The Infrastructure Magazine August-September 2019

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www.infrastructure.co.ug | August - September 2019

The Era of 5G Internet Technology is here

Mining: The Mercury Menace

Will the New Cities Dawn a New Urbanization for Uganda?

How to Cash in on Digital Technologies

Indigenous Steel, international Quality Tembo Steel Uganda Ltd, is ISO 9002 certified and one of East Africa’s largest companies with interest in manufacturing hot and cold rolled profiles. Strategic investments made by the company have resulted in the creation of tangible and intangible assets which are at the heart of the Ugandan economy.

With its timeless business philosophy, TSUL is geared up to not only survive but win in a marketplace marked by feverish change. Indeed, the company’s blistering success story has been scripted principally by its resolve to innovate, set new principles, enhance capabilities, enrich lives and to ensure that it stays true to its value system. Not surprisingly, the company is very much a future corporation, poised to become the most preferred steel manufacturer in the country.

Led by Mr Sanjay Awasthi, the company produces economical and efficient steel through backward and forward integration.

From the widest flat products to a whole range of long products, TSUL today spots a product portfolio that caters to markets across the steel value chain. An ingenious spirit and the ability to discern future trends have been the driving force behind the company’s remarkable growth story.

■■TSUL operates sponge iron plant at Iganga in eastern Uganda and has an installed capacity of 2 MTPA (million tonnes per annum) as well as a Structure Mill and a Strip Mill.

■■It has set up a 3 MTPA wire rod mill and a 3 MTPA capacity bar mill at Lugazi, Uganda.

■■The organisation is wedded to ideals like innovation and technological leadership and is backed by a highly driven

Head Office

7th & 8th floor, Crane Chambers, P.O. Box 26373, Kampala, Uganda.

Tel: +256 414 500 086/87 Direct Fax: +256 414 500 083 Email: info@tembosteels.co.ug

and dedicated workforce of 3000 people.

■■TSUL is one and only company in East Africa to produce: ■■5.0 mm wire rod ■■0.8 mm hot rolled sheet ■■Structures/ Section through direct rolling ■■various grades of Stainless Steels ■■various products through integrated Steel process.

■■Liquid Mild Steel/ Low Corbon steel from Liquid Cast Iron ■■Welding electroes through integrated Steel process

TSUL has been technology driven & has a broad product portfolio with prominent position in East Africa market.

Manned by highly efficient and dynamic team of employees, the company is growing stronger every day.

Alongside contributing to Uganda’s growth story the company is driving an ambitious global expansion plan with its sights set on emerging as a leading transnational business group.

The company continues to capitalise on opportunities in high growth markets, expanding its core areas and diversifying into new businesses.

The company endeavours to strengthen Uganda’s industrial base by aiding infrastructural development, through sustainable development approaches and inclusive growth.

It deploys its resources to improve infrastructure, education, health, water, sanitation, environment and so on in the areas it operates in. It has won several awards for its innovative business and social practices.

Lugazi plant

Iganga plant

Plot No. 93, Block 74 Najjembe Estate Lugazi, Uganda Email: oprations.lugazi@tembosteels.co.ug

Plot No. 67,Block 24 Kigulu, Kasolo Subcounty Bulamazi Iganga, Uganda Email: gmiganga@tembosteels.co.ug

Mr. G.S. Chaubey, Plant Head Tel : +256 703 600214

Mr. Amit Ranjan, Plant Head Tel : +256 703 600212

Contents

www.infrastructure.co.ug | August - September 2019

The Infrastructure Magazine is Published by

2nd Floor, Ntinda Shopping Centre P. O. Box 11670, Kampala, Uganda, Tel: +256 414 667 688; +256 700 665 775; Mob: +256 776 477 751; +256 752 665 775; E-mail: editor@infrastructure.co.ug; inquiry.acl@gmail.com; Website: www.infrastructure.co.ug www.acl.co.ug Editor Simon E. Omoding Sub Editor Arthur Matsiko Writers Benjamin Mukose, Daniel Otto, Jackie Asasira, Nelson M. Muhoozi, Roger Kyazze Guest Writer Alok Kshirsagar, Anu Madgavkar, Darren Shea, Kirolous Zikry, Rolf Meakin, Stephen Wong, Sales Team Leader Robinah Namuleni Sales Executives Geomen Akol, Racheal Akot, Brenda Wanyenze, Gaston Atusiimire, Roger Kyazze Design/Layout Design/Layout: Slick Republic Limited ISSN: 2523-191X (Print); ISSN: 2523-1928 (Online)

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher.

The publisher does not guarantee the accuracy of content from contributors and advertisers nor accept responsibility for any statements herein.

Copyright © 2019 Advanced Communications Ltd

24 COVER STORY

The Era of 5G Internet Technology is here

05 From the Editor 06 News Round-up Mining 10 Gov’t launches online mineral licensing system Occupational Health 12 The Mercury Menace Urbanisation 16 Nine new cities: Will they dawn a new urbanization for Uganda?

Role Model 28 India’s emergent digital economy and its nascent dividends Comment 31 Why Uganda needs to up her conversations on the 4th Industrial Revolution Technology Review 28 The Mercedes-Benz where love of inventing never dies

Inside: Uganda’s first solar run factory could start before end of 2017

Inside: Uganda’s bright but under-exploited mineral resources

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www.infrastructure.co.ug | October 2017

Technology review: Velocity pothole patching technology

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www.infrastructure.co.ug | Nov - Dec 2017

Right Strategy?

Uganda’s massive investment in public infrastructure: Opportunities, Benefits, Risks

Inside: Which business model should the new Uganda Airlines take?

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Uganda’s ‘Silk Road’

Fixing Uganda’s water and sanitation infrastructure deficit

Inside: Ugandans’ changing tastes and styles in housing

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www.infrastructure.co.ug | March - April 2018

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The plastic pollution problem

Naguru Skyz Hotel: A fine piece of real estate

FEATURES

The iconic Kampala Entebbe Expressway The marvel of the new Jinja bridge FEATURE

INTERVIEW

INNOVATION

Electricity generation: How far Uganda has come

A gaze into the Standard Gauge Railway

Tapping storm waters to keep taps wet

INNOVATION

SPECIAL REPORT

TECHNOLOGY

Rootzone’s innovative bio-technology for treatment of sludge

East Africa’s civil engineering market sees growth despite fragmentation

Are machines set to take over jobs?

