info.afrindex.com
China-Africa Trade Information Service
info.afrindex.com
China-Africa Trade Information Service
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Industry 4.0 has arrived and will trigger an unprecedented wave of innovation in the Middle East and Africa (MEA).
Industry 4.0 merges operational, information and communication technologies with cyber-physical systems, enabled by advanced wireless communication and industrial Internet of Things (IoT) services. This digital and wireless transformation will be powered by 5G networks, which have the potential to drive economic growth in the region like no previous generation of mobile technology.
For example, the security, high speeds, low latency and massive number of connections in 5G networks will support smart city and agriculture transformation in many countries in the Middle East and Africa. This will enable new revenue streams from IoT and industrial applications, and accelerate digitalization.
Agriculture 4.0 will particularly transform both the demand side and the value chain/supply side of the food-scarcity equation, using technology to address the real needs of consumers.
The UAE already uses the SCADA system, which combines up-to-date, real-time data from weather stations with data from soil moisture and salinity sensors.
The Middle East and Africa region is also the world's largest centre for mineral mining (diamond, phosphate, gold) and for oil and gas operations. The domain choice of IoT connectivity for these industries will be 5G.
An interesting case study in this area is the Boliden Aitik mine in Sweden. The application of 5G-enabled automation reduces costs by 1%, with communications being the key enabler. For the Aitik mine alone, carrying out drilling and blasting using automation shows an annual €2.5 million net saving. This illustrates the potential for similar operations in MEA and other regions.
Chinese tech investors are turning towards MENA. Here's why Key drivers for immediate 5G deployment include increased network capacity, lower cost per gigabyte and new use case requirements. The majority of the 5G subscriptions in the MEA are expected to come from advanced ICT markets like Saudi Arabia, UAE and Qatar while in Africa, considerable momentum is building in South Africa.
Adopting circular-economy approaches has the potential to reduce global emissions from industry by 45% by 2050. Globally, heavy industries such as steel, aluminum, cement and plastic production can reduce emissions by 50% using current technologies and efficiencies.
5G is the backbone that can make it all work, both in the Middle East and Africa as well as across the globe, driving economic value from enhanced mobile broadband to digital industry to combating climate change. In turn, that will require an ecosystem of technology, regulatory, security and industry partners to deliver on the potential.
