Amid unfounded global fears of health risks, leading global provider of information and communications technology infrastructure and smart devices, Huawei, has teamed up with the major mobile operators in South Africa to roll out 5G technology.
But while the roll-out of 5G – driven largely by service providers MTN, Vodacom and rain – has gained pace in the country’s major cities like Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town, rural areas have to wait a little longer.
The Global System for Mobile Communications), which represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide, says the 4G LTE technology will remain the primary mobile network until 2025.
But Huawei reckons that LTE and 5G complement each other and evolve in parallel, acknowledging it is going to take a while before 5G provides nationwide continuous coverage. While Huawei has a solid footprint in South Africa, it has also laid a strong foundation throughout Africa, building a substantial portion of Africa’s wireless sites and 3G/4G high-speed mobile broadband networks and fibre networks.
Huawei has scored a number of firsts on the continent, building Africa’s first 3G contract in Mauritius in 2004, the first 4G network in Namibia in 2012, launching Africa’s first 4.5G test in Namibia in 2016, and taking part in Africa’s first commercial 5G network launches.
Amid the conspiracy theories, including over whether 5G causes Covid-19, without factual evidence, some may have escaped the more solid factual examples of what the technology can actually do.
Firstly, it is about reaching consumers cost-effectively – and ensuring more people have access to it.
According to Huawei Carrier chief technology officer Paul Scanlan, when building a base station the biggest cost is the construction but as 5G components are more compact, the base stations are less expensive to build, which means coverage is broader and more affordable.
“Customers then get a better service, at less cost. In this way, we continue to narrow the digital divide that deprives poor people of opportunities,” he says.
Already, says Scanlan, in regions where 5G has been rolled out, there has been significant growth in data services and the explosion of connected devices.
Boosting the effectiveness of 5G is its significant advantage over 4G on the time it takes to send information from one point to another – 5G provides quicker responses and more precise communication without lags.
But speed is not the only weapon in its arsenal. The technology can play a key role in farming, for example, via remote monitoring, which, enabled by the greater speeds of 5G, can also support more precise management of agriculture. In the fish farming space it would be used for monitoring and measuring fish to ensure the optimum feeding schedules. For crop farming, 5G connectivity allows measurement of soil nutrients and satellite monitoring of fields to warn when and how to apply fertiliser and pesticides for the best possible crop yields.
Given the challenges of climate change, this could be beneficial to the agric-sector.
In mining, the faster connectivity of 5G means mines can now be run using automated vehicles and machinery, managed remotely.
While the unions may have something to say about this, automation promises fewer accidents, loss of lives, and greater efficiency.
Already one has witnessed the novelty of 3D printing, a consequence of 5G connectivity, which adds another dimension to the untapped opportunities of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, ensuring people can print on demand.
Far from being a hindrance, Scanlan says 5G’s greater speed and efficiency also carries sustainability benefits for the planet and for society, as it enhances efficiencies in the use of scarce resources.
He believes true benefits for countries lie not in the selling of network licences, but in the economic enabling factor that 5G represents, not to mention its greater impact in the health, education and agriculture spheres.
“Doctors and specialists can now practise remotely, thanks to the precision and accuracy of 5G connectivity, conducting more consultations over great distances, without patients even having to leave home. Surgeons can perform operations using remote robotics to connect with the most skilled professionals in the world,” he adds.
The finding of vaccines and treatments for the Covid-19 pandemic are already being enhanced by the capabilities of 5G to gather huge amounts of data, process it and share it with specialists around the world.
“Where previously, the research, testing approvals and distribution of vaccines might have taken a decade, now we can have Covid-19 vaccines within a year,” said Scanlan.
“We’re only able to do that because we can access and process information more quickly thanks to greater connectivity.”
Another efficiency opportunity of 5G lies in the smart cities space, as faster, more precise connectivity using the vast amounts of data generated by IoT allows more precise management of traffic, water, energy and services.
As cities become more efficient, the economic benefits will flow to businesses and individuals.
If one reaches the masses, especially in rural parts of South Africa, with the speed of 5G, only then would the amazing benefits of 4IR and the new technology reach all citizens.
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Sunday Independent