ANALYSIS

President Museveni’s pet road projects: A review of progress

VIEW POINT

The challenge of road maintenance in Uganda

MINING

AVIATION

OPINION

OIL & GAS

International origins of the sand mining craze

The new Uganda Airlines takes shape

The Achilles heel in Public Private Partnership

Uganda's oil and gas logistics challenge

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www.infrastructure.co.ug | May - June 2019

Artificial Inteligence

Health Infrastructure: Hospitals

Cement Wars Begin to Cause Injury

The ICT Backbone Project

This is the opportunity for people who matter to know what you are doing.

To advertise in the next issue, get in touch:

Tel: +256 752 665 775/ +256 776 477 751/ +256414 667 688; Whats App: +256 (0) 752 665 775 E-mail: info@infrastructure.co.ug; inquiry.acl@gmail.com Website: www.infrastructure.co.ug Digital edition: www.issuu.com/theinfrastructuremagazineug @theinfrastructuremagazineUG

@TheinfUG

AVIATION

Interview with Kenya Airways CEO

LOGISTICS

Tanzania Ports Authority charms Uganda’s business community

The digital technology excitement, and Uganda’s new cities The world is on the cusp of welcoming the 5G cellular network technology. Technology wonks say, if we have been excited by the 4G in terms of its capability and speeds, then the 5G is like nothing we have seen before.

T

he digital technology revolution is hatching right here in front of our eyes. It is for this reason that we, as The Infrastructure Magazine, have dedicated quite a bit of space and ink, to cover the 5G phenomenon; its impacts, disruption and how it’s going to fundamentally change how humans live, easily since the printing press. In the coming years (with the anticipated launch of 5G in many countries around the world in 2020), new technologies that affect how we work, learn, entertain, etc will evolve.

As The Infrastructure Magazine, we pride ourselves in providing depth, context, insight and perspective to issues. That is what we have sought to achieve by ‘harping’ on this new technology.

While the digital revolution is unravelling, many countries, especially those in the developing world - including Uganda - seem not yet sure how to invest and to translate the digital revolution into an economic dividend. In this edition, we give the example of India which could be a role model for many developing countries in terms of investment and reaping of digitalization benefits.

There is another phenomenon sweeping across the globe - development of new cities. The world is literally awash with the idea of developing brand new cities. According to Forbes Magazine, since the year 2000, over 100 hundred brand new cities have been built in 40 countries- mainly in Asia and Africa.

China alone has built over 600 cities in the last 60 years. Indonesia is planning to build a brand new city from scratch – which

will see the country’s capital move from Jakarta to East Kalamantan; Malaysia is creating an eco-city, Forest City; Saudi Arabia is building the NEOM which is expected to span into Egypt and Jordan, among so many others, near and far. The unique thing about these new cities is that they are planned, designed and purpose-built within a specified time frame and budget, rather than left to evolve, over a long period of time, on their own designs.

This is the new urbanization. And so when the (Ugandan) government announced the creation of nine cities around the country over the next five years, there was quite a bit of excitement. However, the creation of the new cities needs to follow the new model, where cities are planned and built for purpose, rather than left to mushroom on their own direction. Lessons from Kampala and other towns must be taken into consideration in developing the new cities, if they are to survive the nightmare that Kampala is growing into.

The new cities should be better, smarter, more organized, more attractive in look, feel and function. The new cities should usher in a new urbanization model for the country.

Good reading.

Simon E. Omoding Editor

READ US ONLINE AT; www.infrastructure.co.ug Digital edition: www.issuu.com/theinfrastructuremagazineug theinfrastructuremagazineUG

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TheinfUG 5 August - September 2019

News Update BuildNet to put 90 apartment units to the market in 2020

An artistic impression of the Najjera Heights. Photo: BuildNet

C

onstruction works for development of apartment blocks that will put 90 new housing units on to the market in 2020 have been launched

by BuildNet, a local real estate developer.

Named Najjera Heights, the block occupies the former Match & Mix entertainment spot on the Kiwatule-Najjera road in Kira Municipality.

The developer said the units will be 1, 2 and 3 bedroom apartments. A one bedroom apartment goes for Shs 115 million, a two bed room is Shs230 million, while a three bedroom goes for Shs 270 million.

Dr. Ibrahim Semaganda, the managing director BuildNet, said while they have the intention to develop affordable housing for average income earners, what still

6 August - September 2019

drives up the units’ costs are taxes on construction materials. Government estimates that the country has a current housing deficit of over 2 million units.

BuildNet joins the several property developers that have taken to constructing housing units which they put up on the market for sale as condominiums.

Over the last few years, there has been an emerging change of housing habits among Ugandans, with younger Ugandans preferring to live in apartments, as opposed to bungalows of the past. Apartments are cheaper and easier to acquire.

Bungalows are more expensive to buy and own.

The developer said the prices for the condominiums are affordable for the

luxury and quality they offer. Besides the apartments are located close to health centres, banks, shopping malls, food markets, schools, churches and Mosques, children’s play centre, among others.

“Najjera Heights is aimed at creating a lifetime experience of harmony and tranquillity, from spacious bedrooms with inbuilt wardrobes, spacious living and dining room space to a spacious and modern finished kitchen. At Najjera Heights, a deep dive in the swimming pool can help you calm your nerves or you can break a sweat in the modern class gym. Najjera Heights also has ample basement parking space, 24/7 CCTV surveillance and an automatic standby generator, “ Semaganda said.

