As urbanisation rises, cities need to seek ways of leveraging the power of technology and connectivity to cater for the demands of this increasing urban population, stimulate the growth of businesses and ensure that available resources are managed more efficiently.

The increasing population in cities makes the case for affordable, inclusive, connected smart cities which can truly harness the benefits of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, says MTN Business information and communication technology GM Sudipto Moitra.

Digital innovation and enhanced mobile network connectivity, with foundations in ecosystems such as the Internet of Things (IoT), sensors, artificial intelligence and Big Data, are providing the key building blocks for smarter, more integrated cities and businesses.

This comes as the steady flow of people into cities rises, with more than half of South Africa’s population now urbanised. Up to 64% of South Africans are living in the country’s urban centres and the supply of housing, roads, clean running water and sanitation are being stretched to the limit.

Future smart cities will use technology innovations like IoT to ensure that valuable data is accessed and collected across the entire value chain, and these insights will be used to manage assets, services and resources far more efficiently, he says.

If all this new data is captured, processed and aggregated, it will provide useful information through data analytics and drive better decision-making and create solutions to address complex business challenges.

Pockets of smart technology are already being deployed, Moitra says, pointing to digital traffic updates in some cities and smart solutions implemented for water, electricity and other municipal services.

The deployment of high-performing networks such as fifth-generation (5G) will also unlock an “infinite world of possibilities”, where technology will serve as a gateway for the provision of a plethora of services for the growing urban populace.

The recent launch by MTN of its expansive 5G network, which will reach 100 sites across the country, is an indicator of just how real this opportunity is, with the subsequent solutions set to bring about exponential improvements to the economy and to the lives of people, he says.

5G has become a critical launchpad for further innovation to develop smarter, more integrated cities.

Moitra comments that businesses will gain greater efficiency in their operations, resulting in better service to customers through smart city applications.

Enhanced traffic management, for example, will yield improved delivery times for logistics firms and online retailers, while smart lighting may improve commerce and sport in certain areas, boosting sales in local shops and restaurants.

“There is also the potential to make data collected by smart cities available to businesses, although there are obvious privacy and security implications in this case,” he adds.

Businesses can generate revenue by becoming providers of new systems or services, and leveraging the data generated from the increasingly digitally connected infrastructure.

“The opportunities are endless and entire supply chains, from cities to farms and factories, can be supported.”

Apps are already being created to connect small-scale farmers to formal marketplaces, he says, citing 2018 MTN Business App of the Year Awards winner the Khula! App, which enables multiple small-scale farms to crowd-source and deliver on bulk orders from supermarkets, restaurant chains and for home delivery.

Interactive education will be a further innovation where technologies like virtual reality and three-dimensional class experiments in real time can be harnessed to enhance and grow critical maths, science and engineering skills, opening the door to a vista of skilled graduates across Africa.

“It is, however, important to think of the benefit of technology within a South African context so that challenges of affordability, bridging inequality, managing development, eradicating corruption and solving poor service delivery, among others, can all be addressed,” he continues.

The success of cities is critical to continued economic growth and sustainability, as an uncompetitive city will be drained of talent and hinder the future success of organisations.

“It is now up to us to grasp this opportunity and deliver smart cities that turn houses into homes, and offices and businesses into connected profit-driven ecosystems and designs which are both efficient and aesthetic,” he concludes.