Johannesburg - The first Internet of Things Forum Africa conference is currently taking place in Johannesburg as a platform of discussion around a more connected world.
IoT expert and CEO of IoT company Trinity Telecomms, Ross Hickey told Fin24 that South Africans were moving toward a more connected world.
“Essentially, the simple definition of IoT is a more connected world,” Hickey said.
He added that ‘IoT’ had become a buzz word only 5 to 6 years ago, with the concept of connected devices being around for around 20 years and then known as machine-to-machine interaction.
“Today there are more and more companies innovating to make their businesses more connected,” Hickey told Fin24.
Hickey himself has pioneered the IoT since its early beginnings in the late 90s.
He has led over four different companies all involved in different aspects of the IoT value chain, from global distribution from the Far-East to manufacturing of IoT devices in Asia as well as Africa, and currently is at the forefront of the next IoT wave through Trinity’s “smart” platform.
Some of Trinity Telecomms’ clients include Multi-choice, Vodafone Spain, MTN South Africa.
The company specialise in IoT solutions in the industrial and consumer space.
“When we look at consumer devices, items connect to end points and there are now more devices in the home which can be connected to one another,” he told Fin24.
Hickey said that from numerous end points more analytics could be extracted and that information could answer a question as to what was needed to be done before the question was even asked.
“Within next 5 years consumer devices appliances in the home such as TVs and refrigerators could be connected,” he said.
The IoT Forum Africa conference took place on Wednesday and Thursday this week with IoT thought leaders presenting key topics and illustrating how solutions are impacting various industries.