovative information and communications technologies

Disaster responseHow mobile and satellite

technologies enable recovery

Cloud connectivityAdvanced architecture for core and

extended network operations

L’inclusionnumérique

Des programmes de développement

pédagogique au Maroc et en Egypte

Europe m15 - Kenya KSH300 - Nigeria N400 - South Africa R20 - UK £10 - USA $16.50

Safaricom head of innovation Veronica Ogeto-Tchoketch presents at MEA2014 in Nairobi, with MEA session chairman Mark Kaigwa alongside

Africawww.communicationsafrica.com

FEATURES: ● Internet ● Mobile ● InfrastructureREGULAR REPORTS: ● Bulletin - Agenda ● Equipment - Équipement

CAF 1 2014 Cover_Layout 1 2/14/2014 12:28 PM

S01 CAF 1 2014 Start_Layout 1 2/14/2014 10:23 AM

3

Afrique

Issue 1 2014Édition 1 2014

Mobile WorldCongress

Innovative information and communications technologies

Disaster responseHow mobile and satellite

technologies enable recovery

Cloud connectivityAdvanced architecture for core and

extended network operations

L’inclusionnumérique

Des programmes de développement

pédagogique au Maroc et en Egypte

Europe m15 - Kenya KSH300 - Nigeria N400 - South Africa R20 - UK £10 - USA $16.50

Safaricom head of innovation Veronica Ogeto-Tchoketch presents at MEA2014 in Nairobi, with MEA session chairman Mark Kaigwa alongside

Africawww.communicationsafrica.com

FEATURES: ● Internet ● Mobile ● InfrastructureREGULAR REPORTS: ● Bulletin - Agenda ● Equipment - Équipement

A note from the EditorTHIS ISSUE OFFERS appraisals ofmobile architecture and satelliteservices to support response teamsand agencies engaged in communityrelief during crises (pages 18 and 20).It offers, also, insights into cloud-based operations, with articles onmulti-stack architecture andmessaging services (pages 22 and23). There are financial angles tomobile ecosystems, too, and wereport here on remittances and onmobile banking in Ghana (pages 25and 26). The future of broadcasting isaddressed by an article on monitoringfor quality and another on 4Ktechnology (pages 28 and 29).

Main Cover Image: NSNInsert: Simon KaheruContents page: Alcatel-Lucent

Une note du rédacteurCE NUMÉRO ATTEST aux innovateursdans la connectivité africaine, etdans les affaires locales etinternationales. Les développementsdans ces pages garantissent lesplate-formes efficaces pour lesinstitutions publiques (p.21). Cesarticles representant, aussi,l’inclusion numérique au Maroc et enEgypte (p.24).

Bulletin 4

Events 8

Agenda 9

Equipment 32

FEATURES

Mobile 18Establishing reliable communications for the aid and NGO relief agencies as they respond to catastrophic events

Satellite 20How satellite-based tracking systems help aid workers undertake vital tasks in safety

Infrastructure 22A multi-stack approach to the Cloud; and the use of advanced architecture to support sophisticated messaging services

Finance 25Improving international remittances with network infrastructure; and how an established Ghanaian bank is breaking out of

traditional practice and into mobile banking

Broadcasting 28Monitoring quality for provision of digital content and services; and notes on the research and development of the next

generation of broadcast infrastructure

ARTICLES

Infrastructure 21L'initiative e-Lybia, qui porte sur la transparence des institutions publiques, le cybergouvernement,

le cybercommerce et la cyberéducation

Économie 24Autour des programmes de développement pédagogique pour les communautés au Maroc et en Egypte

CONTENTS

Managing Editor: Andrew Croft - [email protected]

Editorial and Design team: Bob Adams, Prashant AP, Hiriyti Bairu, Lizzie Carroll, David Clancy, Ranganath GS, Rhonita Patnaik, Genaro Santos, Zsa Tebbit, Nicky Valsamakis and Ben Watts

Publisher: Nick Fordham

Advertising Sales Director: Pallavi Pandey

Magazine Sales Manager: Steve Thomas - Tel: +44 (0) 20 7834 7676, Fax: +44 (0) 20 7973 0076, Email: [email protected]

Country Representative Telephone Fax EmailChina Ying Matthieson (86)10 8472 1899 (86) 10 8472 1900 [email protected] Tanmay Mishra (91) 80 656 84483 (91) 80 40600791 [email protected] Bola Olowo (234) 8034349299 [email protected] Sergei Salov (7495) 540 7564 (7495) 540 7565 [email protected] Africa Annabel Marx (27) 218519017 (27) 46 624 5931 [email protected] Saida Hamad (974) 55745780 [email protected] UAE Camilla Capece (971) 4 448 9260 (971) 4 448 9261 [email protected] Michael Tomashefsky (1) 203 226 2882 (1) 203 226 7447 [email protected]

Head Office: Middle East Regional Office:Alain Charles Publishing Ltd Alain Charles Middle East FZ-LLCUniversity House Office 215, Loft 2A11-13 Lower Grosvenor Place PO Box 502207London SW1W 0EX, United Kingdom Dubai Media City, UAETelephone: +44 20 7834 7676 Telephone: +971 4 448 9260Fax: +44 20 7973 0076 Fax: +971 4 448 9261

Production: Nathanielle Kumar, Donatella Moranelli, Nick Salt and Sophia White Email: [email protected]

Subscriptions: [email protected]: Derek FordhamPrinted by: Wyndeham Grange Ltd Communications Africa/Afrique is a bi-monthly magazine ISSN: 0962 3841

Audit Bureau ofCirculations -

Business Magazines

www.communicationsafrica.com

24

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Communications Africa Issue 1 20144

BULLETIN

Ghanaians gain free insurance with their mobilesAIRTEL GHANA HAS formed a partnership with MicroEnsure and EnterpriseLife to launch a free insurance product for Airtel customers; AirtelInsurance offers life, accidental permanent disability and hospitalisationinsurance with benefits increasing based on airtime usage.

Astra 2E satellite goes liveSES’S ASTRA 2E satellite has entered into commercial service in theorbital arc of 28.2/28.5 degrees East, co-positioned with Astra 2A, Astra2F and Astra 1N, enabling the delivery of next generation broadcast andbroadband services in Europe, the Middle East and Africa; built for SESby Astrium of France, based on the highly reliable Eurostar E3000platform, the spacecraft carries 60 Ku-band transponders, including 12incremental transponders for delivery of services outside Europe, as wellas 4 Ka-band transponders.

Ka coverage is extended to enable Libyan broadbandSATELLITE BROADBAND PROVIDER Bentley Walker is now fully operatingits Newtec Ka-band service in Libya, as a complementary addition to thepre-existing iDirect, Hughes HN and Hughes HX hardware platforms; thenew service, relying extensively on Newtec's Broadband solutionincluding the Sat3Play hub and MDM2200 IP Satellite Modem, isproviding reliable, high-speed broadband across the country that ismarked by complex geography and poor infrastructure.

Cirpack’s Compact Softswitch works in RéunionMOBIUS, A FRENCH service provider located in La Réunion island, isdeploying the latest generation of Cirpack Compact Softswitch tounderpin its network; Juan Lopez, managing director of Cirpack, said,“Cirpack is now the favourite softswitch and SBC solutions provider forsix out of the seven operators over La Réunion.”

Astellia reveals operator disconnect from customersRESEARCH COMMISSIONED BY mobile insight specialist mobilesquaredand conducted by subscriber intelligence provider Astellia revealed thatalmost 60 per cent of respondents do not have access to the right data andassociated tools to make a truly informed business decision, and that lessthan 25 per cent of mobile operator respondents have marketing divisionsthat work with their network operations team to make business decisionson a daily basis; Rajesh Sharma, VP global sales and customer operationsat Astellia, commented, “With 45 per cent of operators lacking sufficientaccess to data on QoE for voice, 42 per cent for messaging and 45 per centfor online browsing (set to increase exponentially with 4G) this lack of dataaptly highlights the disconnect between a customer’s actual experience,that perceived by their operators and the struggle they face in addressingthe key priorities above.”

Consortium to construct Asia-Africa-Europe cablePCCW GLOBAL AND 16 service providers around the world have cometogether to construct a high capacity cable system, Asia Africa Europe-1(AAE-1), which interconnects Hong Kong, Asia, the Middle East, Africaand Europe with a target ready for service date in 2016; PCCW Globalplans to land the cable at the Cape D'Aguilar Cable Station in HongKong, and then extend connectivity to its city data centre, making HongKong a key telecommunications hub in addition to Singapore andMarseille in France along the AAE-1 network.

Tanzanian businesses to gain access to mobile techOTT SOLUTIONS PROVIDER Visual UnityGlobal is expanding its vuMobile platforminto Africa after signing a new partnershipagreement with Tanzanian mediaconglomerate Clouds Media, to mobilisemobile businesses and empower partnersand resellers by allowing subscribers tocreate mobile optimised websites in a fastand effective way, under the Clouds Mediabrand; Joseph Kusaga, managing director atClouds Media, said, “This partnership withVisual Unity will allow us to bring the mostrelevant and latest technologies to Tanzania,so that we can better serve our clients.”

Comprehensive connectivity for the mining industrySKYVISION GLOBAL NETWORKS Ltd has launched end-to-end solutionsspecifically suited for the mining industry over a wide range ofconnectivity platforms including: satellite/hybrid networks, portablesatellite phones and data terminals, WiFi distribution and wirelessconnectivity solutions; Ofer Farkash, SkyVision product manager, said,“Our portfolio includes solutions which range from telecommunicationsolutions suited specifically for small exploration expeditions up to theentire communication requirements of mining sites hosting thousandsof miners and contractors involved in diverse operations.”

Starhome’s roaming solution gets top survey ratingTHE STEERING OF a roaming solution developed and offered by networkand clearing house services provider Starhome MACH has been rankedthe best on the market in a recent independent survey by the RoamingConsulting Company Ltd. (ROCCO); respondents from 192 mobileoperators in 111 countries took part in the survey.

Network and cable investment to drive SA growthHUGE INVESTMENTS ARE expected to take place in South Africa over thenext five years with the recent arrival of LTE services, as well as theupcoming BRICS and ACE undersea cables, raising the tide for revenuestreams from data services, according to a report from PyramidResearch; ‘South Africa: LTE Rollouts, Network Investments andUndersea Cables to Boost Competition and Revenue’ offers a preciseprofile of the country's telecommunications, media and technologysectors based on proprietary data from Pyramid's research in the market,and provides a detailed competitive analysis of both the fixed andmobile sectors, tracks the market shares of technologies and servicesand monitors the introduction and spread of new technologies.

VeriFone and MS Solutions work together onNorth AfricaA MASTER PARTNER agreement between VeriFone Systems and Tunisianpayments company, MS Solutions, has broadened the distribution andsupport of VeriFone products - particularly the VX line of NFC-enabledpayment terminals and PIN pads - in Tunisia as well as Libya; “MSSolutions is a strong partner that will broaden the distribution ofVeriFone technologies and solutions in North Africa, ensuring thatmerchants in the region experience the full benefits of our VX paymenttechnology portfolio,” said Ozgur Ozvardar, general manager, VeriFone.

Heirs Holdings invests in satellite technology firmPROPRIETARY INVESTMENT COMPANY Heirs Holdings investment in USstart-up Planet Labs’ innovative satellite manufacturing technology;Planet Labs aims to transform the way imaging of the Earth is carried out,through the introduction of ultra-small satellites called ‘doves’, whichcircle the planet in low orbit and are significantly cheaper to produce anddeploy than existing technology.

PCCW Global hosted a signing ceremony for the AAE-1 project constructionand maintenance agreement in Hong Kong on 27 January 2014


Tomas Petru, CEO of VisualUnity Global, with CloudsMedia MD Joseph Kusaga

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BULLETIN

L’accès à Facebook depuis tous les mobiles au MarocINWI, OPÉRATEUR MAROCAIN de télécommunications récemment primé,est le premier à déployer la dernière version de son logiciel LinqUsFacebook-for-SIM, désormais doté de la fonctionnalité FacebookMessenger; ce service permet aux 12 millions de marocains clients deinwi d’accéder au premier réseau social au monde via un accès mobilesimple et intuitif.

L’Internet très haut débit mobile en Afrique de l’OuestALCATEL-LUCENT AIDE YooMee Africa, le principal fournisseur deservices Internet haut débit du Cameroun, à étendre ses activités enAfrique, en déployant des réseaux d’accès très haut débit mobile TDDLTE; YooMee - anciennement 4G Africa – fournit un accès Internet hautdébit fiable et des services à valeurs ajoutée aux particuliers et auxentreprises d’Afrique subsaharienne.

Le satellite Astra 2E est en serviceSES A ANNONCÉ que le satellite Astra 2E démarrera son servicecommercial sur l'arc orbital de 28,2/ 28,5 degrés Est, aux côtés dessatellites Astra 2A, Astra 2F et Astra 1N; Basé sur la plate-forme EurostarE3000 extrêmement fiable, le satellite est équipé de 60 répéteurs enbande Ku, dont 12 répéteurs supplémentaires pour la fourniture deservices en dehors de l'Europe, ainsi que de 4 répéteurs en bande Ka.ASTRA 2E permet de proposer des services de télédiffusion et haut débitde nouvelle génération en Europe, au Moyen-Orient et en Afrique.

Une nouvelle solution 100GEKINOPS, FOURNISSEUR DE solutions de transmission sur fibres optiquesde nouvelle génération, a lancé des modules transpondeur et muxpondeur100G à technologie propriétaire cohérente, compatibles avec saplateforme de transport optique Ekinops 360; les nouveaux modules 100Gcohérent, qu’Ekinops a déjà livrés en volume, enrichissent le portefeuillede produits de la société composé de solutions de transport pour desréseaux métropolitains, régionaux et longue distance.

Des experts s'intéressent à l'utilisation du spectreD'ÉMINENTS PROFESSIONNELS DU secteur, des régulateurs, opérateurs,équipementiers et membres d'instituts de recherche se sont réunisrécemment à Genève dans le cadre d'un Atelier de l'UIT sur les espacesblancs et les systèmes de radiocommunication cognitifs (CRS); lesdiscussions au cours de cet atelier étaient centrées sur laréglementation et les bonnes pratiques internationales et nationalespour l'utilisation des espaces blancs par les systèmes deradiocommunication cognitifs.

Total et Sonatel permettent le paiement marchandDÉSORMAIS AU SÉNÉGAL, les clients de Total peuvent payer leurcarburant et tous leurs achats en station via leur téléphone mobile avecOrange Money, sans manipulation de cash; Orange Money permet déjàaux clients d’Orange, à partir du mobile, de transférer de l’argent vers unautre mobile, de régler des factures, de se réabonner à des chaines TV,de souscrire à des polices d’assurance ou encore de retirer et de déposerde l’argent auprès d’un vaste réseau de distributeurs agréés.

Des ordinateurs « Made in Mali »DEUX SOCIÉTÉS DE droit malien l’Internet society Mali et Intelec 3 viennentde mettre au point un ordinateur « made in Mali » baptisé « limmorgal »(calculateur en langue peulh). La machine qui consacre une sérieuseavancée de notre pays dans la haute technologie, a été conçue par le DrMamadou Iam Diallo, président de Internet society Mali (ISOC-Mali).

Un service de sécurité Web basé dans le CloudCYRÉN, AUPARAVANT APPELÉ Commtouch, a lancé la disponibilitécommerciale de Cyrén WebSecurity, le premier service de la société

lancé par l'intermédiaire de sa solide infrastructure dans le Cloud; lesprestataires de service et les fournisseurs de logiciels peuventdésormais s'associer avec Cyrén pour commencer immédiatement àoffrir à leurs utilisateurs une navigation sécurisée du Web avec n'importequel appareil et en tous lieux.

Eutelsat et SES sont d'accord sur 28,5° EstEUTELSAT COMMUNICATIONS ET SES ont conclu une série d'accordsparmi lesquels le règlement exhaustif de la procédure judiciaireconcernant l’exploitation de la position orbitale 28,5° Est ainsi que lamise en place, à long terme, d’éléments de nature commerciale et decoordination de fréquences; Michel de Rosen, Président-directeurgénéral d’Eutelsat, a déclaré : « Ces accords de long terme clarifient desconditions d’exploitation sans interférences, permettant à chaqueentreprise d’assurer, en toute indépendance, l’essor de ses activitéscommerciales dans un contexte concurrentiel. ».

