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With the increased interest in adoption and growth in the number of connected “things” across Africa, the Internet of Things (IoT) has the potential to transform business operations and maximise efficiency across all sectors.
According to Tony Smallwood, Vodacom’s Executive Head of IoT, “IoT drives digital transformation, helping businesses to remain relevant in today’s digital world. Overall, 63 percent of adopters say they have seen “significant” ROI from adopting IoT”.
Smallwood revealed this during his keynote address on understanding IoT applications in strengthening digital business in Nigeria at the recently concluded NigeriaCom ICT Leaders Forum.
By 2020, more than seven billion people and businesses, and over 30 billion devices, will be connected to the internet. The question is no longer about the adoption of IoT but rather its application to drive business success. “We have an ecosystem of partners who specialise in specific aspects of IoT integration, who have deep knowledge in their respective industries. In collaboration with our partners we are able to easily integrate an entire value chain for our customers, small or big”, Smallwood explains.
From Consumer goods, to Finance, Energy and Utilities, Manufacturing, Agriculture and Health, there is no industry that has not been impacted by the potential of the Internet of Things.
IoT solutions securely provide a view of critical systems, keeping businesses in control and reducing costs across all operations. Linking almost any type of remote machine or devices to critical information systems and collating real-time data can help to increase visibility throughout the supply chain. Vodacom’s IoT solutions support wireless payment devices and e-readers, energy usage and smart metering, chilling cabinets, goods and remote asset monitoring systems and community health management solutions.
Vodacom Business (Africa) Nigeria, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Vodacom Group, is a leading pan-African corporate connectivity and telecommunications provider. The Company provide services to the continent’s largest businesses in sectors including oil and gas, retail, banking, mining, distribution, and tourism; helping them stay connected across Africa, and to the rest of the world.
Our core infrastructure connects over 580 million people, across more than 40 African countries and includes over 50 satellite transponders, 24 dedicated teleports and access to multiple sub-sea cable landing ports. By utilizing on-the-ground support, we provide system integration and maintenance, high-speed Internet services, pan-African data networks, Cloud and Hosting Solution, wireless broadband and international VPNs, Enterprise Voice and Internet of Things (IoT).
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