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News Update

Forbes under 30 shows Uganda’s flaw

F

orbes Africa Magazine announced its “30 under 30” list of luminaries for 2019. The listing, now in its 5th edition, is easily the region’s most rigorous measure of young grit, innovation and entrepreneurship. But if this list is anything to go by, then Uganda has a bit of soul-searching to do regarding her young generation’s innovation and entrepreneurship grit.

Making to the list from Uganda this year are Patricia Apolot, a kickboxer; Jean Seninde a footballer, and Jacob Kiplimo an athlete- meaning that all Uganda’s listers are sports people, running on talent and personal grit rather than benefitting from school acquired technical skill and education.

It also means that although the country is feted as one of the most entrepreneurial in the world, its entrepreneurship lacks grit and resilience, and therefore most likely tends to die off in infancy, confirming the country’s known high business infancy mortality rate.

Traditionally, Forbes Africa has assessed entrepreneurship in three areas: Technology, business and creatives. However this year, a fourth category of sports was added.

According to Forbes Africa, the list is “the most definitive of Africa’s most promising young change makers who are building brands, creating jobs and representing and transforming the continent. It is a list of young people who are resilient, self-starters, innovators, disruptors and entrepreneurs who have acumen to blaze the trails.”

To make it to the list one goes through the process of nomination, vetting, vigor-

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Apolot

Seninde

ous investigation, verification specifically looking out for entrepreneurs with new ideas, taking into account the size of their business, revenue, location, potential, its struggles, social impact and resilience.

From Forbes Africa’s list of 120 (30 finalists for each of the four categories), it is clear that Africa’s young innovation and

Kiplimo

entrepreneurship hubs are South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya which are heavily represented especially in the tech and business segments. Of the 120 finalists, for example, South Africa alone contributed 36, Nigeria 22 while Kenya had 15. This means that these top three shared 73 positions amongst themselves, while the rest of the 51 African countries shared 47 places. In fact many countries didn’t have a single person making it to the list.

In the business category alone, South Africa had 12 while Nigeria had 9 out of the total of 30- meaning that the two biggest economies on the continent shared 21 of the 30 places amongst themselves.

Forbes Africa said of the list: “You may not necessarily know them now but they could be the billionaires of tomorrow gracing our future covers.”

Last year, Uganda had only one person, Kevin Lubega of Eezy Money making it to the list.

7 August - September 2019

News

Australian prospector optimistic about Uganda’s cobalt potential

By Benjamin Mukose

A leading global mineral prospector, is painting a promising picture of Uganda’s prospects for cobalt, describing it as “highly prospective” and with “significant similarities to mineralisation” in the resource rich Katanga region of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

J

ervois Mining, trading in three stock exchanges in Australia, Canada and United States, holds a total exploration area of 2,400 square kms across Kilembe in western Uganda and Bujagali in the south-central region.

Jervois Mining recently merged with M2 Cobalt, a Canadian company, and took over the area previously owned by M2 Cobalt. Following the merger, Jervois now holds 11 granted exploration licences in Uganda, which are spread over two regional areas: Bujagali and Kilembe.

In his end of June report to shareholders, Bryce Crocker, the chief executive officer of Jervois Mining painted a rosy picture of their prospects: “Several phases of exploration have been completed and are ongoing. Regional prospect scale anom-

8 August - September 2019

alies have been identified with two styles of mineralisation: sediment-hosted cobalt / copper with significant similarities to Katanga mineralization in the Democratic Republic of Congo; and, nickel, copper, cobalt in ultramafic.”

Cocker said in a statement on their

Ugandan assets: “Fresh after completing its merger with M2 Cobalt, Jervois Mining is already on the ground exploring for nickel, copper, gold and cobalt at its Ugandan projects, including the highly prospective Bujagali and Kilembe properties.”

The Kilembe area comprise five exploration licenses (“ELs”) totalling 708km2 in area. Four ELs are located adjacent to and immediately north and south of the historic Kilembe copper and cobalt mine, previously operated by the Canadian base metals company, Falconbridge. �The target mineralisation is volcanogenic massive sulphide (“VMS”) type copper and cobalt as exists at the historic Kilembe mine. The fifth EL is located to the east of the Kilembe mine area across the Great Rift Valley,” Crocker said.

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Mining

Government launches online mineral licensing system

By Benjamin Mukose

In a bid to improve efficiency, transparency and investment in the minerals sector in Uganda, the Ministry of Energy & Mineral Development has launched an online mineral licensing system. The system is developed by Trimble, an American company with a global footprint.

S

peaking during the launch, the Minister of Energy and Mineral Development, Eng. Irene Muloni, said, “by moving our mineral licensing system online we are essentially digitalising both our data and our processes.”

The Ministry said in an earlier press statement. “Through the online system, our clients will now be able to submit applications online as well as undertake all other statutory business processes such as making payments, reporting, submission or returns and renewals of their applications.

“The system is expected to improve transparency and increase access to information, boost productivity, reduce on time taken to process applications for mineral rights, significantly enhance government revenue collection potential and minimize non-compliance in the sector,” the statement added.

The system is called the Uganda Mining Cadastral system. The system will enable prospectors to select a location around the country and the type of mining license they intend to apply for or renew. It will also enable prospectors to initiate payments for any mining related statutory dues.

The system shows a map of Uganda with marks of different minerals located in different parts of the country. Some of the minerals listed on the portal include: Gold, Tin, Cobalt, Lithium Vermiculite, Chromium, Iron Ore, Wolfram, among others.

The Infrastructure Magazine has established that Uganda is a late comer in putting in place systems like these. In the region, Kenya and Tanzania established the

10 August - September 2019

Irene Muloni launches the online mineral licensing system.

governance in the mineral sector, as well as system nearly 10 years ago. In East Africa improving management of mineral licencTanzania has especially been praised for reforming her mining sector bringing better es in Tanzania. In addition to being accessible across the internet, the portal will be management and administration which resulted in astronomical rise in available to the public at the revenues from minerals and Ministry Headquarters and at raising the contribution of our 21 regional offices.”