Intelsat s'étend de collaboration avec VodacomINTELSAT S.A., FOURNISSEUR des services de satellites au monde, aformé un partenariat avec Vodacom; Vodacom utilise de la capacité surIntelsat 906 à 64° Est et Intelsat 25 à 328.5° afin de supporter ledéploiement des services de réseau cellulaires en RépubliqueDémocratique de Congo(RDC).

Franc succès pour un workshop régionalGLOBAL VOICE GROUP (GVG) a confirmé la grande réussite du premierworkshop régional sur les nouveaux outils de régulation des télécoms etla fiscalité électronique à l’intention des régulateurs des télécoms et desautorités fiscales de l’Afrique de l’Ouest; organisé conjointement par GVGet SGS-Société Générale de Surveillance, cet événement de haut niveaus’est tenu à Abidjan, en Côte d’Ivoire, les 26 et 27 novembre 2013.

Des solutions de SkyVision pour l'industrie minièreSKYVISION GLOBAL NETWORKS Ltd a lancé des solutions de bout en boutspécifiquement adaptées à l'industrie minière; les solutions sontproposées sur une grande variété de plateformes de connectivité : réseauxhybrides/satellites, téléphones mobiles satellitaires et terminaux dedonnées, diffusion WiFi et solutions de connectivité sans fil.

Un partenariat technologique autour de la sécuritéeILEX, ÉDITEUR DE logiciels spécialisé dans l’IAM (Identity & AccessManagement), collabore avec Ercom, société française spécialisée dansla sécurisation des communications; ce partenariat technologique a pourobjectif de proposer au marché une offre intégrée alliant lesfonctionnalités de Cryptosmart d’Ercomt, qui sécurise la mobilité des PC,et de Sign&go d’Ilex, qui permet d’interagir avec le SI de l’entreprise.

Michel de Rosen, Président-directeur général d’Eutelsat



Building Africa’s digital future

We are Liquid Telecom and, like you, we dream big.

That’s why we’re building the fastest fi bre network

throughout Africa – connecting you and your business

with the rest of the world.

www.liquidtelecom.com

I ama thinker and a doer



AGENDA

8

MARCH/MARS11-13 CABSAT Dubai, UAE www.cabsat.com

12-13 Banking & Mobile Money West Africa Lagos, Nigeria www.aitecafrica.com

18-19 Cards & Payments Africa Johannesburg, South Africa www.terrapinn.com

19-20 Oil & Gas Telecommunications London, UK www.smi-online.co.uk

31 Mar-11 Apr World Telecommunication Development Conference Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt www.itu.int

APRIL/AVRIL2-3 Social Media in the Utilities Sector London, UK www.smi-online.co.uk

2-3 Southern Africa ICT Summit Maputo, Mozambique www.aitecafrica.com

8-10 Next Generation Telecoms Summit Africa Cape Town, South Africa www.ngtsummitafrica.comt

MAY/MAI6-7 Cloud World Forum Africa Johannesburg South Africa www.africa.cloudworldseries.com

13-14 Cards & Payments Middle East Dubai, UAE www.terrapinn.com

19-22 SatCom Africa Johannesburg, South Africa www.terrapinn.com

x19-22 The Broadcast Show Africa Johannesburg, South Africa www.terrapinn.com

20-21 East Africa Com Nairobi, Kenya www.eaafrica.comworldseries.com

20-22 DISTREE Middle East Abu Dhabi, UAE www.distreevents.com

27-29 Critical Communications World Bangkok, Thailand www.criticalcommunicationsworld.com

28-30 eLearning Africa Kampala, Uganda www.elearning-africa.com

Events/Événements 2014


THERE IS INCREASED investor interest in Africa’s financial sector -and, to capitalise on this, banks need to up their governance, securityand technology strategies. Investors will be looking for strictcompliance to Basle III - the global, voluntary regulatory standard onbank capital adequacy, stress testing and market liquidity risk.

AITEC’s Banking & Mobile Money Conferences in Lagos, Accra andNairobi will include intensive compliance, security and technologybriefings by industry experts from a wide range of countries.www.aitecafrica.com

AITEC conference to tackle financial management

TOP TRENDS, LOCAL success stories, tailored tracks, two interactive workshops andmore... This is what business intelligence (BI) practitioners attending ITWeb’sBusiness Intelligence Summit can expect. The theme at the ninth annual conference,held 25-27 March 2014, is: 'Agile BI. Analytics. Big data' - with local and internationalexperts exploring and explaining how best to both implement and execute in thesethree areas. In addition to a jam-packed agenda, an expo runs adjacent to the 2014summit, showcasing the latest in products and services from BI solutions providers.www.itweb.co.za

The best of business intelligence

ACCORDING TO EVENTSorganiser Terrapinn, Africanbanks, telcos and retailers haveurgently revealed the need formaking payments faster andmore opportune with customerdemand for convenience as thedriving factor. Their mostimportant ‘must have’ for asecure cashless society hasbecome increasingly demandingwithin their business sectors.

They will be attending Cards& Payments Africa, on 18-19March 2014 in Johannesburg,South Africa - a stimulatingexhibition and conference tosource the latest innovativepayment and bankingtechnology solutions thatadvances the move toward afaster and more efficientdevelopment of Africa’s bankingand emerging payments sectors.

www.terrapinn.com

The demand for nextgeneration paymentplatforms

THE SIXTH WORLD Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC) held by the InternationalTelecommunications Union (ITU) takes place at the Dubai World Trade Centre in Dubai, United Arab Emirates,from 30 March to 10 April 2014, themed ‘Broadband for Sustainable Development’.

The objective of WTDC-14 is to establish work programmes and guidelines for defining telecommunicationdevelopment questions and priorities, and to provide direction and guidance for the work programme of theITU’s Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU-D) over the next four-year period.

Boosting broadband for sustainable development

SMI GROUP’S OIL & GasTelecommunications conference,taking place 19-20 March 2014 inLondon, in the United Kingdom,addresses the challenges the oiland gas sector faces in some of themost dangerous, harsh, and remoteenvironments on earth, requiring arange of means to communicatewith and draw information fromplatforms and land-based sites ofall kinds from across the world.This seventh annual conferencefocuses on all aspects oftelecommunication requirements,from initial exploration through toextraction, transport and processes.www.smi-online.co.uk

Enabling the digital oiland gas field


GLOBAL COMMUNICATIONS PROVIDER SkyVision Global Networks Ltdhas successfully implemented a project with SAPETRO (South AtlanticPetroleum), one of Nigeria’s major oil and gas upstream companies withnew operations in Benin, which includes the installation of a full suite ofSkyVision connectivity solutions in Benin and the ongoing managementof the project. A five-year contract recently signed between the twoentities consists of an end-to-end voice and data managed solution,based on multiple technologies, integration and professional services,creating unique value to customer operations. The project includes meshVSAT and wireless point to multipoint connections for SAPETRO’s officesand operational sites, mobile terrestrial units and vessels, coupled withthe integration of SkyVision services, including Voice and Telephony overIP, two-way radios, mobile satellite phones, managed firewall and WiFi.

An oil and gas upstream company with operations in Benin,SAPETRO’s expertise includes oil and gas exploration with extensive

development and production assets in the region. The company isrecognised for its activities in sub-Saharan Africa underlined by its strongplatform in Nigeria, the Republic of Benin and offshore East Africa.

This partnership marks an important milestone for SkyVision andfurthers SkyVision’s commitment to the oil and gas industry in Africa,one of the company’s main focus areas.


AGENDA

9

SAFARICOM HAS PROMISED to release APIs fordevelopers to interact more with its highly popularM-Pesa mobile money service, in order to increasethe number of applications using M-Pesa.An API (Application Programming Interface)specifies how some software components shouldinteract with each other, and is a crucial componentfor software developers.“In December last year we released one that is beingused for Lipa na M-Pesa developers. Because of that APIwe now have users making purchases within certainapplications without having to end the sessions orclose the applications they are using,” said Safaricom head of innovation, Veronica Ogeto-Tchoketch, at theMobile East Africa Conference in Nairobi.“Very soon we will be releasing APIs that will ‘wow’you all. Right now you can simply send us an emailand we will send you back a pack with instructions ofhow to make use of the Lipa na M-Pesa API,” she said.The Mobile East Africa 2014 Conference kicked offwith Safaricom showcasing a wide range of productsand solutions the company has implemented inKenya under it’s innovation programme.These included a Farming application, MaternalHealth, Insurance, a free Internet access service inselected taxis, in-taxi Internet services, and a solarpower kit solution aimed at transitioning users fromkerosene energy.“We follow the theme ‘Transforming Lives’, and gear ourproducts and services to this,” Ogeto-Tchoketch said.“For instance, we now have people checking if theirmatatu (commuter taxi) has Vuma Online beforeboarding because they don’t want to be stuck intraffic for two hours without access,” she added.Ogeto-Tchoketch said M-Pesa did not start out as amoney-making project, but was a micro-financeproject initiated with the World Bank for people inremote areas of Kenya to make payments without thehindrance of transport costs.“Then we began to notice that people were using M-Pesa to transfer money amongst themselves. We thenbegan to study our customers to understand themfurther and on mining the data we noticed that the

big winner was not in microfinance payments, but inpeer-to-peer transfer,” Ogeto-Tchoketch recounted.M-Pesa was launched nationally in 2007 and has nowbeen expanded to include bill payments and retailpurchases using mobile money, targeting retailsegments including local barbers and tailors. “At Safaricom we have learnt something important:when you create something with the objective oftransforming lives, it can snowball into somethingmuch, much bigger,” she added. In October 2013 M-Pesa deposits were valued atKshs93bn (over US$1bn), with withdrawals ofKshs80bn and transfers of Kshs84bn.The Mobile East Africa 2014 Conference climaxes with aWorkshop facilitated by internationally renownedFinnish mobile developer and enthusiast, Tomi Ahonen.The event organiser ran the fourth edition this year,bringing together hundreds of start-ups and techentrepreneurs in the region and big business inmobile technologies with a focus on findingopportunities for increased collaboration.Key highlights during the conference were new usesof mobile banking solutions, and the increasedapplication of mobile technologies in governance

and peer-to-peer messaging. Conference organiser Matthew Dawes expected theconference to result in more innovations coming outof East African firms and to grow knowledge in ICTentrepreneurship across the region.Among large firms at the conference were Kenya’sSafaricom, Airtel Africa, Smile Telecom Tanzania, IBM,Standard Chartered Bank and global media consultancyfirm Advanced Interactive Media (AIM) Group.Local firms presenting at the conference included,from Kenya: Virtual City, a mobility solutions softwarecompany; mobile money innovations firm ZegeTechnologies; mobile solutions applications innovatorWezatele; mobile crowd-source solution appMa3route; and start-up Mobidev Solutions. Firmsattending from Uganda include software design firmThoughtworks Uganda; online mobile money platformdevelopers RedCore Interactive; and regional mobilemoney payments solutions firm Beyonic.Ghana was also represented by Saya Mobile, amessaging platform based on mobile that isfrequently referred to as “Africa’s WhatsApp”.

Simon Kaheru

Safaricom to make M-Pesa mobile money APIs public for developers

SkyVision serves voice and data to South Atlantic Petroleum


“We look forward to a long and prosperousrelationship with SAPETRO and to providing

them with reliable and efficient technologiesand services, today, and well into the

future.” - SkyVision COO, Golan Madar

Safaricom head of innovation Veronica Ogeto-Tchoketch presentsat MEA as session chairman Mark Kaigwa follows keenly

S03 CAF 1 2014 Agenda A_Layout 1 2/14/2014 10:30 AM

OBERTHUR TECHNOLOGIES, WHICH specialises indigital security solutions for the mobility space, isworking in partnership with mBank, an entityaffiliated to the PlaNet Finance group to facilitatefinancial inclusion through mobile technology, tooffer mobile branchless banking in emergingmarkets where banks and mobile operators need toadapt to deliver the right banking offer to theunbanked population.

Today, the expectations of these customers gobeyond peer-to-peer and bill payments allowed bymost mobile money initiatives. They are looking atservices such as loans, savings and insurance. Whilebanks and mobile operators have a real opportunityto answer these expectations via the mobile phone,they need true expertise coming with innovativeproducts and consulting to deliver these serviceswith high scalability and low cost of operation.

Bringing together the m:Wallet solution of the OTsubsidiary, MoreMagic and mBank’s expertise inbranchless banking services, the partneringcompanies have created an extended mobilebranchless banking offer. The m:Wallet, that hasalready supported a large number of services suchas merchant payment and money transfers for morethan a decade, will now include a full range ofmicro-finance services such as loan, credit andinsurance. On top of this enriched wallet, the

solution will also include core banking andbackoffice capabilities for operating the branchlessbank, risk management tools and businessconsulting skills.

“The fully packaged offer we are providing withmBank will enable banks and mobile operators toreach an untapped customer segment and toensure the profitability of their mobile moneyoffers. Mobile microfinance services are expectedto create a significant shift in the take off of mobilemoney with stronger adoption and usage, not onlybecause they are matching the expectation of localpopulations for real banking services, but alsobecause they will generate higher transactionvolumes,” said Pankaj Gulati, CEO of MoreMagic,an OT company.

“We aim at serving millions of clients currentlynot reached by traditional banking andmicrofinance institutions. With its worldwidefootprint in the telecom and banking markets andwith MoreMagic’s expertise in mobile money, OT isa partner of choice to launch a Mobile BranchlessBanking solution. Together, by serving markets thatlack a comprehensive banking infrastructure andhave a high penetration of mobile telephony, wewill further contribute towards financial inclusion”said Arnaud Ventura, co-founder PlaNet FinanceGroup and mBank Group.


AGENDA @ MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS

10

AS FIBRE CONTINUES to creepinland, many African operatorsare starting to use VoIP overleased fibre lines to providelong-distance voice connectivity.To date, carriers have been slowto adopt VoIP becauseinterconnecting a VoIP link ontoa terrestrial network has beenso expensive.

At MWC, World Telecom Labsis showcasing its 2nd generationVoIP switches, designed toprovide a flexible, cost-effectivealternative to traditional VoIP toTDM switches. WTL will alsopresent SMS Easy Hub, whichenables operators in Africa toincrease revenues from textmessages by setting up theirown SMS hubs - as well as hearabout WTL's involvement withNigeria's Mobile NumberPortability Programme.

WTL will be in Hall 7 in theBelgium Pavillion

For the fourth consecutive year,scientists at JDSU’s LocationIntelligence Business Unit (formerlyArieso), revealed the latest trendsobserved in mobile data usage in anew report. Expanded to covermultiple developed and developing markets operating 3G and 4Gnetworks, the 2013 study reveals howuse of mobile data and consumerbehaviour is becoming more extreme. “For the past three years we’ve seen

explosive growth in mobile data usage,causing operators to have to wrestlewith the challenges their success iscreating,” said Dr. Michael Flanagan,CTO of Mobility for the Network andService Enablement business segmentof JDSU and author of the study. The ‘i’s still have it Apple users havebeen the ‘hungriest’ consumers ofmobile data in the 2010, 2011 and 2012data measured by the study (iPhone 4,iPhone 4s and iPhone 5 respectively).Last year, the report indicated apossible end to this dominance asGalaxy S III users closed the gap. ButiPhone 5s usage is the most intensewitnessed to date, keeping Apple usersat the top of the chart. The study found that iPhone 5s users

demand seven times as much data asthe benchmark iPhone 3G users indeveloped markets (20 per centincrease on iPhone 5) and 20 times asmuch data in developing markets (50per cent increase on iPhone 5). Beyondthe 5s, Apple products account for sixof the top ten ‘hungriest handsets’,along with two Samsung products, oneHTC and one Sony.When it came to uplink data, Samsung

users are at the top of the chart.Galaxy S4 users produced anduploaded five times as much data asiPhone 3G users in developed marketsand 11 times as much data indeveloping markets.

“Each new generation of iPhone hasresulted in increases in dataconsumption of between 20-40 percent - even today when data use iscommon. Though interestingly, usersof the more economically-pricediPhone 5c consume data in the rangebetween that of the iPhone 4s and 5users,” said Flanagan.

