Johannesburg — HUAWEI and Altron, the Johannesburg Stock Exchange-listed technology company, have partnered to deliver tangible and real Internet of Things (IoT) solutions for businesses in Africa.
The two companies announced a global partnership in an IoT ecosystem on Wednesday.
Mteto Nyati, the Altron Group Chief Executive, emphasised on the need to develop more IoT solutions that are relevant to the African market.
Among such solutions are smart electricity and water meters, which would automatically transmit consumption data to municipalities from homes, enabling them to bill customers without a physical inspection.
Nyati said beverage companies could benefit from using fridges that provide data about location, repair and service requirements.
"We want to see smart waste bins that monitor waste levels which leads to better waste management and streamlined pickup schedules. Our partnership with Huawei will enable us to offer these solutions in our market," Nyati said.
Fan Wen, the Huawei South Africa Chief Executive, said the company's more than 80 000 research and development engineers would work with Altron technical experts in designing market-leading smart solutions that harness IoT and were not vulnerable to cyber fraud.
Altron's technicians and engineers will be upskilled through Huawei Technologies' Johannesburg Open Lab facility, which offers an environment that promotes creative thinking and innovation where the combined teams of technicians and engineers will jointly design solutions together.
"Together we will make IoT deliver business value to our joint customers," Wen said.
