Tech4Africa Johannesburg 2015

This talk reveals what African consumers expect from a digital experience across categories. We report on a study amongst South African, Nigerian and Kenyan consumers to establish the digital expectation commonalities and differences when engaging with different sectors. We answer questions such as: are consumers more concerned about safety of information in the area of social networking or digital finances? Which sector has the highest consumer expectations of being device agnostic? In so doing, the presentation serves as a guide for digital service providers to assist in developing offerings that truly meet the digital consumer’s expectations.

The Internet has become a powerful engine for improving quality of life and changing the way people connect. Online accessibility empowers greater access to education, share of voice and access to new markets among other benefits. However, only 3 billion out of the 7.3 billion people in the world have access to the Internet and in South Africa around half the population doesn’t have access. The increase in data traffic is outgrowing the mobile infrastructure, data is expensive and literacy is still low in many areas. How is Opera together with its partners working to create services and technology to help overcome these challenges?

The Future Of Telecommunications: A Paradigm Shift Into The Unknown

Jatin will be discussing the future of communications pertaining to new trends, new technologies and the migration to cloud services within the mobile arena. Hot topics such as the price of data, mobile termination rates and the death of the smartphone contract will be explored. Consumer insights will also be discussed as the telecommunications industry is primarily driven by the wallets of their customers. The industry is clearly set for an unsustainable path as there are many interrelated factors in play. These include migration to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), the emergence of new telecom players and the upcoming price wars. Telecommunications all over the world, including South Africa, has become a volatile and unpredictable entity that is on the cusp of transformation. This is what makes telecoms such an exciting industry to be in. Anything is possible, and he certainly wants to be part of it by sharing his research and expertise to ensure a better future for all."

The greatest equalizer in the world is Internet Access. Small businesses in Africa can reach the world through this medium. DataWind has the solution to make the internet free to millions of Africans and billions of people in the developing world and has already started implementing this solution in parts of Africa and India. We’ll review the Impact that that the internet, and low cost PC's are having on education and commerce in the developing world.

WeThinkCode_ is a new kind of peer-to-peer tech institution launching in Johannesburg in 2016, dedicated to transforming technology education in order to bridge the gap between undeveloped talent and the desperate IT skills shortage in South Africa. The magic of WeThinkCode_ lies in its selection criteria that enable us to source high potential programmers in the most unexpected pool of young talent. 

The Internet Poverty Myth
Several years after the arrival of the Internet, and increasing inclusivity, Johan Nel begs the question: What has the Internet really meant for South Africans? Will bringing the Internet to the unconnected in townships and rural South Africa really bring wealth with it?