Developed versus developing –surprising similarities The study revealed that developedand developing markets alike hadsimilar overall rankings of datahungry smartphones, with the iPhone5s topping both charts, demonstrating

the global nature of the smartphonemarket. However, the report foundthat the number and variety of datacards and dongles was lower indeveloping markets, and tabletdevices relatively rare. “Developing markets saw higher dataconsumption by flagship smartphoneusers, relative to the iPhone 3Gstandard. This appears to be driven bytwo factors. First, the older iPhone 3Ghas relatively lower data consumptionper user in developing markets. Second,the absence of other high-volume datadevices, such as data cards and tablets,means that users will consume moredata via flagship smartphones.”

JDSU research reveals the hungriest data users

WTL on fibre and SMSOberthur Technologies and mBank offer branchless banking



IN ADDITION TO exhibiting at Mobile WorldCongress 2014, Bluwan is showcasing its latestLinkFusion release for HetNet Backhaul andMulti-Gigabit Access, walking potentialcustomers through its small cells economicmodel and discussing the latest advances intechnology to deliver high bandwidth solutions.

Improving access networksBluwan is revolutionising last-mile broadbandaccess across Africa and the Middle East thanksto its unique technology approach. Its technologydeployment with Somcable in Somalilandcontinues. Advanced discussions with a tier oneAfrican operator are also underway as the carrierlooks to boost available network capacity to

highly dense urban areas in the Middle East –areas that existing fibre deployments can’t reach.

A key concern is the condition of today’saccess networks.“Although there are terabits of capacityconnecting the world together, in a sort of GlobalCentral Nervous System that we call the Internet,the last mile is plagued by inland bottlenecks,akin to cholesterol clogging arteries,” saidBluwan’s CCO, Shayan Sanyal, who is scheduledto participate in a panel on 'Creating the NextAccess Networks'. This should be a fascinatingsession, as it includes representation from notonly Bluwan, but also industry giants such asHuawei, Bell Labs, and Intel.



11

Bluwan’s CCO, Shayan Sanyal

RECENTLY ACQUIRED BY Marlin Equity Partners, and set to be mergedwith Coriant, another portfolio company, Tellabs is presenting anenhanced mobile backhaul solutions portfolio for LTE-advancednetworks at Mobile World Congress, with new capabilities that supportfast-growing data services, low-latency voice and a wide range ofapplications. Tellabs’ new edge router portfolio is further enabled forseamless future SDN migration to smart, flexible, end-to-end andmultilayer SDN solutions for mobile networks. SDN promises dramaticOpEx and CapEx savings in mobile backhaul.• The Tellabs 8665 Smart Router is a new high-scale node, providing

a seamless evolution for Tellabs Smart Routers managed by theTellabs 8000 Intelligent Network Manager. Its IP routing andEthernet switching capabilities support mobile operators as theybuild and scale LTE and LTE-Advanced networks.

• The new Tellabs 8615 Smart Router is optimised for mobile andfixed-mobile converged networks, with 44 Gbps throughput in acompact 1RU unit. In the future, two Tellabs 8615 routers can be

stacked to provide 88 Gbps throughput. • The new Tellabs 8602 Smart Router is a compact, environmentally

hardened, full-featured 6-port IP/MPLS router. It fits in demandinglocations due to its compact, environmentally hardened, water- anddust-proof (IP 67) design.

• Tellabs’ new Integrated GPS (GNSS) SFP Module extends Tellabs’packet synchronisation capabilities (eg, IEEE1588v2, SynchE, ACR).It enables a flexible and cost-efficient Time-of-Day and PhaseSynchronisation in mobile backhaul networks.

• The new user interface for Tellabs Insight AnalyticsSM Servicesoffers dashboards focused on operators’ top concerns in mobilebackhaul networks.

• Tellabs Packet Optical Solutions provide cost-effective scalabletransport solutions that enable mobile and wholesale operatorsto both deliver cost-effective backhaul services as well asexpand into adjacent markets such as revenue generatingbusiness services.

KATHREIN HAS ANNOUNCED an innovative solution to meet the growing demandfor mobile data traffic in buildings and across campus-wide environments. TheGerman-based antenna and electronics manufacturer has developed a new MicroC-RAN system called K-BOW, which it is prresenting at Mobile World Congress.

The K-BOW system bridges the gap between established networkarchitectures and those required to deliver future wireless service provisionindoors and over mixed indoor/outdoor sites. K-BOW supports multi-operator,multi-band and multi-standard operation and uses the flexibility of a mobilecommunications capacity pool to dynamically meet changing demand for data.In this way, operators have the flexibility to adjust their in-building networks tomeet customer requirements and react quickly to changes in user behaviour.

Remote adjustment to capacity demandsAs changes to coverage and capacity can be done remotely and do not involvephysical changes to the installation, Kathrein's Micro C-RAN solution drasticallyreduces the cost and time for network operators. This contrasts to conventionalstatic indoor cell architectures, which are very expensive to modify or upgrade.

K-BOW aggregates data traffic with a centralised RAN platform and transmitsmultiple combinations of signals to individual radio units (RUs). The solution isremotely-controlled over a network monitoring system so that capacity in any areawithin the building can be easily increased or decreased. This allows for the creationof self-organising networks (SONs) in buildings, while LTE MIMO can also be directlyintroduced to offer end user data rates equivalent to those outside of buildings.

Optimising signal quality“With mobile communications continuing to change dramatically, K-BOW issetting the standard for mobile data transmission in buildings bysimultaneously overcoming multiple technological challenges,” stated Dr.Michael Weber, CTO at Kathrein. “We provide network operators with theflexibility they need to respond rapidly to their customers’ demands. We areopening up exciting new possibilities for indoor network optimisation,providing users with the best possible signal quality at all times.”

More effective, with less energyK-BOW's energy saving potential is particularly innovative. Signals fromindividual frequency bands can be switched on and off, based on demand fromevery small cell. Network operators can, for example, switch to a 1,800 MHzbase signal at night, ensuring coverage provision within the building whilesaving electricity costs from the other amplifiers. This feature can reduceenergy expenses of the entire system by up to 50 per cent.

“Most traditionally structured antenna systems have not been designed tosave energy, despite this being a major cost factor in all companies,” explainedDr. Weber. “What's more, users are placing totally new demands on the system'sflexibility, whether it is about response times to network changes, data rates orservice level improvement.”

K-BOW offers an innovative, future-proof solution for in-building mobilecommunications challenges. It will be made commercially available in 2015.

Kathrein innovates in-building communications

Bluwan COO speaks on helping to create the next access networks

LTE-Advanced optimised with Tellabs’ MWC portfolio



EMIXIS, FOURNISSEUR DE technologie pour la gestionde flotte, de main-d'oeuvre et de biens, propose sasolution de suivi de biens basée sur le système RFID.L’offre est fournie comme module complémentairepour le produit SecurysatFleet et Gestion de Biens.Cette option supplémentaire est idéale pour lessituations commerciales nécessitant des alternativesà moindre coût par rapport aux balises GPShabituelles, traditionnellement utilisées dans lagestion de flotte, ou dans des conditions où l'espaceest très limité, ou encore lorsqu'aucune sourced'alimentation n'est disponible.

“Emixis a conçu cette solution de manière tout à faitunique. Ce qu'ils offrent est petit, abordable, autonome etvient avec une interface de services web prête à l'emploi,ouvrant ainsi des possiblités d'intégration avec d'autrestechnologies,” a déclaré Alexis Duvoisin de Geloc, ledistributeur Suisse d'Emixis.

En tant que solution, la Gestion de Biens basée surle système RFID de Securysat est composée de 3modules principaux : des balises, des lecteurs debalise et une plateforme web pour le développementd'applications web/mobile personnalisées.

Les balises sont des balises RFID actives à faiblecôut (de la taille d'une petite boîte d'allumettes), avecpile interne à longue durée de vie fournissant unservice ininterrompu jusqu'à 3 ans ! Elles sontentièrement résistantes à l'eau et à la poussière,

peuvent être placées sur n'importe quel bien qui doitêtre suivi (conteneurs, machines, sacs, outils,remorques...), et sont équipées de capteurs demouvement ainsi que de capteurs thermiques.

Les lecteurs de balise permettent la collecte dedonnées à une distance allant jusqu'à 30 mètres, etsont connectés à une balise GPS via un port sérieRS232 serial port, qui peut ensuite fournir lesinformations à une plateforme d'application, celle-ciétant ouverte à des développeurs d'applicationstierces via des services web.

Cette technologie est particuliètrement appropriéedans des secteurs d'activité tels que le transport(suivi de remorque), la logistique (suivi de colisimportants), la construction (numérisationautomatisée des matériaux sur place) ou dans lesprojets de villes intelligentes.

www.emixis.com



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GEMALTO PRÉSENTE CLOUDENTR,son nouveau service pour aiderles entreprises à gérer lesdroits d’accès des utilisateurstout en offrant uneauthentification unique (SSO,Single-Sign-On) sécurisée auxapplications Web. CloudEntr permet auxutilisateurs d’utiliserfacilement toutes lesapplications Web en nes'authentifiant qu’une seulefois, avec un identifiant deconnexion unique. Lesentreprises peuvent égalementabandonner progressivementles mots de passe vulnérables,choisis par les utilisateurs, enfaveur d'une protectionsupérieure. Celle-ci repose surdes mots de passe complexesqu’ils n’ont pas à mémoriser ou des fonctionnalitésd'authentification à deuxfacteurs.

ALCATEL-LUCENT A SIGNÉ un contratavec LITC (Libyan InternationalTelecommunications Company),société libyenne detélécommunications, afin deconstruire un nouveau système decâble sous-marin long de 1 000 km,qui permettra de relier la capitalelibyenne, Tripoli, à Benghazi etd’apporter la connectivité haut débitnécessaire pour soutenir les effortsde relance de l’économie libyenne.Ce système jouera un rôle clé dans lareconstruction de l’infrastructure detélécommunications en Libye ; ilpermettra d’améliorer les niveaux deconnectivité et la fiabilité descommunications requises pour lesecteur commercial et public ainsique pour les applications clients, àune période phare, où la demandeglobale en services haut débit necesse d’augmenter. Ce système, quirepose sur la technologie 100Gd’Alcatel-Lucent et sur un câble avecfibre sous-marine optimisée pour latransmission cohérente, sera capablede supporter des capacités pouvantexcéder 10 TBit/s par paire de fibre etdevrait être finalisé mi 2015.

Dr Mohmoud Aujali, président de LITC,a déclaré : « La connectivité hautdébit est une opportunité decroissance majeure pour l’avenir et ledéveloppement d’une infrastructurede télécommunications robuste est unélément vital. Avec l’aide d’Alcatel-Lucent, notre nouveau système decâble sous-marin devrait largementcontribuer aux projets globaux dedéveloppement et d’amélioration duniveau de vie des Libyens menésactuellement. »Et Philippe Dumont, directeur del’activité Réseaux sous-marinsd’Alcatel-Lucent, d’ajouter : « Noussommes ravis d’accompagner LITCdans ce projet majeur detransformation des réseaux, en vue desoutenir les efforts du pays dans lareconstruction de son infrastructurede télécommunications. La solutioninnovante proposée par Alcatel-Lucent va permettre d’accroître laconnexion avec la communauténumérique mondiale et aidera LITC àpromouvoir des opportunités decroissance pour des activitéséconomiques, culturelles etéducatives. »

Alcatel-Lucent et LITC vont déployer un système decâble sous-marin reliant Tripoli à Benghazi

ASTELLIA A DÉVOILÉ les conclusions de sa dernière enquête en datecommanditée par mobilesquared, spécialiste de l’interaction mobile.

Cette enquête, menée auprès d’un panel d'opérateurs mondiaux, arévélé que près de 60 % des personnes interrogées n'ont pas accès auxdonnées appropriées, ni aux outils associés pour prendre des décisionsbusiness véritablement éclairées. De surcroît, moins de 25 % desopérateurs mobiles participant à l’enquête déclarent avoir undépartement marketing qui interagit avec leur équipe en charge del’exploitation du réseau pour prendre des décisions quotidiennement.

Rajesh SHARMA, vice-président des Ventes et Opérations Clientsd’Astellia, commente : « La qualité d'expérience (QoE) est un moteuressentiel pour les opérateurs de téléphonie mobile (O2, Tata, AT&T,Verizon U.S., MTN, Zain, Telefonica, pour ne citer que quelques unsdes répondants), et il est alarmant que tant d'opérateurs mondiauxne se sentent pas dotés des données, des outils ou des processusinternes suffisants pour prendre des décisions avisées basées sur laQoE de leurs abonnés.

La satisfaction des clients prime. Concrètement, selon notreenquête, il s’agit de l’objectif le plus important des opérateurs. Enpondérant les réponses sur une échelle de 5 points, la satisfaction duclient atteint la plus forte moyenne nominale (3,78), suivie de près parla rétention des abonnés existants (3,74). L’acquisition de nouveauxabonnés et l'amélioration de la fidélité à la marque sont toutes deuxcréditées d’un score de 3,7.

45 % des opérateurs manquent d’un accès suffisant à l’expérienceutilisateur pour la voix, 42 % pour la messagerie et 45 % pourl’internet mobile (l’adoption de la 4G entraînera une augmentationexponentielle de ces chiffres). Ce manque souligne justement ladéconnexion entre la mesure de l'expérience client et les prioritésstratégiques des opérateurs. »

La solution IDaaS deGemalto, pour le Cloud

Emixis élargit sa gamme SecurysatFleet et Gestion de Biens

L’absence de corrélation entre les donnéesutilisateurs et les prises de décisions des opérateurs


Cette technologie estparticuliètrement appropriée

dans des secteurs d'activité telsque le transport, la logistique,

et la construction

S04 CAF 1 2014 Agenda C B D E_Layout 1 2/14/2014 10:34 AM

MASTERCARD, ESERVGLOBAL AND BICS haveformed HomeSend, a joint venture (JV) whichwill enable consumers to send money to andfrom mobile money accounts, payment cards,bank accounts or cash outlets – regardless oftheir location or that of the recipient.

The HomeSend JV will leverage the currentHomeSend platform, a remittance hub basedon eServGlobal technology and developed aspart of a strategic partnership betweeneServGlobal and BICS. The HomeSend platformwas first to market in offering internationalmobile remittances. Today, HomeSend has livedeployments in 50 countries and commercial

contracts with mobile network operators(MNOs) and money transfer operators (MTOs)that represent more than 1.2bn subscribers –the equivalent of one in seven of the world’spopulation – and 200,000 cash agentsrespectively.

By connecting the worldwide community oftelecom partners and MTOs to the more than24,000 financial institutions on the MasterCardnetwork, the HomeSend JV will provideconsumers new options and flexibility forsending or receiving funds and enable crossborder remittance payments worldwide. Forpeople in developing markets, the receipt of

funds from friends and family is an importantlifeline. Based on World Bank estimates,remittances to developing countries will reacharound US$515bn by 2015.

“HomeSend will provide an importantplatform to deliver improved remittanceservices, and bring person-to-person transfercapabilities to more financially underservedconsumers around the globe,” stated EdMcLaughlin, chief emerging payments officer atMasterCard. “MasterCard, eServGlobal andBICS each brings its own unique contribution tothe newly formed entity. Collectively, we havean opportunity to improve people’s lives.”



13

GEMALTO, WHICH SPECIALISES in digital security, has addednext generation Oracle Java ME Embedded version 8solutions based on Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. (QTI)chipsets to its Cinterion portfolio of cellular modules anddevices. With support for Java and for the SensorLogiccloud-based software as a service (SaaS) platform, the newproducts enable Gemalto to launch next generationembedded solutions and services that simplify Machine-to-Machine (M2M) technology and speed up applicationdevelopment to expand the growing Internet of Things (IoT).The new products will target applications from medicaldevices, automobiles and smart meters to shippingcontainers, home appliances and alarm systems.The Cinterion M2M end-to-end portfolio of solutions andservices provides secure, wireless connectivity within anintelligent Java framework to support the increasing numberof innovative IoT applications. Gemalto’s new Java enabledproducts join an existing portfolio of QTI-based modules thatspan the full range of cellular technologies, from CDMA to LTE.

This flexibility enables device manufacturers to buildsolutions within a single design to target any industrysegment and any network technology, ensuring long-lastingand future-proof applications. The Java software runs on theonboard application processors of the Qualcomm Gobichipsets, which can eliminate the expense of additionalprocessing and memory chips, and thereby reduce the overallcost, complexity and size of the solutions.Nakul Duggal, vice president of product management atQualcomm Technologies, Inc, said, "Together with Gemalto,we share a vision and common goal to provide the buildingblocks to enable the Internet of Everything."

