Both the corporate world and public bodies are becoming aware that the key to creating a truly ‘smart’ city is by engaging with the user, ensuring that the citizen is engaged and integrated within the city – using it in a way that is personalised to them.
Google and BT Sport bet on Ericsson to deliver next-generation entertainment
Ericsson has brokered a deal with Google and BT sport who are betting on the company to deliver the next-generation of entertainment with its latest technologies.
As part of the deal, Ericsson will be extending the reach of its MediaFirst TV Platform into the Android TV ecosystem. MediaFirst is a cloud-based platform which enables the creation, preparation, management and delivery of pay-TV services to any screen.
The integration of Ericsson MediaFirst TV Platform with Android TV will provide an additional pathway to extend MediaFirst cloud-based TV services, including 4K-UHD live TV channels, video-on-demand, catch-up TV and cloud DVR to an even wider subscriber base.
“By expanding our range of set-top box options, we are giving Ericsson MediaFirst TV customers the opportunity to deliver cutting-edge, large-scale video services and respond to the surge in adoption of smart devices, broadband connectivity and cloud-based delivery,” said Shiva Patibanda, Head of Business Line TV Platforms, Ericsson. “Our partnership with Google will empower operators of all sizes and resources to take control and leverage multiple monetisation and partnership opportunities offered by Android TV, enabling them to deliver experiences to their audiences that fully integrate their Pay TV services with Android TV applications and OTT services.”
With a recent ConsumerLab research from Ericsson indicating that 56 percent of consumers prefer to receive TV, internet and mobile services from the same provider, if it saves money, and 22 percent will do so even if it costs as much as the sum of the individual services, the integration of MediaFirst with Android TV will help to deliver a one-stop-shop for OTT content.
Ericsson’s deal with BT Sport helps the entertainment giant bring even more cutting-edge sports coverage through integration with Ericsson’s Piero Augmented Reality service – the first company to sign up for it.
Piero will enable broadcasters to overlay 3D graphics in real-time during live studio productions and sports games. BT Sport COO Jamie Hindhaugh said: “We’re always looking to enhance and improve the quality of our coverage and presentation and are excited to be working with Ericsson and to be the first to use Piero Augmented Reality, we think this brand new technology will enhance our coverage and analysis and ultimately the viewer experience.”
Analysing why 5G will deliver enhanced mobile internet experiences
The next generation of wireless communications will apply 5G technologies, and demand for service offerings is evolving slowly. The very first discussions about 5G started in 2012, and in 2013 NTT DoCoMo considered the possibility of deploying 5G in time for the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.
Moreover, Verizon announced last year at the CTIA show that it has a progressive 5G plan — with first commercial deployments anticipated in 2017.
5G Service Market Development
According to the latest worldwide study by IHS Markit, 5G will come in two waves: first, sub-6GHz in 2017, followed by the real 5G at higher spectrum bands in 2020. Sub-6GHz spectrum is not new: it’s where existing wireless communications already coexist.
However, IHS believes that mobile network service providers in the 5G race are struggling to find compelling use cases that substantially benefit from the proposed International Telecommunication Union (ITU) IMT-2020 standard.
Insights from the IAD Summit courtesy of the Conference Chair Dr Madan Rao
IAD Summit review from the conference chair
1. PROGRAMME SPONSOR IAD Summit Programme Analysis IADS 2016: Africa moves from ‘emergent’ to ‘scale’ stage in ICT agendas Digital technology is being widely acknowledged not just as a ‘vertical’ sector in its own right, but also as a ‘horizontal’ sector enabling all other domains ranging from education and entertainment to business and social development. Many African countries are now poised to move from ‘emergent’ stage of digital adoption to ‘scale’ stage of rapid and widespread growth, as discussed by many of the 75 speakers at the recent 14th annual Innovation Africa Digital Summit. Held in Abuja by Extensia, the flagship industry event drew 500 attendees from 45 countries, including over 35 African countries. For three days, across 36 keynotes and panels as well as six workshops, the speakers and audience debated issues of national policy, stakeholder alignment, digital infrastructure and emerging business models. Digital Africa – by numbers According to figures cited by a number of speakers, Internet penetration in Africa accounts for 167 million users, or 16 per cent of the population. The smartphone penetration is at 67 million phones, and the Internet contribution to Africa’s GDP is $18 billion. The Top Five countries of Africa in terms of number of Internet users are Nigeria, Egypt, Morocco, Kenya and South Africa. 341 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa live 50 km beyond fibre optic nodes. Hence the need for better industry-government cooperation, enabling policies, and pro-active strategies.
2. PROGRAMME SPONSOR Studies have indicated that countries which have a national broadband strategy (NBS) usually have an average of 9% higher fixed broadband penetration rate than those that do not have NBS, as well as 19% higher wireless broadband penetration rate than those that do not have NBS. Internet penetration also boosts trade. World trade represents about 30% of global GDP, up from 20% in the early days of the Internet; it is not just MNCs but SMEs that are also tapping e-commerce to go global. Regional strategies A number of regional strategies are emerging to boost Africa’s digital dividends. ECOWAS has 15 member states, populated by 300 million people. ICT will play a major role in regional integration, but calls for harmonisation of national ICT policies. Cooperation will be needed between submarine and terrestrial network players, as well as in spectrum allocation – especially for the landlocked countries. More collaboration is needed to tackle issues like rising cybercrime, eg. via capacity building and setting up of CERTs. The ACE initiative will soon connect 24 Africa countries, up from 18 today. Seven countries are now served for the first time by a high bandwidth cable system, eg. Liberia, Mauritania. A number of Asian countries are active in the region as well. The Pan African e-Network project between India and the African Union offers online access to telemedicine and e- learning. ZTE is extending its smart city experiences from China to Africa. Innovation ecosystems African startups making a mark include Ushahidi, Andela and BudgIT.
3. PROGRAMME SPONSOR incubation, along with support for pre-incubation and community incubation. A stronger IP culture is needed for successful commercialisation. Innovation models based on hubs and clusters will add a local flavour to African innovation, along with ties to global hubs like Silicon Valley. For example, AfriLabs connects 40 technology innovation hubs in 20 African countries. Hybrid models will be needed to spur venture capital flows in the region. Technology provider MainOne is supporting investment initiatives such as the Lagos Angel Network. Risk management The ICT sector is not without its unique brand of risk, which includes cybercrime, phone thefts, spam, scams, viruses and fraudulent transactions.The health sector in Africa is also ripe for transformation via ICTs and entrepreneurship, via initiatives such as the Biomedical Engineering Innovation & Entrepreneurship Programme supported by UNECA.
4. PROGRAMME SPONSOR Bulk SMS services have been used to monitor polio initiatives in Nigeria and share knowledge alerts, eg. in areas like vaccine tracking. CSR initiatives of operators like MTN Nigeria are notable examples of inclusive digital strategies by major continental players. National showcases A range of showcases of national ICT advancement were presented at IADS 2016.
2016 Future-Sat Africa Summit
4 – 6 October 2016 Addis Ababa – Ethiopia
Future-Sat Africa will enable governments, user groups and industries to address spectrum, regulatory, commercial and other public-policy priorities in order to enable more effective delivery of next-generation satellite innovations in Africa. Governments and private-sector enterprises in Africa have recognised the benefits of ICT as a key enabler of services, engagement and socio-economic development. It is also well documented that while great strides have been made in fibre, wireless and mobile deployments, satellite remains an essential component of the end to end solution.