The system will mining to the national reveNajib Balala, former Kenenable prospectors nues (now contributing 5 per ya’s Cabinet Secretary for to select a location cent to the GDP) . It has also around the country Mining (now Secretary for and the type of brought remarkable accountTourism), said back in 2015 mining license they about their own system: ability and transparency into intend to apply for the sector, with strengthened “Spatial Dimension has been or renew. government control over a long term technology partner of the Ministry of Mining mining. and so it was natural for us to Eng. Paul Masanja, Tanzania’s Commissioner for Minerals, said: “The turn to them when we wanted to implement an online mining cadastre system. introduction of a transactional Mining Cadastre Portal is a very important step in our My goal, and one of the key focus areas for effort to enhance transparency and good my Government, is to use modern technol-

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Mining

ogy to provide services to our citizens and stakeholders in an efficient and transparent manner. The new online Mining Cadastre System will be the foundation to this initiative.”

Two years ago, Global Witness, an International NGO working on the fight against corruption and protection of environment published a damning report alleging corruption, mismanagement and political influence and how they combined to undermine investment in Uganda’s mining sector and threatening people and environment.

Trimble prides itself as one of the world leaders in developing hardware, software for surveying and land management, mining, among others. A NASDAQ listed company, Trimble boats of “ transforming the way the world works by delivering products

and services that connect the physical and digital worlds. The world’s most successful mining companies turn to Trimble for land management solutions that assist them in managing their complex portfolios of land and mineral rights and responsibilities,” the company says on its website.

“Trimble’s land management solutions provide integrated, up-to-date, and accurate information ensuring mining companies meet their obligations — month after month, year after year. From purpose built products to enterprise lifecycle solutions, Trimble software, hardware and services are transforming industries such as agriculture, construction, geospatial and transportation and logistics,” says the company.

Some of the companies that use Trimble’s technologies include global mining

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giants like Anglo American, Anglo Gold Ashanti, Barrick Gold Inc, Rio Tinto, among others. Some of the countries that have deployed Trimble’s systems in Africa include Kenya, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Tanzania among others.

“With a press of a button, all our monthly obligations are managed, something that in the past used to take forever. Government Departments get paid their prospecting fees / royalty payments in time without late payment which in the past attracted interest payments…

[Landfolio for Natural Resources] is without a doubt a management tool for Anglo American in managing its assets today, tomorrow and in time to come,” said Carol-Ann Mocke, a paralegal officer, Anglo American, South Africa.

In a clear indication of how licence holders have abused the old system, the Ministry of Energy & Mineral Development (Uganda) warned in their statement: “The Ministry hereby calls upon all mineral rights holders/agents to settle their outstanding fees and royalty arrears by 31 July 2019.

Failure to do so, the licensee will automatically lose their mineral licenses, new applications will not be uploaded onto the system and will face prosecution in accordance with section 105 of the Mining Act 2003 without any further notice at their peril and associated costs.”

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11 August - September 2019

Occupational Health

The Mercury Menace

By Daniel Otto

Maya Shwayder, German DW TV journalist once wrote in The International Business Times (US) that out of the so many things that can kill a person in the developing world, Mercury poisoning is now high on the list. In other words, a death from Mercury poisoning is as statistically possible in developing countries like Uganda, as is a death from malaria or measles. That is how serious Mercury poisoning has become in developing countries.

A

ccording to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Mercury contamination is increasingly becoming a global hazard –especially in the developing world- with Asia (especially south east Asia) contributing to 49 per cent of global Mercury contamination, followed by Latin America (18 per cent) and sub Saharan Africa (16per cent) .

Although Uganda is not in the league of the

12 August - September 2019

most contaminated countries in the world, recent evidence from a study conducted by the National Association of Professional Environmentalist (NAPE), Uganda National Association of Community and Occupational Health (UNACOH) and the Ministry of Gender, Labour & Social Development, shows that gold mining areas in the country are increasingly facing the spectre of Mercury contamination. Mercury is mainly used in artisanal mining

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Occupational Health

to purify gold ore.

The study led by Dr. Edison Friday Agaba, Dr. Deo K. Ssekimpi and others, published in September last year says that over the last 10 years or so, the country has experienced an increase of artisanal and small scale gold mining, which has come along with use of Mercury, with adverse occupational health, safety risk. And risk enough to make it a problem to humans, the environment, food and water systems.

The NAPE, UNACOH and MGLSD study finds that the artisanal gold mining districts of Busia, Namayingo, Mubende, Karamoja, Buhweju, Bushenyi, Ibanda, Nakapripirit, Amudat and Moroto, are the most affected by Mercury contamination. Of these, people in Mubende recorded higher concentrations of Mercury in their blood and urine, compared to the other areas. It was also found that generally women had higher concentrations in their bodies (blood and urine) than men.

According the US Environment Protection Agen-

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cy (EPA), “Mercury occurs naturally in the earth’s crust, but human activities, such as mining and fossil fuel combustion, have led to widespread global Mercury pollution. Mercury emitted into the air eventually settles into water or onto land where it can be washed into water. “ According to UNEP, “Mercury emitted to the atmosphere is almost entirely in an inorganic form.

When it is deposited to land or water, it is still in an inorganic form. Mercury released directly to water is also almost entirely inorganic. Once in the water and sediments, however, inorganic Mercury can be transformed into methylMercury. This organic form of Mercury is far more toxic than the inorganic forms and can also bio accumulate and biomagnify as it moves through the food web.”

That is, Mercury on its own is unreactive and slow to react with its environment. However, once deposited in water or soil, certain microorganisms can change Mercury into methylMercury, a highly toxic form.

MethylMercury poisoning is known to affect the human nervous, immune, digestive systems. It also affects the lungs and kidneys. Contamination has especially been seen to affect mostly women and children.

The UNACOH/NAPE/MGLSD study found that most of the people in gold mining areas in Uganda complained of chest pain, numbness, eye problems, headaches, dizziness, joint pains and respiratory problems.

According to EPA, Mercury knows no borders.

In 2013, the countries of the world came together to seek to address the menace of Mercury contamination.