Gemalto moves more into M2M with expanded product range

ALCATEL-LUCENT HAS SIGNED a turnkey contract with the Libyan InternationalTelecommunication Company (LITC) to build a new 1,000-km undersea cable systemlinking the country’s capital, Tripoli, to Benghazi, and providing the broadbandconnectivity needed in support of ongoing efforts to revive the Libyan economy.The system will play a critical role in the reconstruction Libya’s telecominfrastructure improving the levels of connectivity and communication reliabilityneeded for business, public sector and consumer applications, particularly at atime when global demand for broadband services continues to grow. Based onAlcatel-Lucent‘s 100G technology and a cable optimised with coherent submarinefiber, the system will ultimately carry capacity in excess of 10Tbit/s per fibre pairand is expected to be ready for completion mid-2015Dr Mohmoud Aujali, chairman of LITC, said, “Broadband connectivity is a majorgrowth opportunity for the foreseeable future and the development of a robusttelecommunication infrastructure is vital. With the help of Alcatel-Lucent, our new

submarine cable system promises a significant contribution the overalldevelopments that are being undertaken to improve standard of living for Libyans.”Philippe Dumont, president of Alcatel-Lucent Submarine Networks, said, “We arepleased to support LITC in delivering this major network transformation insupport of the country’s efforts in reconstructing its telecom infrastructure.Strengthening connection with the global digital community, Alcatel-Lucent’sinnovative solution will help LITC promote growth opportunities for economic,cultural and educational activities.”

SERVICES PLATFORMS PROVIDERIntersec has been ranked 107 out of500 on Deloitte’s Technology Fast500 EMEA, which is based on thepercentage of revenue growth overthe past five years (2008 -2012) ofthe 500 fastest growing technologycompanies in EMEA. Intersec grew1462 per cent during this period.

Intersec CEO Yann Chevaliercommented, “We are very honouredby this prestigious ranking and wefeel privileged to be named onDeloitte’s Technology Fast 500. This107 ranked number not onlyacknowledges the dedication andcommitment our company makes toachieve the highest standards ofinnovative software technology, butit also affirms the amazingcollaborative effort of our mostimportant asset: our people.”

Intersec was also ranked 23rd inthe Deloitte Technology Fast 500,which recognises the 50 fastestgrowing French technology firms.

Intersec cited fordynamic growth

HomeSend JV expands options for consumer money transfer

Alcatel-Lucent and LITC to deploy cable system connecting Tripoli and Benghazi


Gemalto has added Oracle Java ME Embedded version8 solutions to its Cinterion portfolio of cellularmodules and devices

The Cinterion M2M end-to-endportfolio of solutions andservices provides secure,

wireless connectivity within anintelligent Java framework

The system, which will be completed in2015, will ultimately carry capacity in

excess of 10Tbit/s per fibre pair


HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE most recently held edition ofAfricaCom 2013 included insights into therequirement for increased investment in networks, tocope with data explosion. Event participantsidentified strategies for increasing the quality of thenetwork to the highest standard without excessivespend. Delegates focused on how to reduce capexand opex in a data hungry environment.

There was, also, an Entrepreneurs Incubator Hub atthe event, which identified the requirements forentrepreneurial support and education as a basis forfostering enterprise as well as new financing.

Mobile money was a key topic for debate.AfricaCom focused on what exactly mobile money isand should be, offering a tentative conclusion thatmobile money should be quick and easy, turning eachindividual into an agent, into an ATM. The debate alsocovered interoperability and customer service, as wellas regulatory concerns and issues affecting cross-border transactions.

There were, also, discussions around digital musicin Africa, including a panel session featuring AfriCori,Spice Africa, Etisalat, X5 Music Group and WarnerMusic, at which panellists debated the level of piracyin the industry, and the revenue split between the keyparties in the ecosystem.

Closely allied to digital entertainment are apps, ofcourse. At AfricaCom, a dedicated event called

AfricApps focused on the impact of mobileadvertising and marketing, assessing how this ischanging the consumer experience.

Other commercial opportunities are to be found inOTT and VOD opportunities, and AfricaCast broughtfantastic insights into the VOD and OTT opportunitiesthat are growing in the African sub-continent. Centralto this has been the rise of two new OTT platforms inSub-Saharan Africa: Buni TV, and iROKOtv. The twoCEOs of these global innovators presented theirfindings at the show.

And, also, with Cloud attracting more attention atAfricaCom meetings this year, the dedicated Cloud @AfricaCom stream gained interest from telcos lookingto increase their revenues through Cloud services.With the top five African ‘Cloud telcos’ presentingtheir ‘how to’ strategies, this was the right place to getthorough insights on this emerging and dynamicallygrowing segment.


AGENDA @ AFRICACOM

14

THE TEAM AT World TelecomLabs was delighted to pick upan award at the AfricaComawards event, which celebratesand acknowledges the telecomindustry’s achievements inAfrica last year.WTL’s second generation VoIP solution was recognised in theBest Cost Efficiency Solution forAfrica category because of thesignificant OPEX and CAPEXsavings it brings to operatorsthrough increasing capacity,freeing up capacity incongested networks andenabling operators to cost-effectively add new capacity.WTL’s second generationswitches are now being used by20 operators in 14 countriesacross Africa.WTL had been shortlisted withLiquid Telecom, ConductTelecommunications, Astelliaand Econet Wireless, PeerApp,and TKM Maestro Limited.

WITH ITS CAPACITY for innovation, Africa’s mobile network sector is wellpositioned to drive the explosion in service offerings on the back of 4GLTE implementations. This is the view of Sherry Zameer, Africa andMiddle East head of telecommunication solutions for Gemalto, worldleader in digital security.

“Africa is largely unrestricted by legacy platforms and onerousregulations, and so has the capacity to leapfrog standard 3Gmigrations, to embrace LTE and all the benefits of better quality serviceand content possibilities that the next generation platform provides,”Zameer continued.

While LTE penetration stands at less than 0.003 per cent of themarket in Africa, Rwanda, for example, is poised to implement LTE fromthe get-go.

Spectrum is an Issue“Successful LTE implementations in Africa will depend on how well the

issue of spectrum is addressed and how well wireless services (radio)work with LTE to deliver the quality of service required,” Zameer added.

“Africa has a track record of innovation and being first to market inmany instances (eg, M-Pesa and dynamic tariffing) and I expect that theimplementation of 4G LTE will be no different,” he said.

While the continent is poised to take telecoms growth to a wholenew level, questions among attendees at the conference remain as tohow generate profits on new service options, once LTE is deployed

“This will prove to be pivotal,” Zameer said.

Profitable stakeholder engagementWith LTE comes greater opportunity for customer engagement viamobile marketing platforms as well as business-to-businesstransactions via machine to machine (M2M). The latter involves thedevelopment sophisticated ecosystems and reliance on a number of

stakeholders other than the Mobile Network Operator (MNO) itself.“For MNOs the question really is how to leverage these new content

opportunities and different take-to-market-models, as they fall outsideof the traditional delivery of voice and data services,” Zameer said.

Data and payments on growth pathData is still a key driver in the sector with estimates of prepaid bundlesbeing around US$6 for voice and US$20 for data. This means that thereis still appetite for data-driven applications.

Because most Africans do not have access to banking services orbank cards, Zameer believes mobile payments will continue to be a keydriver for transactional services, and with that mobile security. Both willdrive growth in the sector,” he added.

Gemalto has won a number of innovation awards for its LTE-relatedplatforms. Its LinqUs Advanced OTA platform enables networks tosmoothly transition to LTE during an evolutionary period of mixed networktechnologies. The company has also been the leading global technologybehind many high-profile commercial LTE deployments, including Verizonand MetroPCS, the first two operators in North America to migrate to LTE.

“With billions of connected devices forecast to be deployed in thenear future, the wireless ecosystem is changing. This creates newopportunities for mobile network operators to act as service providersfor a diverse range of applications such as NFC, Machine-to-Machine(M2M), or streaming multimedia content,” Zameer said.

Profitability is the key to 4G

WTL wins with VoIPThe cost efficiency to cope with commercial traffic


AfricaCom offered insights intonetwork investment, data

traffic, quality of service, andcapital and operating

expenditure

“There are new opportunities for mobilenetwork operators to act as service

providers for a diverse range ofapplications" - Sherry Zameer, Gemalto


CAMBRIDGE BROADBANDNETWORKS (CBNL) CEOLionel Chmilewskyoffered insights intorecent developments andmarket trends in point-to-multipoint (PMP)microwave technologyand software definednetworking (SDN). Theyspoke of the logisticalchallenges of buildingcarrier grade macro andsmall cell backhaulnetworks in Africa, and ofthe recent developmentsin PMP microwavetechnologies in Africa.They also offered noteson how to manage thegrowing demand for spectrum and new LTE networks, and on howAfrican carriers are using innovative backhaul technologies to createnetwork efficiency and profitable new services.

CBNL specialises in PMP microwave backhaul and access solutionsand works with many African operators to provide carrier grade networkcapacity and spectral efficiency. The firm uses advanced PMP microwavetechnologies to deploy smarter, more efficient and resourceful networksfor operators. It has a large market share in Africa and its technologiesare widely deployed across the continent. Its customers includeVodacom, Airtel, Safaricom and MTN. In Africa, CBNL's VectaStarplatform is deployed across 15 countries.


AGENDA @ AFRICACOM

15

EXHIBITING AT AFRICACOM, the team at wholesale roamingcarrier BICS spoke of the ongoing expansion of thecompany’s African footprint, and its recent successes.Last year BICS opened three regional centres in Africa, andenabled the first LTE roaming session between Africa andEurope. BICS regional VP for Africa Clementine Fournierdiscussed the opening of its three new regional centres - inKenya, South Africa and Ghana - with CommunicationsAfrica/Afrique. She spoke, also, about the experience thecompany gained in facilitating Africa’s first LTE roamingsession between Belgium and Angola. She added that BICShas developed plans to expand its footprint in the comingyears, to continue to develop international roamingservices within Africa, and to continue the development ofLTE and support the evolution of telecoms on the continent.

Protecting the businessOne interesting point that Fournier made was thatInternational telecoms enterprises can be very effective atkeeping costs down - and that they tend to limit the scale oftheir commitment to external suppliers as much as possible- though they do seek to maximise engagement with firmsspecialised in areas where they lack expertise.Larger operators are, the more likely they are to outsourceto remain agile. Ms Fournier’s experience indicates thatroaming is an area for which there is a strong interest inoutsourcing for corporate agility. She said that some

smaller operators can earn as much as 40 per cent of theirrevenues from international termination. However, she alsoadded that, in today’s highly competitive market, largeroperators are able to exploit on-net roaming tariffs, to thedisadvantage of their smaller counterparts.It is an increasingly dynamic marketplace - and this islargely because operators are relatively unregulated, ascompared with their counterparts on other continents.However, that may change, as governments and theirregulators appreciate the revenue possibilities fromtaxation on telecoms operations - for example, oninternational termination.

Looking forwardNonetheless, Fournier believes that Africa will remain asone of the fastest-growing telecom markets in the world,characterised by a strong uptake of voice, messaging andmobile payment services and an increasing use of dataservices - in the main, thanks to increased smartphoneownership and use. And she expects BICS to be a strongplayer.This Belgian wholesale carrier has been providing servicesto the African market for more than 15 years. Those Africanoperators it has worked with have been able to rely on anextensive and fully-owned network, and a number ofwholesale solutions designed to meet the continent’scommunication needs.

Lionel Chmilewsky, CEO ofCambridge Broadband Networks

BICS builds on its African carrier commitment

FOLLOWING STEEP SUBSCRIBER growth in recent years, Africa is nowexperiencing a data boom, with consumer and enterprise usersincreasingly devouring digital content and services. At AfricaComComverse highlighted innovative solutions and services enablingcommunication service providers (CSPs) to enhance the customerexperience, evolve successfully to IP/4G, and sustain profitablegrowth in the rapidly evolving digital economy.

“With Africa going digital and mobile broadband usage soaring,the telecommunication revenue and growth opportunities in thisregion are unparallelled,” said Denis Bernaert, Comverse senior vicepresident and managing director of EMEA. “Comverse helps CSPsevolve to IP/4G seamlessly, enabling them to preserve traditionalrevenues while moving to monetise lucrative digital lifestyle servicesand expanding into new business models.”

“With more than 75 deployed solutions generating significantvalue for African CSPs of all sizes across the continent, and withdecades of IT and network expertise, Comverse is a longstandingtrusted partner for African CSPs meeting the challenges andopportunities of today’s digital world,” said Bernaert. “Our broadportfolio of innovative solutions and services demonstrateseffectiveness, reliability and value worldwide every day.”

Comverse contributed to two key sessions at AfricaCom, whichwere focused on enhancing the customer experience and evolvingsuccessfully to IP/4G. The presentation on ‘Practical Steps to Achievean Engaging Customer Experience’, delivered by Yariv Geller, VP,corporate marketing at Comverse, offered ideas on attaining a morepersonalised customer experience for the digital lifestyle throughconverged BSS. The keynote titled ‘Optimize the 4G/IP/DigitalCustomer Experience for African Markets’ delivered by Shai Perach,head of marketing for digital and value-added services at Comverse,outlined new data monetisation and social media opportunities.

WITH DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTUREbuild-out high on Africa’s agenda,advanced satellite technologies andservices were showcased atAfricaCom by Eutelsat, whichpresented the features of recentlylaunched and upcoming satellitesdesigned to serve the Africancontinent as well as new solutionsto support markets for digitalbroadcasting, VSAT networks,mobile backhauling, IP trunking andbroadband access.

With 31 satellites concentratedin the geostationary arc from 15°West to 172° East, Eutelsat offers anexceptional footprint of Europe,Africa, the Middle East and Asia,and continues to pursueinvestments that will accompanythe growth of digital services. Itsportfolio of satellite resourcesspans C, Ku and Ka-bands,equipping Eutelsat to respond tomultiple markets and afford a highlevel of commercial flexibility.

Eutelsat’s expandingsatellite portfolio

CBNL’s CEO on microwave market trends Comverse supports CSP success in the digital era



Establishing networks and services for first responders when local infrastructure is likelydamaged or destroyed

Communications for disaster response

MOBILE Disaster Response

SINCE 2002 MORE than 1,700 natural disasters have impactedAfrica and killed more than 50,000 people. Some 150 of thoseevents took place during 2011 and claimed 3,500 lives. Andit’s in these natural disaster scenarios, which have included

floods, cyclones, severe storms and earthquakes, that establishingcommunications for first responders on the scene, at a time when localnetwork infrastructure is likely damaged or destroyed, is crucial tosaving lives in the immediate aftermath of such events. Butestablishing reliable communications is also essential for the aid andNGO relief agencies that arrive on the scene to establish long-termpresences, in the days, weeks and months which follow.

Setting the sceneThe figures above provided by the International Federation of Red Crossand Red Crescent Societies' (IFRC) World Disasters Report 2012. Whilstshocking, these figures are just the tip of the post-disaster iceberg, for asthe report states, disasters also leave behind many more affected anddisplaced. The IFRC estimates the numbers affected by disasters in 2011across Africa was — and is — a staggering 19mn people.

The need for commsMobile communications infrastructure across Africa has evolved in leapsand bounds in recent years and even in many rural areas, remote andisolated from national grid power, local mobile communicationsnetworks for both domestic and enterprise communities have beenestablished thanks to backhaul via satellite, as well as othertechnological advances that have made remote rural comms viable forthe operators. And with the problems associated with the roll-out ofcopper and fibre, such as theft, mobile communication is now thepredominant form of communication across Africa.

As a result, in the immediate aftermath of a disaster, calling for helpwould typically be the first reaction of most of them. Family and friendswill be attempting calls to each other; they’ll also try the local emergencyservices, if there are any, and if they are used to doing so, they may alsotry and access news information services on their mobiles. If someone istrapped and trying to make a call for help, such service may be animminent matter of life or death. Either way, the first responders willneed to have some kind of emergency network infrastructure on which torely and over which they can communicate with fellow first responders toco-ordinate immediate relief efforts.

But having handsets alone is pointless unless there’s a network tocarry the emergency voice and data traffic required. So the networksmust be well-prepared in the event of a natural disaster to come back on

line as fast as possible. They need back-up power supplies for cell sites,and oodles of spare capacity to handle the sudden spike in calls aseveryone with a phone tries to make a call, not least of whom will be thefirst responders. Networks need to be resilient, responsive andadaptable in these times of catastrophe.

