Smart Lab hosted the 4th episode of Corporate UnWind event series on 10th September, with the topic, ‘Is Tanzania ready for 5G?’. We conducted an interactive online session with over 260 attendees. We had a prestigious panel of leaders in the telecommunication industry. The panelists were:

• Sadath Kalolo - Head of Tele-Traffic Management at TCRA
• John Sicilima - Chief Business Officer at Tigo
• Nguvu Kamando - Director of Digital Services at Vodacom
• Cecil Francis - Director of Technical & Operations at TTCL
• Amani Keenja - Projects Director at Helios Towers
• Frank Noel - Head of Performance Engineering at Helios Towers

Here is a summary of the session and what the panelists talked about;

The importance of 5G. The difference between 5G and the previous generation wireless networks is that it provides more connectivity, high speed, and superior reliability. 5G is just like super-duper wifi with enhanced broadband. With 5G, there will be an improved user experience and productivity due to the faster response time of applications. 

Technological advancements. For the first time in the mobile technology industry, 5G will support mission-critical services, such as autonomous vehicles and telemedicine, which is not possible with 4G. There will be changes in the devices we use to support 5G, not only smartphones and laptops but also cars, refrigerators, and others, enabling automation and bandwidth allocation.

Increased opportunities for innovation. This will also open opportunities for innovators to invent and do more. 5G brings more opportunities to do more business. A recent study has estimated that 5G will open up a cumulative bucket of 31 trillion US dollars in the global market in the next ten years. Innovators should take this opportunity and identify their sandbox and sector they would want to focus on e.g, agriculture, education, health care, logistics, depending on a businesses’ strengths.

Digital economy transformation. 5G will transform our economy into a digital economy, a move that the government is driving through reviewing policies and regulatory frameworks, licensing, and favourable taxes for service providers. Also, the government will ensure the exercising of best international practices that will bring a more significant impact to our country and economy at large.

Smart Lab hopes to keep engaging corporates, startups, students, learning institutions, investors, and tech enthusiasts through initiatives of the like for the growth of the innovation ecosystem in Tanzania. 

Did you miss this insightful session? Hear more from the panelists as they answer the question of whether Tanzania is ready for 5G.  https://bit.ly/3mqPsu7

Smart Lab is an innovation platform that links startups and learning institutions with corporate partners to empower groundbreaking solutions that will impact communities.