The Minamata Convention on Mercury, a global treaty to protect human health and the environment from the adverse effects of Mercury, was agreed to by the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Mercury in Geneva, Switzerland on 19 January 2013.

Fish from contaminated water.

13 August - September 2019

Occupational Health

Because it can travel in air for thousands of miles before it can be redeposited back to the soil through rainfall or in gaseous form.

Mercury is a stable chemical element that hardly reacts with other elements in the atmosphere and can therefore exist in the aether for thousands of years.

UNEP however says that “areas with high Mercury deposition do not necessarily have high methylMercury levels and consequent uptake into the food web. Areas with low Mercury deposition may still have high levels of methylMercury in predatory fish and animals. Such circumstances need to be recognized and understood because methylMercury is a potent neurotoxin that can cause physiological, neurologic, behavioural, reproductive, and survival harm to fish and wildlife. “ The Agency says Mercury readily biomagnifies, increasing in concentration as it moves up the food web. As a result, top predators in a food web may have concentrations of methylMercury in their tissues ten million times higher or more than the concentrations found in the area’s water.

Organisms with elevated methylMercury levels and those posing risks for human exposure are often used as bioindicators of Mercury contamination in an ecosystem.

In 2013, the countries of the world came together to seek to address the menace of Mercury contamination. The Minamata Convention on Mercury, a global treaty to protect human health and the environment from the adverse effects of Mercury, was agreed to by the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Mercury in Geneva, Switzerland on 19 January 2013. It was adopted later in October 2013 at a Diplomatic Conference (Conference of Plenipotentiaries), held in Kumamoto, Japan.

The Convention entered into force on 16 August 2017. According to UNEP, the major highlights of the Minamata Convention include a ban on new Mercury mines, the phase-out of existing ones, the phase

14 August - September 2019

vention in various parts of the world. out and phase down of Mercury use in a “We truly believe that the ICMGP number of products and processes, control measures on emissions to air and on 2019 Conference reviewed our knowledge on Mercury research and implereleases to land and water, and the regulation of the informal sector of mentation of its results for artisanal and small-scale gold reduction of our exposure mining. The Convention also to this dangerous pollutant.

Mercury is a addresses interim storage The Conference defined fustable chemical ture research avenues and of Mercury and its disposal element that policy directions for meeting once it becomes waste, sites hardly reacts the targets presented in the contaminated by Mercury as with other various environmental prowell as health issues. elements in the grammes and organisations In September (2019), atmosphere and aiming at lowering the presstakeholders convened in can therefore ence of Mercury in the enviKrakow Poland, under the exist in the aether ronment, with a prominent International Convention on for thousands of example of the Minamata Mercury as a Global Problem years.

Convention,“ said Prof. Josef (ICMGP) 2019 Conference to Pacyna, convenor of the 14th assess the completeness of ICMGP –the International knowledge on Mercury as Conference on Mercury as a Global Proba global environmental pollutant on one lem taking place September 8-13 in Kraside, and implementing of solutions to reduce the emissions and exposure to this kow, Poland. pollutant on the other side.

Uganda ratified the Minamata Convention on March 1st, this year.

This way, the Conference was the first major event of testing the efficiency of implementation of the Minamata Con-

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Energy

Solar power now contributes 50MW to national grid The launch of the 10MW Bufulubi solar power plant in Mayuge district at the beginning of June brings the total contribution of solar energy to Uganda’s national grid to 50MW, still comparatively low for a country rich in solar resources. The country’s current total electricity production is 1,177MW.

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merging Power Uganda Limited, the owners of the Mayuge plant, said it cost US$ 11 million (about Shs 40 billion) . Emerging Power Uganda Limited is jointly owned by Tryba Energy of France and ZT Energy. ZT is the UAE based Joint Venture Company formed

by Z-One Holding of Dubai and Egypt The owners said the plant is fitted with tracker technology which shifts the panels following the directions of the sun, therefore maximising solar rays for converting into energy.

“Our 10 MWc PV Plant in the Jinja Region uses tracker technology. This means that the solar panels follow the movement of the sun throughout the day, which optimises and increases electricity production.

This plant is the first of its kind in Africa. It is also the first plant to have been developed without International subsidies,” Tryba Energy officials said.

Tryba Energy, is a French company that invests in photovoltaic solar power projects. We invest not only in the projects we develop ourselves, but we can also invest in third party projects at different stages of development (Development, Construction, Exploitation) as well as in different geographical areas, whether in France or Internationally ERA said the Mayuge plants now means Uganda gets 50MW of electricity from solar.

Uganda’s Solar Energy production has increased following the addition of 10 MW to the national grid, with the commissioning of the Bufulubi Power Plant in Mayuge District on 6th June 2019.

“The Country’s grid-connected Solar Photovoltaic portfolio now stands at 50

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Uganda’s Solar Energy production has increased following the addition of 10 MWp to the national grid, with the commissioning of the Bufulubi Power Plant in Mayuge District on 6th June 2019.

MW. The Bufulubi Power Plant is the fourth grid-connected Solar Plant commissioned in Uganda in a span of three years after the 10 MWp Access Solar Plant in Soroti District, the 10 MWp Tororo Solar North Plant in Tororo District, and the 20 MW Kabulasoke Solar Plant in Gomba District commissioned in 2016, 2017 and 2018, respectively.”

ZT Energy and Tryba Energy of France through their local company, Emerging Power Uganda Limited has signed a Power Purchase Agreement with Uganda Electric-

ity Transmission Company Limited, UETCL. The proposed single axis solar tracker device ensures the optimization of the conversion of solar energy into electricity by properly orienting the PV panel in accordance with the real position of the sun. The operation of the experimental model of the device is based on a DC motor intelligently controlled by a dedicated drive unit that moves a mini PV panel according to the signals received from two simple but efficient light sensors.

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Urbanisation

Nine new cities: Will they dawn a new urbanization for Uganda?

By Jackie Asasira

In May, the Government announced, to a rousing applause, the elevation of nine municipalities around the country to city status, over the next five years. But Uganda’s professional engineers and architects are warning that short of proper and professional design, planning and execution, the new cities run a risk of becoming just another set of new urban sprawls.