As a result, leading operators typically put exhaustive emergencycommunications/disaster response plans in place, including guidelinesand instructions for effective ‘peer-to-peer’ industry co-operation thatwill see operators calling on vendors at short notice for the ‘immediate,priority’ supply of replacement mobile communications infrastructureand equipment that may have to be taken off another customer’s orderfulfilment book and flown to a disaster location or region without delay.

Planning If operators get their networks functioning, aid organisations andemergency responders will be able to communicate amongstthemselves and co-ordinate more effective relief and rescue activities asthe network comes back online with increased capacity that is no longerrestricted to just the emergency and AID teams. But as already stressed,it takes planning and preparation to ensure this happens. And that’swhere the mobile industry and other organisations have joined forces ina number of initiatives to make sure this happens. The GSMAssociation’s (GSMA) Disaster Response Programme, for example,involves mobile operators and NGO aid organisations around the worldwho together plan disaster response preparedness in different regionsof the globe. The GSMA’s Disaster Response (DR) Programme is just oneof several programmes, which fall under the umbrella of its ‘Mobile forDevelopment’ initiative, which supports the deployment of commercialmobile services in emerging and developing regions of the world wheremany communities remain either underserved by telecommunications orunconnected, completely. Its DR programme helps ensure plans andpeer-to-peer expectations are in place through encouraging the early co-operation between government agencies, mobile network operators andNGO aid organisations.

The IFRC estimates the numbers affected by disasters in 2011 acrossAfrica was - and is - a staggering 19mn people

Having handsets alone is pointless unlessthere’s a network to carry the emergencyvoice and data traffic required. Networksneed to be resilient, responsive andadaptable in these times of catastrophe

Communications Africa Issue 1 201418 www.communicationsafrica.com

S05 CAF 1 2014 Report EA DA BA_Layout 1 2/14/2014 10:43 AM

MOBILEDisaster Response

An operator’s answer In scenarios where the main mobile network cannot be fixed or does notexist operators and infrastructure providers have come up with a numberof solutions for rapid deployment that will establish and provide mobilecommunications for essential and priority users within a matter of minutes.

One such solution is the Vodafone Foundation’s Vodafone InstantNetwork (VIN). In co-operation with long-term NGO partners including:Telecom Sans Frontiers (TSF), the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) andthe Emergency Telecommunications Cluster (ETC), the foundation’s VINhas been deployed in several DR missions around the world, includingAfrica. The VIN is an ultra-portable GSM network weighing less than100kg, which fits into three cases and is transportable on commercialflights. As a result, it is ideal for NGO personnel to transport direct to acrisis zone where it can be easily deployed and network communicationsestablished within 40 minutes. In a major humanitarian drought reliefeffort in Kaikor, Northern Kenya in 2012 the VIN was deployed by theKenya Red Cross in co-operation between Safaricom, Huawei and TSF. Itprovided 20 dedicated lines for Red Cross and NGO personnel who hadto co-ordinate the provision of food and medical supplies within anaffected community of 15,000 people, and five additional lines wereallocated to local people so they could make contact using voice, SMSand data services with the outside world. During the deployment, whichlasted 47 days, the VIN carried a total of 264,104 calls.

Solutions from the vendor communityAn emergency network that fits into a backpack is the EmergencyNETfrom Prisma Engineering of Italy. The company says that the system willenable first responders to restore cellular coverage in a matter of a fewminutes to provide service for standard phones or smartphones wherethere is a total disruption of mobile services.

The solution is able to manage voice, SMS and data connections andis intended to provide a ‘plug-and-play’ portable back-up to the mainmobile network, offering coverage for both aid and emergency workersas well as the wider community without priority. It enables rescuers tocommunicate with any mobile device by voice and SMS. PrismaEngineering says the temporary emergency network, can intercept callsfrom victims to provide automatic info on emergency management of aspecific rescue and will send SMS alerts/updates such as “send an SMS

with your name, current location, number of people involved to 133, willcall-you back to manage your rescue”. EmergencyNET operates usingbattery packs - a single pack provides eight hours of operation - and hasa standard output power up to +37dBm providing a coverage range of afew kilometres, although coverage can be adapted (in-factory) accordingto different deployment requirements. Users can access the networkusing SIM cards from any operator. Another vendor offering a rapidlydeployable GSM network is Irish firm Mondicom, which offers a portableQuick Deployment Cellular (QDC) system based on technology fromRivada Networks of the US, to provide voice SMS and data to supportusers with standard unlocked cellular handsets. The systems aredesigned to deliver secure, seamless cellular communications coveragefor use in remote or hazardous environments including those following anatural disaster, and be used by aid organisations or first responders fordisaster relief and other humanitarian situations.

Each system can operate independently with a range of up to eightkilometres, but several systems can also be configured to operate as anintegrated network. Multiple stand-alone systems can be interconnectedby standard IP networking technology to create a global, private andhighly secure GSM network. A centralised system can be set up as agateway to allow aggregated access to a fixed-line network for inboundand outbound secure and clear calls. The system is available for use in850 MHz, 900 MHz, 1,800 MHz and 1,900 MHz bands (3G is available in2,100 MHz), and supports both GPRS and EDGE data connectivity withdata rates up to 220 kbps. Annother Irish firm, SiRRAN Communications,offers a range of rapidly deployable private cellular networks suited todisaster response applications. Its SiRRAN NET Series allows the creationof a range of self-contained, privately managed mobile networks basedon GSM, 3G or LTE, which, the company claims, can be deployed by asingle user in under 10 minutes. Both portable and secure the GSMnethas a range of 6.3km and can support more than 1,000 users. ✆

Tim Guest

Mobile communicationsinfrastructure across Africa has

evolved in leaps and bounds inrecent years

The GSMA’s Disaster Response (DR)Programme supports the deployment ofcommercial mobile services in emerging anddeveloping regions of the world



How Globalstar’s satellite technologies support initiatives aimed at ensuring safety viasatellite for humanitarian aid workers

Securing livesto save more lives

SATELLITE Disaster Response

DURING THE MANY unfortunate natural and manmadehumanitarian crises faced in Africa, first responders such asnon-governmental organisations (NGOs) offer a vital lifelineto stricken communities. The dangerous nature of many of

today’s humanitarian aid efforts makes it essential for firstresponders - many of whom are volunteers - to consider their ownsafety, and that of their equipment, prior to entering the crisis zone.Specifically, a number of crucialcommunications-based security measuresneed to be in place to make the NGOs’tasks easier to accomplish in what areextremely challenging conditions.

Consider the start of the Libyan crisis. Thefirst NGO intervention happened very closeto the Tunisian-Libyan border, whererefugee camps were being set up. Severalassociations were there at the outset,wanting to help the refugees, the woundedand the homeless but the situation wasextremely volatile. There were concernsabout sending first responders andequipment into Libya without effectivecommunications back-up. The fixed andcellular networks could not be relied upon,making a mobile satellite-basedcommunications infrastructure the onlyviable option.

We were able to help by providing anumber of low-cost tracking solutions basedon Globalstar’s mobile satellitecommunications technologies - the SPOTGPS messenger and the SmartOnegeolocation Simplex asset tracking device.These solutions, configured to work withVMD’s VMDtrac web-based trackingplatform, were used by one of the first NGOsto enter Libya, to monitor the position ofvolunteers, vehicles, equipment andspecialist medical kit as they providedhumanitarian aid.

We provided Globalstar’s SPOT GPSMessenger to track, in real time, the firstresponders working on-site as they helpedwith the organisation of refugees and withaid distribution (blankets, food, medicalsupplies, etc).

Prior to embarking on the mission, a number of pre-agreed alerts wereconfigured for the SPOT tracker via VMDtrac. In this particular case, theNGO chose to include the following alerts: ‘SOS’ (to be used in the caseof a kidnapping); ‘Help’ (for any medical emergency); ‘OK’ (to send amessage each time the user starts/finishes a task); and a ‘need waterand/or meal’ custom message.

The intuitive VMDtrac web interface includes an alerts dashboard.When an alert is sent from a volunteer in the field, the alert is flashed uponto the central dashboard immediately, showing the SPOT tracker’sexact location and making it easy for the director back at base to sharethe SOS alert with the local emergency services, where appropriate – forexample in the case of a kidnapping. If the dashboard is not beingmonitored for any reason, the alert is sent immediately as an email to

designated email addresses, and as a textmessage to designated mobile phonenumbers.

We also provided the same NGO with theGlobalstar SmartOne geolocation solutionso that they could monitor cost-effectively,in real-time, their valuable mobile assetssuch as vehicles, containers and medicalequipment. SmartOne, in conjunction withour VMDtrac platform, provided the NGOwith a flexible, low-cost way to track andtrace the position of their assets, be alertedto any unauthorised movement, and extractreports and statistics that could be used toresolve problems such as missing kit.Geofencing alerts were also configured sothat the team back at base would receiveinformation in real-time every time a vehicleor valuable piece of equipment left thecamp, or a suspicious movement wasregistered.

A second aid association, whichorganised a medical caravan destined forLibya’s second largest city, Benghazi, alsochose to use the VMD/Globalstar personaltracking system during its mission. TheSPOT tracker reassured the medical teamthat they could get in touch in an emergencyusing the SOS, and also allowed the teamback at base to monitor in real-time theirlocation - via their GPS coordinates - and actimmediately in the event of an emergency.

This NGO mandated that the aid workersmust use the tracking service each timethey left the camp or the caravan. Thismeant that the team supervisor receivedupdates every ten minutes on thegeographical position of all aid workers who

were out of the camp or away from a designated ‘safe’ area and couldraise the alarm in the case of an incident.

Without the invaluable safety net provided by low-cost mobilesatellite-based tracking systems, aid workers would struggle toundertake many of their tasks safely. What we do is help to providepeace of mind for field workers and their supervisors as they in turn seekto help the vulnerable and the displaced during humanitarian crises. ✆

The SPOT GPS messenger

Without the invaluable safety netprovided by low-cost mobilesatellite-based tracking systems,aid workers would struggle toundertake many of their taskssafely


Communications Africa Issue 1 2014 21

Autour d’appui pouratteindre un niveau avancé

INFRASTRUCTURETIC

UNE DÉLÉGATION LIBYENNE s'estmise en rapport avec l'UIT récemment en vue de se doterd'une infrastructure des TIC digne

des pays les plus performants au mondedans ce secteur.

Le chef de la délégation libyenne, M.Mohamad Benrasali, Ministre adjoint descommunications et de l'informatique, asollicité l'appui de l'UIT pour élaborer un plandirecteur visant à moderniser l'infrastructuredes TIC de la Libye, afin que celle-ci puisse"non seulement se hisser au niveau des paysles plus avancés dans ce domaine, mais aussijouer un rôle d'avant-garde sur le planmondial". Selon M. Benrasali, "le secteur desTIC de la Libye présente un certain nombre deperspectives et de défis, lesquels pourraient setraduire par des avancées majeures en termesde croissance économique, de créationd'emploi et de transformation des servicespublics, notamment".

M. Benrasali a déclaré que le plan directeur

viserait notamment à établir un cadreréglementaire qui favorise les investissementsvisant à développer le secteur des TIC et àreconstruire les infrastructures, et a affirmé quele renforcement des capacités ferait partieintégrante de ce plan.

En outre, le chef de la délégation a indiquéque le Gouvernement libyen voyait dans lecybergouvernement un outil efficace pourfournir des services publics, et a évoqué

l'initiative "e-Libya", qui vise à redynamiserl'administration publique. "Cette initiatives'appuie sur les applications intelligentes etcomporte un certain nombre d'objectifsstratégiques visant à instaurer une économiede la connaissance grâce aux TIC", a-t-ildéclaré. L'initiative e-Lybia porte sur latransparence des institutions publiques, lecybergouvernement, le cybercommerce et lacyberéducation. ✆

"Je me réjouis du retour de la Libye sur la scèneinternationale, et au vu de l'enthousiasme de ses

nouveaux dirigeants, dont la connaissance approfondie desTIC ne laisse pas d'impressionner, je ne doute pas que ce

pays ne devienne rapidement un acteur de premier plan dusecteur mondial des TIC, et ne réduise la fracture

numérique au niveau national" - Dr Hamadoun I. Touré,Secrétaire général de l'UIT



NOKIA SOLUTIONS AND Networks(NSN) has been reinforcing its multi-stack approach to cloud architecturefor telecommunications companies,

to give operators fuller flexibility in their choiceof cloud platforms. In recent trials and proof ofconcept projects with Tier 1 operators, thecompany demonstrated the reliability of itscore virtualisation solution and its capabilityto adapt information technology and cloudplatforms to meet the demands of a telcocloud operation.

Quicker, cheaper and more rewardingCloud computing technology is expected tohelp organisations achieve higher operationalefficiency, greater flexibility, faster time-to-service and lower CAPEX and OPEX. NSN willcontinue to build on its experience andleadership position in telco cloud by leveragingcommon off-the-shelf hardware and anyindustry-dominant cloud stacks. Thecompany’s approach to telco cloud, which isbased on its Liquid Core architecture, willenable mobile networks to support severalcloud stacks simultaneously, achievingmaximum flexibility while protectinginvestments.

“NSN supports multiple stack solutionssuch as OpenStack and VMware,” saidThorsten Robrecht, vice-president of MBBportfolio management at NSN. “As well asenabling operators to increase the flexibility

and agility of core network infrastructure, weare committed to creating a telco cloudecosystem that supports the co-existence oftraditional networks and cloud environmentsand gives operators the option of choosing themost competitive hardware and cloud platformfor their specific needs.

“Our recent proof of concept projectsdemonstrated in practice how we enable telcocloud by running our core network softwareon top of virtualised network infrastructure. Inthe process, we are moving from thevirtualisation of single network elements tofull cloud orchestration, including cloudapplication management.”

Collaboration on cloud provisionNSN also offers the cloud-ready NetAct 8solution, which helps simplify networkoperations, reduce operational expenses anddeliver very high availability. NetAct 8includes the NSN Cloud ApplicationManager, which provides off-the-shelfmanagement, orchestration and elasticity for

virtual network functions.NSN’s multi-stack cloud approach

demonstrates the company’s commitment tofurther developing carrier-grade telco cloudsolutions. NSN is working closely on cloudtechnology with operators - and also with cloudstack vendors such as VMware Inc, opensource cloud platforms such as OpenStack andthe ETSI Network Functions VirtualisationIndustry Specification (NFV) Group.

VMware’s virtualisation and cloudtechnology is widely deployed in enterprisesand operator data centres. NSN is working withVMware to address requirements for virtualnetwork functions and further improve cloudtechnology for carrier-grade telco clouds.OpenStack is open source software for buildingclouds that enable businesses to roll out newproducts, add new features, and improveinternal systems while preventing technologylock-in. NSN collaborates with the OpenStackFoundation to address the requirements ofnetwork function virtualisation and the NSNtelco cloud solution.

Furthermore, NSN shares operatorobjectives for network function virtualisationsoftware functions, and the elimination ofproprietary hardware components. This workcovers data and control plane functions,multi-tenancy, and automation as well ascapabilities to enhance network flexibilityand scalability with carrier grade securityand resiliency. ✆

How to use the tools to build a telecommunicationscompany’s cloud profile with a multi-stack approach

Finding oldernetworks in the cloud

INFRASTRUCTURE Cloud

NSN has been reinforcing its multi-stack approachto cloud architecture for telecommunications

“Cloud computingtechnology is expected tohelp organisations achievehigher operationalefficiency


S06 CAF 1 2014 Report AA AB CA CB GA_Layout 1 2/14/2014 10:46 AM

Making messages, and taking messages, using advanced network architectureand services

E-mail in anew enterprise space

INFRASTRUCTURECloud

IN TODAY’S HECTIC business world,dominated by the Internet of things,more companies have become reliantupon email, which, in turn, has fuelled

the demand for more powerful mail servers.Ukuvuma Solutions, a South African providerof ICT solutions and support to theengineering, mining and constructionmarket, believes the cloud represents themost effective solution to servermaintenance and optimised performance.

Gary Lamprecht, technical consultant atUkuvuma Solutions, says these powerful mailservers have been located on a company’spremises and susceptible to the risk ofhardware failure and/or theft.

