Telecom giant rolls out new platform

The advent of wireless technology has given birth to an innovative concept known as Internet of Things (IoT). This concept adopts the use of wireless technology to control devices.

Mobile telephone networks (MTN), Africa’s largest telecoms company, has decided to take advantage of the Internet of Things (IoT) concept, by rolling out its unique platform.

This platform referred to as a PAN-African Internet of Things (IoT) platform, was launched in South-Africa.

Mobile telephone networks (MTN) says this is the future of device interaction. Adding that this open network will encourage the connection of devices, thereby forming a network of independent machines that can exchange information and interact without any form of human intervention.

Mteto Nyati, Group Chief Enterprise Officer of MTN said “To ensure a seamless customer experience for our customers, wherever MTN has presence, the IoT platform has a dedicated network, separate from the consumer network, for operational and business systems support. As a result, the platform is dedicated to managing all MTN’s machine-to-machine functions.”

Nyati said 'In South Africa, the wholesale Machine-2-Machine (M2M) market, one aspect of IoT, is already worth an estimated R350 million and expected to grow to R1.2 billion by 2017. This means there are significant business opportunities for aspiring developers in South Africa and the rest of the continent.'