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ccording to Tom Butime, the minister for Local Government, the nine cities have been proposed both for strategic reasons and regional balance. The strategic cities are Fort Portal (a tourism hub), Hoima (oil and gas), Jinja (an industrial/manufacturing hub) and Entebbe (the main international air getaway to the country) .The regional cities include: Mbale, Arua, Gulu, Masaka, Mbarara and Lira.

This is the very first time, since independence in 1962, that Uganda creates another city outside the current 5 million populated capital, Kampala. It will be the first time that the country ventures into the new global craze for city development.

Over the last couple of decades, so many cities have sprung up in different countries especially in Asia and Africa- in such a short time. The cities have been developed to serve different purposes some as new political centres (for example Nigeria’s Abuja), others as logistics hubs (e.g. Colombo in Sri Lanka), others as centres of trade (Chinese cities), and yet others as centres of technology, innovation and finance. In this sense, these cities are intended to become new engines of economic growth.

Countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea, Nigeria, Kenya have invested in creating new cities- in many instances brand new cities. China is perhaps the world leader in development of cities.

It is estimated that silence 1949, China has built over 600 new cities. Malaysia is currently building 27 new cities.

In recent years, development of cities has become a strategy for socio-economic development, with countries building cities as engines of growth based on specific strategic reasons and advantage,

16 August - September 2019

Singapore - a modern city that Uganda can emulate.

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Urbanisation

but also as expressions of the use of science for the future in solving some of the world’s challenges.

Take the example of Malaysia’s Forest city it is conceived and modelled on futuristic liveability, as an eco-city for addressing the global challenge of climate change. Built from scratch, the Government of Malaysia is investing US$100 billion to build a modern, eco-city that is designed and laid out in such a way that its mode of transport is by walking, not carbon fuel run automobiles.

Expected to be ready in 2035, the Forest City is designed by Italian architect Stefano Boeri Archetti (who also designed China’s Forest City) . When complete, the city will absorb 10,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide from its plant covered buildings, and will generate 900 tonnes of oxygen. Although built on four artificial islands reclaimed from the sea, the eco-city dubbed the city of the future is indeed futuristic in plan, outlook and design. The high-rise

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Countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea, Nigeria, Kenya have invested in creating new cities- in many instances brand new cities. It is estimated that silence 1949, China has built over 600 new cities. Malaysia is currently building 27 new cities.

residential and office towers, shopping malls and hotels are put together in such a manner that they are easy to manoeuvre by foot. The Forest City is dubbed as Malaysia’s Singapore.

Other modern cities built with specific purpose, concept and design in mind include South Korea’s Songdo, also an eco-city; US’s Belmont city which Microsoft billionaire, Bill Gates wants to develop as an epitome of a technologically run city. Belmont is designed for liveability and use of technology, as its core. The city is designed to use self-driven cars, smart traffic lights, and such artificial intelligence technological advances.

If this is anything to go by, it means that modern cities around the world, at least in recent times, are no longer left to grow by themselves, over time, from commercial hamlets to towns, eventually maturing to municipalities and cities on their own.

Rather, modern cities are purposely, specifically and deliberately designed and built to achieve some very precise development objectives.

These objectives in recent times have tended to be: To address climate change (limit carbon emissions), to apply new technological advances, act as technology or manufacturing hubs, or as mechanisms of directing economies away from dependency on natural resource such as oil. This latter has especially been the case in the Arab world- good examples being United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Oman, among others that have built brand new cities from scratch as new centres of alternative economic activity.

And that’s where Ugandan engineers and architects may be right. Although government announced the creation of the new cities, there was no elaboration on how strategically they will be built. That’s why some people are arguing that there are no prices for guessing- the government plan –it is the old model of city development; where conurbations grow into towns (municipalities) and gradually grow into cities, haphazardly, at their own time and space. This has been the way the current towns around the country have developed starting from small administrative and commercial centres, slowly and haphazardly growing themselves into bigger towns. All the country’s existing urban centres- Mbale, Tororo, Mbarara, Fort Portal, Arua, Gulu, to name just some, have all grown this way.

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Urbanisation

A street in Kampala City

As a result of this, Kampala city and other towns around the country are chocking on traffic jams, pollution, garbage, slums and suffering from flooding, inadequate infrastructure like roads, water, housing.

Speaking at the beginning of June, at a conference organised by the Uganda Institute of Professional Engineers (UIPE), on the theme “the future of technology, engineering and innovation in a digital society,” Dr. Michael Odongo, said if Government doesn’t employ and involve professional and accredited engineers, the new cities will grow into new slums.

Dr. Odongo is the chairperson of the Engineers Registration Board, a body that certifies and registers practicing engineers in the country.

In August last year, the Uganda Society of Architects sounded the same warning saying that Kampala’s current state exposes its residents to pollution and health risks. Andrew Amara, the president of the architects society recommended a holistic development of eco-systems safe for human liveability.

Butime said Uganda’s new cities will help decongest Kampala in terms of population and economic activity. Currently, Kampala and surrounding areas contribute over 70 per cent of the country’s GDP. Creation of other cities will stimulate activity in those areas hence reducing,

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Col. Tom Butime, Minister of Local Government

Eng. Dr. Michael Odongo, Chairman Engineers’ Registration Board

if not stopping influx into Kampala, as other cities will create new opportunities that will equally attract populations.

Besides, the new cities will create other power centres- political centres of influence of political power- which will remove Kampala’s monopoly on the country’s political verve. The new cities will also improve economic activity in the other regions as government investment and budget will attract better infrastructure which in turn will attract investment and industry.

According to a statement issued by the government Media Centre, the first five that will become operational in July 2020 are: Hoima, Gulu, Arua, Jinja, Fort Portal and Mbarara. Mbale and Hoima will become effective in July 2021, while in 2022, Lira and Entebbe will become operational.