“There is the possibility of downtime in boththe previous cases or in the case that theInternet connection at the office drops, youmight also experience some downtime. Youalso have to maintain these servers and keeptheir software updated to have the functionalityand stability that is required,” says Lamprecht.

The cloud is a credible, viable solutionaddressing the risk of having on-premisesservers.

“What is the cloud? In short the cloud ismultiple computers, which could be indifferent geographic locations to store yourdata on, and access your data via the Internet.This means that you can access your data fromvirtually anywhere where you have Internetavailable. This provides you with a convenientway to safely store your data, and have thepeace of mind that your data will not be lost inthe case that anything happens to yourservers,” he continues.

Catching the mail on the netThere are a lot of solutions to host your mail inthe cloud. However, Ukuvuma Solutionsraises the questions: Do they suit your needs?Is it compatible for the fast-pacedenvironment in which we live today? Do youhave the facilities to find mail or keep mail, incase of legal situations?

All of the above-mentioned questions arerelevant today and can be easily answered withmail being hosted in the cloud.

Lamprecht adds that exchange servers arehosted in the cloud today, and it is simply amatter of entering an email address and

password into Outlook when this platform isbeing set up, and, with the auto-discoverrecords on the user’s Internet domain, Outlookwill configure server settings, etc.

“This is how simple and easy it is toconnect to a hosted exchange server. You canalso connect to your Outlook from anywhere,even if you do not have your computer withyou, you can connect to the Outlook Web App(OWA) from any Internet browser, and you willbe connected to your mails. As your mailserver is an exchange server, any changesthat you make on your Outlook client will besynchronised back to the exchange server,and your mail sorting, etc, will look exactly thesame on your OWA as it looked on yourcomputer at the Office or at home,”Lamprecht says.

Architecture enabling enterpriseExchange servers are in constant sync with theOutlook client, and anything that is done in

the Outlook client, while offline, will be syncedto the exchange server as soon as the usergoes online again.

The user is connected to the hostedexchange servers in exactly the same way thathe or she is connected to an on-premisesexchange server - with one small difference:there is no need for exchange experts toconstantly monitor the exchange server andkeep it up to date, as this is all done by theproviders of the hosted exchange servers.

These servers are updated with the latestsoftware shortly after the updates or newsoftware is released. They are also backed upin different geographic locations, whichmean that if a data centre goes down, auser’s mail will still be accessible from adifferent data centre.

“There is also no need to fear that your datacan be accessed by anyone else, as there aremultiple privacy compliance frameworks thatprotects your data from being accessed thathas to be adhered to by the providers of yourhosted exchange server,” says Lamprecht.

Ukuvuma Solutions is therefore upbeatabout the development of core serverarchitecture and application to enable morebusinesses to take advantage of the benefits ofhaving mail hosted in the cloud. ✆

Ukuvuma Solutions aims to help morebusinesses take advantage of the benefits ofhaving mail hosted in the cloud

The cloud is a credible,viable solution addressing

the risk of having on-premises servers

Communications Africa Issue 1 2014 23www.communicationsafrica.com



Alcatel-Lucent accompagne les associations Injaz dans des programmes dedéveloppement pédagogique pour les communautés au Maroc et en Egypte

L’inclusion numériqueet le développement durable

ÉCONOMIE L’inclusion numérique

AU MAROC ET en Egypte, Alcatel-Lucent accompagne les associationsInjaz. Ce partenariat a pour objectifde soutenir les programmes de

développement pédagogiques au Maroc eten Egypte. Les associations Injaz ont pourbut de préparer les élèves des écoles, lycéeset universités a entrer sur le marché du travailen étant qualifiés et compétents a travers lamise en place de programmes qui aspire adévelopper le sens des responsabilités, asusciter chez ces jeunes l’esprit d’initiative etd’entreprendre, stimuler leur créativité, leurfaire découvrir l’environnement del’Entreprise et de la vie économique maisaussi contribuer à la consolidation des liensentre l'enseignement et le monde del'entreprise.

Ces associations encouragent laparticipation du secteur privé et l’engagementdes cadres d’entreprises bénévoles dans desprogrammes éducatifs.

Avec le support des associations Injaz AlMaghrib au Maroc et en Egypte , les employésd’Alcatel-Lucent participent en tant quebénévoles d’entreprise citoyenne etresponsable a différents programmes dedéveloppement éducatif : En Egypte avec leprogramme « Adopt a School » (Adopter uneEcole) et au Maroc avec le programme «Enterepreneurship Masterclass program »(Programme Entreprenariat Masterclass- lesdeux associations sont membres du JuniorAchievement Worldwide leader mondial enmatière d'éducation à l'entrepreneuriat. Injazest une association reconnue d'utilité publiquequi mobilise le secteur privé auprès de la

jeunesse pour contribuer à l'émergence d'unenouvelle génération d'entrepreneurs. Lesbénévoles, mentors d’Alcatel-Lucent,partagent leur experiences et leurcompetences avec les jeunes en leur offrantune formation pratique sur les moyens pourréussir dans le secteur privé.

De la méthode pédagogiqueLes différents programmes des associationsInjaz amènent les élèves à créer une juniorentreprise, à maitriser les bases de la financeou à se préparer aux challenges de la vieactive. Des cadres d’entreprise bénévolesinterviennent dans les établissements publicspour dispenser selon la méthode pédagogiquefondée sur l’apprentissage par l’action «learning by doing ».

Au terme des sessions de cours desassociations Injaz, les élèves achèvent leurscursus d’enseignement avec assurance etconfiance dans leurs capacités, avec unevision pour planifier leur carrière et lescompétences nécessaires pour réussir dans lemonde du travail. Ils ont aussi un réseau dementors venant de divers horizonsprofessionnels sur lesquels ils peuventcompter. Les programmes d’Injaz offrent aussià ceux qui ont réussi dans le secteur privé lachance et la possibilité de donner un coup demain aux générations futures.

Bishalakhi Ghosh, Directrice de la FondationAlcatel-Lucent a déclaré: «L'engagement de laFondation à ces projets s'inscrit dans le cadredes initiatives d'Alcatel-Lucent à travers lemonde pour favoriser l’inclusion numérique etle développement durable. L’un des objectifs

principaux de l'activité de la Fondation est lesoutien des programmes d'éducation etd’enseignement pour les jeunes. Cette missionest d’autant plus renforcée par l’engagementdes salariés d'Alcatel-Lucent pour levolontariat, par leur volonté à investir leurtemps, a partager leur expérience personnelleet compétences professionnelles pour aiderles communautés dans lesquelles ils vivent ettravaillent. Au cours de ces programmes, lesélèves étudiants développeront l'attitude, lecomportement, la confiance et lescompétences nécessaires afin de construire unavenir durable et solide et contribuer à lasociété avec succès ».

Mhammed Abbad Andaloussi, PrésidentDirecteur Général d’Injaz Al Maghrib: « Noussommes ravis de compter Alcatel-Lucent parminos partenaires. Nous avons étéimpressionnés par la qualité d’intervention deses employés bénévoles à coacher les 480élèves du collège Laayoune avec un grandenthousiasme et à les initier au monde del'entreprise. Nous sommes convaincus que cesvolontaires seront prêts à renouvelerl’expérience et l’engagement avec nous dansd’autres projets futurs ».

Il a ajouté: « Un grand merci à Alcatel-Lucentpour son engagement envers les jeunes ».

Mireille Nashaat, responsable desprogrammes d’Injaz Egypte : « Chaque minuteofferte par les bénévoles est un grand pas enavant pour valoriser et inspirer la prochainegénération de jeunes Égyptiens quireprésentent le catalyseur du changement etdans un avenir proche le moteur de l’aveniréconomique de l'Egypte ». ✆


The value of international mobile top-up in the battle for the continent’s burgeoningmarket for remittances services

Minutes and money onAfrican mobile devices

FINANCERemittances

INTERNATIONAL MOBILE TOP-UP (IMTU) isfast becoming the next big thing in boththe telecommunications and remittanceservices markets. Berg Insight estimated

that international top-ups doubled in sizebetween 2011 and 2012. Expectation is that2013 will have seen growth that at leastrepeats that rate. More and more of themillions of people living and working abroadare using IMTU to top-up the mobile phonesof loved ones back “home”.

The forces driving the recent rapid growth ininternational mobile airtime transfers are likelyto strengthen in the foreseeable future.Workforces and populations are increasinglymobile. Wireless communications arebecoming cheaper and more widespread. Thebasic need of humans to stay in touch willalways be with us as will the need of a mediumof exchange that is cheap, easy and secure.

IMTU is the field on whichtelecommunications and money remittance aredoing battle. This has become a conflict foughton many fronts.

Platforms and servicesOn one front, there is a battle of the

platforms. Telecommunications, FinancialServices and third party are involved inregular skirmishes to determine the bestoverall basis to deliver the requiredcapabilities in the best way to end customers.Others see a hub-based approach; allowingother platforms to ‘plug into’ each other viathe hub will be the way to win.

Raging on the second front is the battle forcustomer ownership. Is the customer sendinga remittance in kind over a mobile phonenetwork a mobile customer or a financialservices customer? Is it the mobile brand orthe financial services brand that is key? Whatdoes the customer trust most? Who candeliver most to the customer, understandsthe customer most? Each side will vehementlyargue their relative merits but such battles arelargely meaningless. The winner will thecompany that can deliver trusted, reliable andconvenient good value services, regardless ofwhat industry label, if any, the winner stickson themselves.

And the final front is made up of the battlefor the market in terms of demand and supply.

Capturing revenue from new forms of financeOn the demand flank, many people want to besure that that the money they send home isspent on the ‘right’ things, rather than wastedor used to fund ‘bad’ habits. IMTU has a lowerrisk of theft or misappropriation compared tothe more traditional cash remittances. In thecase of IMTU, people sending the remittance inkind can also be sure that those back homehave enough credit to stay in touch. Thoseback home also have fewer worries about thecost of those long that highly valued calls tothose now living many miles away.

Mobile minutes are also increasinglybecoming pseudo currency in many Africanstates. Airtime credits are being transferredbetween phones, traded for cash or used inbartering negotiations. The ease of sendingmobile top-up abroad has fuelled the growthof ‘money in minutes’ as workers abroad useIMTU as a very low cost alternative to moretraditional international remittance services.A recent report in The Economist magazinehighlighted that in countries such as Côted’Ivoire, Egypt, Ghana and Uganda mobileminutes are commonly accepted in shops ascurrency. The value of minutes, unliketraditional money (even of the mobile variety),is not directly linked to government fiscal ormonetary policies and practices. Minutes arebought immediately and anonymously,without often lengthy and awkward process ofsetting up an account of some sort at a moretraditional financial institution. Most Africannetworks also allow minutes to be transferredfor free. All of these factors make minutes anattractive alternative to cash.

The supply flank of the market has alsoboosted growth. Telcos are increasinglyrecognising that IMTU represents a growthopportunity in several ways. First, they cancapture revenue from citizens now livingabroad, expanding their revenue streams waybeyond their normal geographic borders.Secondly, IMTU represents a way of capturinga slice of the huge remittance market withoutthe need to navigate through an ocean ofregulatory, process and license requirements.Similarly, remittance firms are increasinglydeveloping platforms that are more flexible sothey can offer more add on services, such asIMTU, to their client base. By offering moreservices, money transfer companies canincrease their revenue and generate greatercustomer loyalty.

There are also other parties, such asretailers and distributors, which can play a keypart in this developing value chain by makingservices available to their customers, uncoveringmore revenue from more loyal customers.

If there is to be an eventual winner in theremittance in kind wars, the victors will needmore than network, product or platformfunctionality. Merely being able to offer theservice is a necessary but not sufficientcondition for success.

Of course, you have to be able to deliver thefunctionality to deliver mobile top-up acrossborders reliably, securely and quickly. Butwithout distribution, insight and marketingsupport, that functionality is like water on thesand. ✆

Christophe Justens, VP - global services at IDT


MAHINDRA COMVIVA RECENTLY won top honours at the third Frost and Sullivan Growth Leadership awardsceremony. Mahindra Comviva’s mobiquity platform was named as the mobile financial solution of 2013.The award is a validation of Mahindra Comviva’s commitment to transform lives through mobile financialtransactions for the banked and unbanked. Globally, Mahindra Comviva’s platform has successfullyprocessed more than 10bn transactions, impacting seven per cent of the world’s population.Srinivas Nidugondi, senior VP and head of mobile financial solutions at Mahindra Comviva, said, “Ourmobiquity platform is a result of our constant effort to innovate and create a safe, secured, convenientenvironment to provide instant non-cash transactions at any time and from anywhere.”The Frost & Sullivan awards recognise companies that have pushed the boundaries of excellence, risingabove the competition and demonstrating outstanding performance. The awards are based entirely on themerit of the product, service, or technology being evaluated.

Transforming lives through mobile financial transactions


Digital banking through smartphones is increasingly delivering cohesive customerrelationships in West Africa

Making money smarter,and even more profitable

FINANCE Banking

STANDARD CHARTERED'S BREEZEmobile application delivers anexciting dimension of digitisationto its customers. The revolutionary

move by the bank is transforming thedigital space in the Ghana’s financialservices industry. Hitherto, thesophistication and increased expectationof the average Ghanaian banking customerhas influenced banks to adopt a new way ofthinking; a thinking that is defined by how

to drive a cohesiverelationship with

the customer.

Standard Chartered’s internal researchrevealed that customers now wish forsimpler and faster banking; be it at thebranch, on phones or via mobile networks.The Breeze mobile banking app was borneout of a desire to make banking simpler bycreating an intuitive, plain-speakingsmartphone interface. Breeze allowscustomers, among other functions, quickand easy access to their accounts, theability to transfer funds, pay bills and topup of mobile phone credits.

A brand new promiseSpeaking about Breeze recently, StandardChartered Bank's executive director forconsumer banking, Andrew Okai said, “Thelaunch of Breeze is part of our bank’s globalfocus on digitisation. With smartphonepenetration at 18 per cent in Ghana andcurrently set to double within the next threeyears or less, we at Standard Charteredhave taken the lead. In line with our brandpromise of Here for good, to extend ourcustomers digital lifestyle into banking.Digitisation in the banking sector will notonly transform banking services but theGhanaian economy as a whole through theopening of job opportunities in relatedsectors including the telecommunication,payment services and electronicmanufacturing.”

A brand new promiseStandard Chartered has been in Ghanasince 1896. Today, it employs around athousand staff. It offers a wide range ofpersonal and SME banking products andservices in Ghana, through its branchnetwork, Priority Centres and Lounges andSME Centres. Its consumer bankingbusiness offers solutions includingemployee banking, SME banking, generalretail banking and premium bankingservices. It is listed on the Ghana StockExchange. It ranks among the top 15companies in the Club100 rankings by theGhana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC).The bank’s focus and commitment todeveloping deep relationships with clientsand customers has driven its consistentgrowth in recent years.

With 24 branches, 13 Priority Centres andlounges, two SME Centres - supported by 52ATMs across Ghana, Standard Charteredoffers exciting product propositions forcustomers and clients as well as careeropportunities for close to 1,000 staff in theWest African country. It is committed tobuilding a sustainable business over thelong-term in Ghana and is trustedworldwide for upholding high standards ofcorporate governance, socialresponsibility, environmental protectionand employee diversity. ✆

The Breeze mobile banking app allowscustomers quick and easy access totheir mobile banking accounts

The Breeze mobile bankingapp was borne out of adesire to make bankingsimpler by creating anintuitive, plain-speakingsmartphone interface



There will be significant British participation at this year's Mobile World Congress, as before. This year, equipment andservices produced in the United Kingdom are presented by UK Trade & Investment at MWC under the Smart UK Projectbanner. Many of those described here, which have worked with UKTI, will be seen in Barcelona in February 2014.

Smart projects from UKTI@MWC

INNOVATIONSDevices and Services

23 Snaps SOCIAL NETWORKING DOESN’T have tobe an open forum for sharingeverything with everyone. MeganFitzgerald at 23 Snaps (www.23snaps.com)speaks of solving three main problemsfor families using images online and insocial media: privacy, connection, andautomation. Its app is free, user-friendly and quick to upload - and itmakes sharing images a completelysafe and secure process.