Uganda’s urban population is projected to grow from 20 per cent in 2018 to 40 per cent in 2040, while the UN estimates that the global population living in urban areas was 55.3 per cent in 2018, but expected to grow to 60 per cent by 2030.

Many countries are investing deliberately in building new, modern and smart cities from scratch to assimilate their growing middle class as urban centres of commerce, industry, technology and politics. Will Uganda’s new cities dawn a new model of urbanisation? Only time will tell.

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Innovation

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n 2019, like in 2018, Kenya was rated the most innovative among the East African Community countries (rating globally at the 77 (2019), one step up from 78th in 2018), followed by Rwanda (globally 94th) . Uganda on the other hand fell from 103 globally to 107 position (and 4th in East Africa) . The other members of the Eat African Community -Burundi and South Sudan- were not measured.

The GII published by Cornell University (US), Institut Européen d’Administration des Affaires (INSEAD) -France and the UN’s World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), has become one of the leading references for measuring how countries are performing on innovations. The index provides insight into multi-dimensional aspects of innovation-driven growth; effectively measuring how innovative and conducive for innovations countries are.

In both the 2018 and 2019 Indices, both Kenya and Rwanda were recognised as two of the 5 innovations achievers in sub-Sahara Africa; joining the likes of Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Viet Nam in Asia- as the fast growing innovation achievers.

The GII 2019 was released on July 24 in New Delhi, India. In 2018 the Index measured 126 economies, in 2019 they measured 129. The GII measure economies based on 80 indicators, ranging from intellectual property filing rates to mobile-application creation, education spending and scientific and technical publications.

The GII is generated from two sub-indices—the Innovation Input Sub-Index and the Innovation Output Sub-Index—each built around key pillars. The Input sub index is developed from five inputs of the national economy that enable innovative activities.

These are: Institutions (for research and its governance), human capital and research, infrastructure, market sophistication, and business sophistication.

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Bustling but not so great

How Uganda performs on the Global Innovations Index Even though Uganda is seemingly bustling with innovations, scientific assessments through the Global Innovations Index (GII) show that the country is trailing in innovation grades in the region.

Each of the pillars is divided into sub-pillars and each sub-pillar is composed of individual indicators. Some of the indicators, for example, under the human capital pillar include: the countries’ expenditure on education as percentage of the GDP, government funding to education (per pupil/student), school life expectancy, the Programme for International Student Assessment, (PISA) scales in reading, science and maths, among others.

Under research, indicators include: Gross national expenditure on research & development, presence of global R&D companies in the country, QS (Quacquarelli Symonds) university rankings, among others. Infrastructure is measured by ICT access, ICT use, government online services, e-participation, national electricity output and ISO certification environment in the country.

The output index is developed from: Knowledge and technology outputs and creative outputs, which are broken down into sub-pillars.

The top 10 innovative economies globally in 2018 were: Switzerland, Sweden, Netherlands, United States of America, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Finland, Denmark, Germany and Ireland. China was among the top 20 innovators at position.

“China’s rapid rise reflects a strategic direction set from the top leadership to developing world-class capacity in innovation and to moving the structural basis of the economy to more knowledge-intensive industries that rely on innovation to maintain competitive advantage,” said WIPO Director General Francis Gurry. “It heralds the arrival of multipolar innovation.

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Cover Story

The Era of 5G Internet Technology Mobile telecommunications technology has grown by leaps and bounds over the last 5 decades. Each generation has come with progressive improvement in utility, capacity and speed. Starting with the analogue 1-G (1970-1980) to the 2-G (1990-2004), which brought with it digital mobile telephony, starting with SMS and data based applications.

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he 3-G technology came in the early 2000 and reigned through 2010 and with it the blast of smar§t phones; internet connectivity, mobile broadband and wireless telephony.

The 4-G technology came about 2010.

Still the ruling technology, we have witnessed fast, massive data transfers and phenomena like high definition TV (3D TV), broadband internet and video conferencing. PWC’s Rolf Meakin, Kirolous Zikry, Stephen Wong & Darren Shea argue in this

20 August - September 2019

article that the 5-G is on the horizon (expected in 2020), and it is nothing like the world has seen before in terms of speed and capabilities.

The 5G, which is set to succeed the 4G standard over the next few years, offers an exponential improvement in functionality over 4G — it is 100 times faster and has 1,000 times more capacity. The results will be mobile networks that offer far higher capacity and reliability, much lower latency, reduced energy usage, and massive con-

nectivity for devices.

The first 5G standards — defining communications networks that promise to be far better and faster than the current system — were finalized in June 2018, and standards for critical and massive machine-type communication are expected in 2020/1. For this reason, the full technological potential of 5G will be realized over a five- to 10- year horizon due to the timing of the relevant standards and the required scale of investment.

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Today, many operators around the world are pressing ahead with technical trials and commercial deployments. South Korean telecom carrier KT Corporation collaborated with Intel to offer 5G services at the Pyeong Chang Winter Olympic Games in February 2018. In late 2018, Verizon launched a 5G-based Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) service in four locations within the US (Los Angeles, Houston, Indianapolis and Sacramento) . The majority of operators are aiming for commercial launches of 5G at some point this year (2019) . This timing reflects the likely introduction of 5G-enabled smartphones, the first of which were expected to be available in markets such as the U.S. early last year (2018) .

Telecom companies around the world are poised to invest tens of billions of dollars in 5G. One estimate by research house, IDC, projects that mobile service providers will collectively spend nearly US$57 billion on the rollout of 5G through 2022.

Although anticipated benefits will drive this investment, there are also challenges that must be overcome if companies are to realize a sufficient return on investment (ROI) .

To help develop and inform our point of view on the future 5G business models, Strategy&, a PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) entity, conducted a series of interviews with participants in the global 5G ecosystem. Operators are generally pursuing three main ways to obtain a return on their 5G investments: They want to unlock new revenue streams, reduce costs, and improve the customer experience.