AlphaFox Systems ALPHAFOX SYSTEMS (www.alphafoxsystems.com) develops and provides innovativeanti-counterfeiting technology, where the tag cannot be replicated and the readerdoes not rely on a remote database or human intervention to verify authenticity.Security and personal identification is managed by Crystal Chip, a patentedtechnology developed and marketed by AlphaFox Systems, using a unique identifierto protect individuals conducting transactions online.

Movirtu CARSTEN BRINKSHULTE AT Movirtu (www.movirtu.com) speaks ofsoftware for mobile operators, and Movirtu's development of avirtual SIM platform to enable users to extend the range of theirdevices. Movirtu's CloudPhone extends virtual mobile numbers totablets and laptops for mobile calling. A white-labelled solution,Movirtu CloudPhone allows mobile operators to extend the reachof mobile services to non-SIM devices, bringing operators’ mobilenumbers to the internet. Operators can raise revenue by providingVirtual SIMs to existing subscribers (and other operators’subscribers), from upgraded plans, and from terminating calls.Operators can also boost roaming revenues via CloudPhone,while at the same time users can benefit from reduced roamingcosts online.

Blue Maestro HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL issues are addressed by accessoriesfrom Blue Maestro (www.bluemaestro.com), which is launching uniquedevices such as Tempo, a smart temperature sensor. It has developed,also, iPacify for the baby gear market - "the world's smartest dummy".iPacify is at prototype stage, but it is a promising development, allowingparents to log when children takes medication, alongside a record ofchanges temperature (with the Tempo smart thermometer), and to usethis information to monitor health during illness and recovery.

GeoshoGEOSHO (GEOSHO.COM) PROVIDESpeople with practical tools thatexploit the benefits of location-basedinformation, digital mapping andsmartphones, helping them to learnmore about where they are sellingproducts, which properties are beingvisited, and how to place and publishstories, history, even poetry inrelation to their location. It candeliver innovative location-basedpayment authentication methodsand intuitive systems that can guidepeople's journeys across urban andrural spaces using public transport.Its intelligent location based systemscan learn from the activities of theirusers. Geosho MD Paul Sandhamspeaks on transport and connectivity,on the simplification of publictransport information systems.Geosho's system learns transportmaps and behaviours.

SOMA Analytics EVIDENCE-BASED PROGRAMMES,using mobile device, seem set toincrease employee emotionalresilience. The world's first mobileresilience programme, developedby SOMA Analytics, combats stress,particularly in workplace environments- to increase mental resilience andreduce the risk of depression,anxiety and other factors withnegative impact on productivity.The company's mental resilienceprogramme builds on two essentialpillars: turning the smartphone intoa measurement device; andpersonalised Interventions based ondata collected devices.

ETAOI Systems THE QWERTY KEYBOARD isrevamped and revolutionisedfor the mobile market by ETAOISystems (etaoisystems.com),with its 5-Tiles keyboard, whichis particularly well-suited tosmart watches. The companyclaims users of its keyboardhave achieved impressiveaverage speeds of 35-45 wordsper minute, and maximumspeeds of 109 wpm. At the 2014Mobile World Congress ETAOIwants to increase its user baseand make connections withmanufacturers and developerswho might be interested in thecommercial potential of 5-Tilesas a keyboard for smartphones,and as an interface for wearablecomputers.

SATcaseINTEGRATING TECHNOLOGIESTO ensure efficient remotecommunications with satelliteservices, the case developed bySATcase (www.satcase.com) cantransform a standard smartphoneinto a satellite phone, ensuringthat its user can communicate nomatter where in the world theyare. The device contains a 406beacon that can help SAR teamslocate people quickly andaccurately and is also capable ofreaching frequencies that can beutilised by SAR teams searchingby land, air or sea.

Peachinc A MOBILE TEXTING company, Peachinc(www.peachinc.com) allows firms to sendpromotional texts, including QR codes. Itsbiggest market is in Saudi Arabia, where itworks within the soccer industry. MobileSMS/text tickets cannot be duplicated orcounterfeited and are 100 per centsecure. Peachinc provides its customerswith the ability to sell tickets 24 hours aday, seven days a week - either online viaa custom designed website which isbranded for the customer company orthrough a local call centre.

SOMA Analytics enablesmeasurement of employees' stresslevels - including sleep patterns

LowdownINFORMATION SECURITY IS a key concernat Lowdown (www.lowdownapp.co),and the company specialises insecure information integration withpersonal scheduling informationand services. Its service,lowdownapp, keeps busyprofessionals informed, prepared,and up-to-date.

S07 CAF 1 2014 Report EA FA Cummins & Belintersat Advertorial_Layout 1 2/14/2014 10:48 AM

African broadcasters are busy working on projects related to the digital TV switchover,due to be implemented by January 2015, as the prospect of monitoring more data looms

Monitoring and migratingfor quality in the new digital era

BROADCAST Digital

THE ITU’S 2015 deadline for migrationfrom analog to digital terrestrialtelevision (DTT) is just around thecorner, and most broadcasters

globally are hard at work planning orimplementing their projects. The switchoverhas major implications for broadcaster’sQuality of Service (QoS) monitoringfunction; not least due to the increase in thenumber of services being broadcast.Broadcasters should be factoring this intotheir plans and budgets.

Although the digital migration is agovernmental-initiated policy aimed atfreeing up spectrum, it brings significantbenefits for broadcasters, allowing them tooffer the consumer:• improved picture and sound quality.• a wider choice of audio and video channels.• greater choice as to how to experience

channels (stereo vs Dolby, multiplelanguage tracks, sub titles etc).

• enhanced electronic programme guide (EPG).• teletext services with enhanced images.• a wide range of interactive services such as

e-banking, education, etc (where a returnpath exists).

Monitoring more than beforeThis means that in the post switchoverenvironment, there will be a lot more servicesto be monitored than at present. Many of theservices such as the enhanced EPG or extrasubtitles cannot be effectively monitored byhuman eyes trained on a traditional compositevideo mosaic. In fact any monitoring systemthat is dependent on having one set top box(STB) per channel and a process thatcomposites STB output into a mosaic, is not fit-for purpose in the digital TV era. This isbecause the STB’s output is only a single set ofservices such as audio channels, sub-titles, etc- so a lot of data is being lost before it even getsto the monitoring hardware.

Furthermore, analog and digitaltransmissions react differently to interferenceand so bring different monitoring challenges.Weak analog signals cause noise and degradethe quality of the image though it may still bewatchable. DTT on the other hand, suffers fromthe so-called ‘cliff effect’ whereelectromagnetic interference or a degradedtransmission can cause the picture to be either

perfect or non-existent. The implication is thata monitoring system based on visual cues isnot sufficient to understand what is going onwith a digital TV signal.

Broadcasters should be looking seriously atthe approach pioneered by Hambisana when itdeveloped its ‘Digilant’ suite of DVB monitoringproducts. That is: • use a best-of-breed DVB-to-IP encapsulator

to convert the broadcast stream into IP(rather than using set-top-boxes).

• use sophisticated software algorithms tomonitor the IP streams for out-of-boundsconditions (based on the TR101-290standards).

• use a desktop computer/console ratherthan a video wall as the primary means ofviewing and examining alerts. Thetraditional video confidence monitoringmosaic can still be provided, though using adifferent software-based approach. Whilestill useful, it isn’t strictly necessary.

Enhancing experiencesThis approach has significant advantages inthat it allows the full digital video broadcast(DVB) table to be monitored (not just what

has been pre-selected in an STB). It can gomuch deeper into the broadcast streams todetect quality problems. Furthermore itprovides the alert and status outputs in an IPformat that can be easily distributed towherever it is needed (whether at engineer ormanagement levels, via video wall, console,website or even mobile device). In addition,broadcasters can enhance the value they getfrom their investment in this eco-system byadding new functions such as loudness oradvert monitoring. Because it is a software-based approach, it can also scale as thebusiness grows.

The DTT migration promises to enhance theviewing experience for TV audiences all aroundthe world, while providing greater choice.Broadcasters are putting significant time andresources into ensuring that they deliver onthis promise. But as with any service, the onlyway to ensure they are achieving consistentlyhigh quality levels is to monitor their output. Inorder to achieve that, they need to have a QoSmonitoring approach that is appropriate for thedigital TV era. ✆

Eamonn Ryan, chief marketing officer,Hambisana

The ‘cliff effect’, where electromagnetic interference or a degraded transmission can causethe picture to be either perfect or non-existent



The research, design, development and provision of the next generation ofbroadcast infrastructure

Planning forthe 4K transition

BROADCAST4K

WHEN WE LOOK back to the dawnof consumer video, we alwayshad to choose between differentformats and brands. How many

people today remember the VHS versusBetamax home video market war?

Professional broadcasters face the samechallenges. The standard definition (SD) to highdefinition (HD) transition is still in progress.Delivery formats change, distribution of contentis more versatile than ever: terrestrial, cable,satellite, IPTV and OTT and so on.

In recent years we have witnessed theintroduction of stereoscopic television. It didn’tget the expected market share and itspopularity sharply dropped after the firstimpression of cool novelty. The lack ofmeaningful content and the constraints of theviewing environment made it something to trybut not to experience on a daily basis.

The trend now is towards 4K/UltraHDtelevision. Is it just the next buzz word or is ithere to stay?

4K/UltraHD is roughly four times the 1920 x1080 pixel resolution of HD and delivers muchbetter picture quality. It brings new challengesto the broadcast workflow: four times thestorage capacity, four times the processingpower, four times the delivery bandwidth, fourtimes the rendering time.

Progressively better broadcastsThe best thing about 4K/UHD is not just theresolution but the parameters defined in thenew ITU.R–Rec. 2020: larger colour space andprogressive-only frame rate. This delivers themuch needed update of the current Rec. 709(first approved in the early 1990s). Dealing withprogressive-only frames finally cuts theholdover from the analog broadcast use ofinterlaced video. Rec.2020 specifies - Picturetemporal characteristics: Frame frequency (Hz)120, 60, 60/1.001, 50, 30, 30/1.001, 25, 24,24/1.001. Scan mode: Progressive.

ITU.R – Rec. 2020 identifies D65 as the whitepoint of its colour space, located at [0.3127,0.3290], the same as in Rec. 709. Thedifferences are the available gamut and thefact that Rec. 709 is limited to 8-bit depth,whereas Rec. 2020 supports 10- and 12-bitdepth. This apparently equates to a 75.8 percent coverage of the CIE 1931 colour spacecompared to Rec. 709 s 35.9 per cent coverage.

Ready for the next stages?All of this indicates that the 4K/UHD is a step inthe right direction and is here to stay. Thequestion is: How soon we need to be ready tosupport 4K/UHD in our workflow? The answer isdifferent for the various stages of production,post-production, playout and delivery.

In the production case, adopting thetechnology immediately makes the mostsense. It is a cardinal rule always to makeacquisition of content at the highest possibleresolution, frame rate, etc. Variousmanufacturers offer 4K/UHD equipment whichis now widely used in modern digital cameras.Down-converted 4K is used for monitoringduring shooting due to the lack of proper 4Kmonitoring equipment.

Post-production is a little different. Storage,CPU and rendering time requirements are fourtimes higher; HD proxies are normally usedduring editing. Original material is alwaysavailable to conform the final edit when4K/UHD output is necessary. The higherresolution of the source material is very helpfulwhen compositing or if other forms of contentmanipulation are needed.

Playout is one of the most challenging stagesdue to the variety of requirements and theamounts of metadata needed to co-exist withthe media assets. Starting from the ingest part,this is a completely different task from thecamera content acquisition. Typically we ingestfrom satellite feeds or files and it is essential to

preserve all metadata embedded andaccompanying the content. Ancillary data suchas AFD, closed captioning, time code is also veryimportant because changing of formats, aspectratio and up/down conversions need to beperformed during playout. Audio languagedescriptors and loudness/true-peak informationare equally important in order to assign theaudio languages to the outputs properly and toobey the mandatory loudness requirements.

The most important characteristic of aplayout system is that it should be built on aformat agnostic engine. It must also be easy toadd new input or output plugins to handle thedesired format while the core logic remains thesame. This allows for unchanged workflowfrom a user prospective.

Such an engine can also scale charactergeneration and graphics to the neededresolution, allowing the mixing of all availablecontent in a single playlist. Re-purposing ofcontent is one of the most commonrequirements in television broadcasting and ismade possible by rescaling/frame-rate-converting HD content which can be usedtogether with native 4K/UHD content. Real-timeprocessing is essential.

Monitoring is also very important. The 4Kmonitoring solutions offered on the marketdon’t always cover the whole workflow whichneeds to include distribution of the signal tomulti-viewers for example. A flexible playoutengine can deliver different formats in parallel




BROADCAST 4K


A PROFESSIONAL CONTENT management event serving the MiddleEast, Africa and South Asia (MEASA), CABSAT has formed an alliancewith the USA’s National Association of Broadcasters Show (NAB Show),in order to collaborate on the latest trends, technologies andinnovations in the global broadcasting and media market.

The CABSAT-NAB Show conference programme has been preparedto complement a range of additional new features, technologydemonstrations, knowledge exchange platforms and themedexhibiting zones – such as the Content Delivery Hub, a sector focusedon over the top (OTT) technologies delivering ‘anywhere, anytime’

digital and video content - at CABSAT’s milestone 20th anniversaryshow, running 11-13 March at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC).

CABSAT 2014 will bring together visitors from 110 countries andmore than 900 exhibitors and will feature aspects of the broader mediaand satellite spheres including: acquisition and production;pro/broadcast audio, management systems, post-production, content and communication, distribution and delivery, satellite andcommunications and connected devices.

www.cabsat.com

CABSAT connects with NAB to boost broadcasting

and accommodate the current infrastructurefor monitoring while delivering the 4K signal.

Delivering the content to the end user isanother challenge and one which is currentlythe biggest obstacle 4k/UHD broadcast meets.The bandwidth requirements are hard toovercome in the technical and economic senseso new compression codecs like the HEVC-h.265 are expected to evolve and contribute tothe adoption of 4K.

Ready now for the futureBig worldwide TV broadcast events like the2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi and the 2016Olympic Games in Rio have been planned forbroadcasting in 4K. The Tokyo 2020 OlympicGames are planned to be broadcast in 8K.

In conclusion, the most important part ofplanning any upgrade is to future-proof theinfrastructure. During the transition period,mixed format content and metadata will need to

be used and co-exist in the same environment.Format handling and signal flow are one aspectbut equally important are the workflow changesfrom the user prospective. Adding extra stepsalways lead to issues with productivity and thenecessity for additional training which may besignificant obstacles to overcome. ✆

Plamen Georgiev, chief product officer,PlayBox Technology

THE ABS-2 SPACECRAFTcommissioned by Asia BroadcastSatellite was successfullylaunched into space recently onan Ariane ECA launch vehicle fromthe Guiana Space Center,Europe’s Space port in Kourou,French Guiana.

ABS-2 was manufactured bySpace Systems/Loral (SSL). It is ahighly sophisticated multi-mission satellite, featuring up to89 active C, Ku and Ka-bandtransponders across 10 differentbeams. ABS-2 brings unparalleledcoverage and expansion capacityat ABS’ prime location of 75

degrees East, extendingaffordable and reliablecommunications and broadcastservices to the emerging marketsof the world.

Tom Choi, CEO of ABS, said,“Our customers are lookingforward to the new capacity onABS-2 at 75E, a new state of the artsatellite serving the Easternhemisphere. The ABS-2 satellitewill significantly contributetowards our expansion plans andis part of our growth strategy toincrease the ABS satellite fleet andand becoming a global satelliteoperator in the coming years.”

ABS-2 flies from Kourou

ABS operates a fleet of five satellites, including ABS-2 - and the operator hasordered two new satellites, slated for launch in the next two years.


PROFILEBelintersat

Belarus is situated in the heart ofEurope and on the crossroads toRussia and Asia, which makes ourcountry the centre of economic life

on the Eurasian continent. Telecommunicationsis one of the most attractive areas forinvestment and innovation, in which ourcountry has succeeded lately.

The Belintersat project is the pride of oursmall but very forward-looking and ambitiouscountry, because it is a republican project withinternational potential.

Aligned to different governmental innovationsand supporting programmes in this particularsphere, a contract for a satellite project wassigned in August 2012. The construction of theBelintersat-1 satellite commenced in July 2013.The main goals underpinning the satelliteprogramme are:• Deployment and operation of the satellite

network, complementing existingcommunication networks in the Belarus.

• Implementation of advanced communicationtechnologies for the communication needs ofgovernmental and private Belarusiancompanies.

• Satellite-based sub-projects including DTHBroadcasting and VSAT services for customersin all our covering areas.

A new national broadcasting and communicationsatellite system will be based on the Belintersat-1 satellite. This communication and broadcastingsatellite will be placed at the orbital position of51.5 degrees East on a geostationary orbit andwill use a Belarusian planned orbital-frequencyresource, together with a Chinese unplannedorbital-frequency resource in this position, in

accordance with the required frequency for thesatellite polarisation plan.

Our organisation is the owner, provider and thesatellite operator for the Republic of Belarus. Wewill provide satellite resource for leasing andselling to other companies and operators.

The satellite can perform a wide range oftelecommunications services, including satellitetelevision broadcasting and satellite access tothe Internet. The launch is scheduled for the endof 2015, at the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre(PRC). The service life of the satellite isscheduled to be 15 years.General specifications of the new satellite are:Orbital position: 51.5° EOrbital tolerance: ±0.05° Payload: C-band, 20@36 MHz, CL/CR; Ku-band, 18@36 MHz, 4@54 MHz, H/VPlatform: DFH-4Power: 10150 WLifetime: 15 yearsExpected launch date: end of 2015

Together with the space segment of the satellite, aground satellite system segment will also be built,situated in Minsk region of the Republic of Belarus.

The launched satellite will have five beams,covering Asia, Africa, East and Europe, with thetotal amount of available transponders at up to44 items. In this matter, we can offer thefollowing transponders for lease on every beam.• band African beamAvailable transponders: Up to 16 x 36 MHzCircular polarizationUplink: 5,725 – 6,725 MHz, Downlink: 3,400 –4,200 MHz.• band Eastern beamAvailable transponders: Up to 12 x 36 Hz

Circular polarisationUplink: 5,725 - 6,725 HzDownlink: 3,400 – 4,200 MHz• Ku-band African beamAvailable transponders: 12 x 36 MHz Linear polarisationUplink: 14.00 – 14.50 GHzDownlink: 10.95 – 11.20 GHz• Ku-band European beamAvailable transponders: 4 x 54 MHz, 2 x 36 MHz, 4* x 36 MHzLinear polarisationUplink: 12.75 – 13.25 GHz, Downlink: 10.7 –10.95 GHz.We are open to negotiation and collaboration onany offer. We can consider offers to sell theresource not only in parts, but as a whole.

The majority of transponders are beingprovided to serve the African continent – up to16 items in both C and Ku-bands. Hence, wehave prioritised collaboration with the Africantelecommunications market.

Transponder prices have been determinedfollowing differentiated analyses of satellitemarkets. For example, the price for onetransponder in Africa before the launch of thesatellite would be approximately US$1,230,whilst the European or Asian prices vary fromUS$1,400 to US$1,700. However, the closer thelaunch date is, the higher prices will be. That’swhy 2014 and 2015 are the prime negotiatingyears for our company, to make contracts onfavourable conditions for our future long-termclients. We also have developed a system ofincentives for clients, so we can claim withconfidence that our prices are highly competitiveand one of the best among satellite operators.

To summarise, Belintersat-1 is the firstgeostationary satellite, which will provide satellitecommunications services to broadcasters, contentand Internet service providers, mobile and fixednetwork operators and business and governmentalorganisations globally.

Contact information:BELINTERSAT project220014, Belarus, Minsk, Nezavisimosti av. 86b,5th floorTel.: +375 17 2635020Fax: +375 17 2663424Mail: [email protected]: www.belintersat.com

Follow Belintersat on: LinkedIn, google+,SlideShare


Get your placein the space!



EQUIPMENT

32

GL COMMUNICATIONS INC offers complete end-to-end communications networklab solutions to cover 2G, 3G, and 4G operations. Speaking to reporters,Jagdish Vadalia, senior manager for product development at GL, said, “GLsupports a wide range of wireless network simulators, which provide reliableintegrated solutions to vendors and service providers for testing, simulation,monitoring and troubleshooting 2G, 3G and 4G mobile networks. Thesenetworks can be invaluable for protocol characterisation and testing,performance measurement, and training.”

GL's MAPS™ 2G, 3G, and 4G Lab Suite, along with radio access elements, areused to provide an advanced full-fledged network environment that enablestesting of applications, devices and services prior to deployment on a real-timenetwork. The test suite can be used to simulate all or specific elements withinwireless networks infrastructure using simple ready-to-use test bed setups.The test systems allow for simultaneous execution of various test cases acrossnetworks. It also allows for performance and conformance testing compliantwith 3GPP standards.

GL’s MAPS™ (Message Automation and Protocol Simulation) platform helps inthe implementation of end-to-end wireless core network lab solutions. With theintegration of third party tools for radio access network, and widely availablemobile phones, the entire wireless network can be operated in real-time.

MAPS™ can be used in many configurations depending on the device ornetwork under test. Scenarios include:• Single interface test setup, where a single interface can be tested using MAPS™.• Multi interface test setup, where DUTs over different interfaces can be

tested simultaneously using a single MAPS™.• Wrap around test setup, in which vendors can test their DUT by replacing all

the nodes interacting with the device with appropriate MAPS™ products.

According to Vadalia, MAPS™ is dongle based licensed software supporting avariety of protocols under a common architecture. Complementing thesimulation capability in MAPS™, is GL’s PacketScan™, an all-in-one call signallingand traffic monitoring tool, which can be used to capture and analyse signalling

and data in a live network across any IP interface.GL’s MAPS™ 2G Lab System can be used to simulate multiple instances of

nodes in network such as MSC, BSS, SGSN, and GGSN to perform functional andload/stress testing.

MAPS™ 3G Lab System can be used to simulate a complete 3G UMTS network,allowing various network elements testing including RNC, MSC, SGSN, GGSN,Home NodeB, Home NodeB Gateway, and NodeB. The possible simulationincludes both User Plane and Control Plane; circuit-switched voice and packet-switched data traffic simulation, resembling real user activity (like web-browsing).

MAPS™ 4G Lab System for LTE can be used to simulate both E-UTRAN andEPC (Evolved Packet Core) allowing complete testing of the LTE network.

MAPS™ 2G, 3G, 4G Lab Systems features include:• Perform end-to-end testing supporting Mobile-to-Mobile simulation, HTTP

Web Access simulation, and Mobile-to-PSTN simulation (GSM GPRS NetworkLab).

• Perform end-to-end testing to simulate Mobile-to-Mobile Call Scenario andHTTP Web Access simulation (UMTS Network Lab).

• Perform end-to-end testing supporting HTTP Web Access simulation (LTENetwork Lab).

• Virtual real-time network simulation.• Using network elements with user's DUT to perform single interface, multi-

interface, or wrap-around testing.• Easily handle complex scenarios, such as handovers.• Generated and validate packet data traffic using GTP Mobile Traffic modules

within MAPS™ GPRS products (ETH101, ETH102, ETH103).• Circuit switched traffic can be generated and recorded using RTP

application.• Supports Circuit Switched Fallback scenario (LTE Network Lab).

For more information, contact:Shelley Sharma at [email protected]

SOUTH AFRICA IS a nation in 'digital chaos' with only sheer luck preventing us fromlosing precious personal photos, videos and files - according to digital storagecompany WD, which recently released results of a study that found that SouthAfricans store personal files on no fewer than 14 electronic or storage devices, with60 per cent never backing up a single item of data.Carried out amongst 1,000 South African adult respondents, the study wasconducted to celebrate the launch of WD's new family of personal cloud storagesolutions, My Cloud, and found that although 89 per cent South Africans claim theyare organised in their daily lives, the complete opposite could be said for theirdigital footprint.The research found that South Africans keep files on a plethora of devices -including mobile phones, tablets, laptops, personal computers, and USB sticks. Ofthose that do not back up, 40 per cent blamed their busy schedule and 15 per centsaid they cannot be bothered. With many having a personal reluctance to bedigitally organised, 50 per cent of parents have even admitted they'd rather paytheir children to back up their files for them rather than go through the hassle ofdoing it themselves. Organising parents' digital content is the new householdchore - replacing the traditional pocket money earner of gardening work andcleaning the car, which ranked in third and second place respectively.Although South Africans are digital scatterbrains, it appears they fare slightlymore favorably compared to their European counterparts. Of the five European

countries involved in the study, Spain was cited as the most digitally -disorganised using sixteen devices - with the Germans and Italians not farbehind with fifteen each.Anamika Budree, sales manager for WD branded products in South Africa, said,"Years ago, people would get their photos developed and organise them in familyphoto albums, but now we are a nation in digital chaos with only good fortunepreventing us from losing files and photos forever. With almost one in five SouthAfricans admitting they don’t know how to back up their all important data, thenew My Cloud personal cloud device not only enables people to organise their datain one place and on one device, but also means that it can be accessed anywherein an instant, making sharing with friends and family easier than ever before."

The My Cloud family of personal cloud solutions from WD enables file accessanywhere, anytime using mobile and desktop apps

Equipped to deal with South Africa's digital culture

GL’s end-to-end wireless network LAB solutions - for 2G, 3G,and 4G


“South Africans keep precious digital fileson 14 different devices, with more than 60per cent never backing up”

S08 CAF 1 2014 Equipment_Layout 1 2/14/2014 10:56 AM


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MOBILE VENDORS AND operators are coming together to presentdevelopments in the mobile industry, through insightful presentationsfrom industry leaders and exciting presentrations at Open MobileAlliance (OMA) demonstration day, taking place on 26 February atMobile World Congress 2014. Highlights include a life size automotiveconsole, multiple Android devices and the widely speculated GoogleGlass platform.

Presenting the wireless value chainAlongside presentations from OMA board chairman Gary K Jones andOMA technical plenary chairman Francesco Vadalà, keynotepresentations come from ARM, Comverse, GS1, the Open GeospatialConsortium (OGC), Red Bend Software and Telecom Italia. Visitors gainan exclusive preview into up and coming technologies across the entirewireless value chain, some of which are not yet commercially available.

“We are excited to once again return to Mobile World Congress anddemonstrate how OMA Enablers are driving developments in the mobileindustry and ultimately how this is enabling broader adoption anddelivering open specifications for the Internet of Everything,” said SethNewberry, general manager of the Open Mobile Alliance.

GS1 are hosting their exciting Google Glass demo, to show the powerof barcodes on product packaging to receive nutritional information,recipes, coupons and the ability to share the information on socialmedia websites. Cameron Green, B2C Director at GS1 are highlightinghow OMA standards are critical in enabling a vision of the connectedconsumer of the future whose shopping trip and product usage areaugmented with trusted information and services.

“Consumers are increasingly using mobile devices to research andpurchase products. GS1 and OMA standards will allow more consumersto access accurate and trusted product information to help them withtheir daily lives,” said John Phillips, SVP customer supply chain andlogistics at PepsiCo.

Roger Ordman, director of product marketing for Red Bend Software,is presenting the challenges that car manufacturers are encountering

from the convergence of the mobile and automotive industries,specifically in managing the multitude of software elements in the car.Roger shows that using OMA Device Management (OMA-DM) andspecifically the Software Component Management Object (SCOMO)Enabler will allow the complex automotive industry to manage thesesoftware elements throughout the lifecycle of the car.

M2M is the focus for discussion by Zach Shelby, director oftechnology for the ARM Internet of Things Business Unit. Zach was thefounder of Sensinode, which was acquired by ARM in 2013 and has beenan active participant in defining the OMA Lightweight M2M (LWM2M)Enabler and shares insights into the world of M2M and the need forstandardisation to support the projected growth of this market.

Gil Kazes, domain expert - digital and VAS services from Comverse,focuses on interoperability among a wide variety of legacy systems, andthe convergence of those systems with new IP based services andtechnologies. An important point to note is that the primary goal is toenhance user experience and the operator’s ability to buildcomprehensive communications systems.

George Percivall, chief engineer of the Open Geospatial Consortium(OGC), concentrates on the latest developments in location-basedservices (LBS) in an exciting presentation, looking at how OGC and otherstandards developing organisations are co-operatively developingspecifications that raise overall industry capabilities across differingmobile networks, platforms, and devices.

Camillo Carlini, wireless devices innovation manager at TelecomItalia, along with Luigi Carabiniere, executive chairman at 0infinito, areset on a debate of current concern - around ‘Are Smartphones (still) avertical industry? Or is Standardisation progressing?’ They look, also, atnew initiatives for smartphone openness and developer engagement.Telecom Italia’s demonstration supports this presentation and includesdemonstration of an innovative smartphone development device whichaims at maximising the user’s quality of experience (QoE) and theexploitation of next generation wireless networks, through the new OMAframework Generic Open Terminal API.

Presenting the OMA’s pioneering industry concepts


The OMA attracts significant interest from forward-thinking commercial entities such as Telecom Italia and Comverse, and from professionals interested inimproving their technical expertise



EQUIPEMENT

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LA RÉUNION DU Groupe d'experts de l'UIT sur lesTIC vertes a abouti à la mise au point de nouvellesnormes de chargeur universel écologique pour lesordinateurs portables et d'autres équipementsportables (Recommandation UIT-T L.1002) et d'unenorme de batterie écologique pour les téléphonesintelligents et d'autres équipements TIC portables(Recommandation UIT-T L.1010). En outre, lesexperts ont convenu d'une méthode normalisée queles fabricants pourront utiliser pour indiquer laquantité de métaux rares contenue dans leursproduits TIC (Recommandation UIT-T L.1101), ce quipermettra d'améliorer l'efficacité des programmesde recyclage. Élaboré dans le but précis de réduireles déchets d'équipements électriques etélectroniques et d'accroître les possibilitésd'utilisation, la Recommandation UIT-T L.1002 estune norme internationale d'adaptateur depuissance universel pour les dispositifs portables, ycompris pour les ordinateurs de type "notebook",qui complète la toute nouvelle spécificationtechnique 62700/Ed1 de la CEI, en y ajoutant uncertain nombre d'exigences sur le plan écologique.Par exemple, la norme de l'UIT traite de l'efficacitéénergétique et de la réduction des émissions degaz à effet de serre, définit des exigences en

matière d'écoconception, d'immunité et deconsommation d'énergie en l'absence de charge etoptimise l'utilisation des matières premières rares.Elle fait fond sur les Recommandations UIT-T L.1000et UIT-T L.1001 très utiles qui portentrespectivement sur les téléphones mobiles et lesdispositifs fixes (par exemple, les modems xDSL),dont les premières versions ont été adoptées parl'UIT en 2009 et 2012. Ces normes pourraientpermettre d'éviter la production de 300 000 tonnesde déchets d'équipements électriques etélectroniques par an selon une étude UIT/GeSIréalisée par l'Université de Gênes.A l'occasion de cette même réunion, lesexperts de l'UIT-T ont également adoptéla Recommandation UIT-T L.1005,contenant une suite de tests complètepermettant de vérifier la conformité àla Recommandation UIT-T L.1000, qui estla norme de chargeur universel pour lestéléphones portables. Cette suite a étéélaborée conformément à la Directive duParlement européen concernant les

équipements hertziens, selon laquelle tous lestéléphones mobiles doivent être compatibles avecun chargeur universel (cliquez ici pour en savoirplus).Selon Hamadoun I. Touré, Secrétaire général del'UIT, "Les solutions normalisées constitueront unemanière essentielle de remédier au problème deplus en plus complexe des déchets d'équipementsélectriques et électroniques, en particulier dans lespays en développement, comme le souligne lerapport publié la semaine dernière par l'InitiativeStEP des Nations Unies, qui prévoit une

augmentation de 33% du volume global desdéchets d'équipements électriques et

électroniques au cours des quatreprochaines années".L'UIT est partenaire de l'initiativemulti-parties prenantes StEP, quivise à résoudre le problème desdéchets d'équipements électriqueset électroniques en prônant un

changement de politiqueet de conception,

la réutilisationet lerecyclage.

Mise au point d'un chargeur universel pour ordinateur portable et d'une batterie écologique

Company .................................................................................... page

Anritsu A/S ........................................................................................5

ArabSat ............................................................................................16

EEC (Engineering Enterprises Construction)....................................21

GL Communications Inc. ..................................................................19

Liquid Telecommunications ..............................................................7

MEASAT Satellite Systems Sdn Bhd..................................................2

THAICOM Public Company Ltd. ......................................................35

Vodacom Pty Ltd ..............................................................................36

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