Frank Kagyigyi Tumwebaze, Minister of ICT and National Guidance

James Saaka, Executive Director, NITA-U

Unlocking new revenue streams There are several ways in which 5G will enable telecom companies to tap into new sources of revenue. One is through the ability to compete in new markets. For example, 5G opens the door for mobile operators to compete head-to-head — in certain markets — against fixed-line incumbents by using 5G FWA to provide fast mobile broadband services comparable to many current wired broadband offerings. At the same time, 5G offers fixed broadband providers the potential to reduce their costs. For example, deploying 5G FWA instead of the more expensive FTTP (fiber to the premises) and FTTH (fiber to the home) alternatives can be more commercially viable, subject to spectrum availability, premise density, and the extent to

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The 5G, which is set to succeed the 4G standard over the next few years, offers an exponential improvement in functionality over 4G — it is 100 times faster and has 1,000 times more capacity.

which FWA customer premises equipment (CPE) is affordable.

5G also carries the potential to offer new and enhanced services to both consumers and verticals. Overall, 5G’s disruptive impacts spring from its unique and unprecedented blend of five technological capabilities, namely: Superfast broadband (1-10Gbps), efficient energy, handling mass connection, highest reliability and availability and ultra-low latency.

In combination, these capabilities should enable three “families” of use cases: Extreme mobile broadband and fixed wireless access: Delivering the fast, high-bandwidth consumer and business broadband service required by the future. Use cases in this family might include applications such as faster video streaming, interactive multiplayer gaming, virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) games and experiences, and connecting patients with remote healthcare services. For example, AT&T, is partnering with a number of healthcare OEMs to incorporate 5G into its equipment.

Critical real-time communication: For business customers, 5G is even more of a game changer, capitalizing on 5G’s high reliability and ultra-low latency, which enable consistent responses in real or near real time. Use cases in this category might include the operation of precision production lines, automated mining, enhanced responsiveness in autonomous cars, and medical applications such as remote surgery. Development is already underway.

For example, US Telco, Sprint, has built more than 110 points of presence for its distributed networks on autonomous driving campuses.

Massive machine-type communication: Leveraging 5G’s high scalability and low power consumption to connect machines with one another via the Internet of Things (IoT) . Use cases might include industrial applications such as predictive remote maintenance, management of smart grids, city applications such as real-time traffic management, drones, and integrated services and devices in connected homes.

In addition, the capability for network slicing is one of the key developments of 5G. It will enable operators to offer differentiated services to users and lead to greater efficiency and cost optimization, as it is neither necessary nor sensible to offer

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Cover Story

a particular class of services to all customers if they don’t want or need them. Operators in different markets are initially focusing on different use cases from all three families owing to variations in 4G network saturation, fixed broadband penetration and performance, and focuses on innovation. For example, the focus in the U.S. has primarily been on fixed wireless and mobile broadband.

By contrast, operators in Japan and the Nordic countries are targeting industry verticals, robotics, and AR, and in South Korea the emphasis has been on drones and smart factories. Over time, the differences between geographies in terms of the use cases being targeted are likely to narrow.

Reducing costs The high costs of investing in the spectrum, network densification, and device upgrades necessary to build 5G will be offset by the fact that 5G will provide 1,000 times more capacity and speeds that are 100 times faster. The result will be a massive reduction in unit cost per gigabyte of data traffic, yielding economics that will help operators maintain — and potentially increase — their margins on selling mobile broadband services.

Further cost-saving opportunities from 5G include the potential to introduce increased automation in network planning and operations.

With the 5G rollout comes the opportunity for the telecom industry to put into practice cost-saving concepts such as operational simplification, automation, and self-organizing/operating networks on a wide scale.

Although these benefits should drive down network operating expenditures (SONs), they will come at the cost of capital expenditures on spectrum, networks, and IT. Therefore, return on investment cannot rely on cost savings alone.

Improving the customer experience Combined with 5G’s ultra-low latency and near-real-time response, the advances in speed and capacity also open the way to a far superior experience for customers using 5G networks across all application types — video calling, video streaming, gaming, interactions with devices in the connected home, and more. Again, developments are underway. For example, Samsung is

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Although the benefits offered by 5G services are substantial, operators’ efforts to monetize the technology face some fundamental challenges.

Traditionally, operators’ revenues have been primarily consumer-driven.

working with Qualcomm to develop indoor 5G with small cells. Within the 5G domain, these services and quality of customer experience will be managed and tailored by means of network slicing, which allows operators to horizontally slice their network resources and provide different characteristics (speed, latency, reliability, etc.) for different applications and services.

The challenges in monetizing 5G Although the benefits offered by 5G services are substantial, operators’ efforts to monetize the technology face some fundamental challenges.

Traditionally, operators’ revenues have been primarily consumer-driven.

But generally speaking, the consumer pull that encouraged the rollout of 4G mobile services is likely to be much weaker with 5G. When 4G launched, many customers actively wanted the service, and the devices to deliver the services

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Cover Story

Ms.Olivia Bulya, Schools Inspector; Jacob Okoth, Smile Communications Uganda Head of Marketing and Sales; and Muyanja Senyonga, the Mukono South Member of Parliament, demonstrating to students how to access internet.

were already available from major players such as Samsung and Apple.

With 5G, by contrast, consumer awareness is lower and most of the biggest players have yet to introduce upgraded handsets — all of which may result in a slower uptake.

There’s a second obstacle: Customers will likely be reluctant to pay a premium for better service.

A study by PricewaterhouseCoopers published in October 2018, shows that just one-third of Internet users would pay more for 5G technology — 33 percent would do so for 5G in the home, while 31 percent would do so on mobile. In terms of cost, consumers on average would be willing to pay an extra US$5.06/month for 5G Internet service in the home and an extra $4.40/month for 5G Internet on mobile. It’s notable that more consumers say they are willing to pay a premium for 5G in the home than on mobile.

There may be some segments, such as gam-

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ing, in which consumers will be willing to pay incrementally more for a better experience. But the path to this higher monetization has yet to be worked out. The main incentive for operators to move to 5G is generally to create more capacity and reduce their costs. But to achieve returns sufficient to justify their 5G investments, operators will need to look beyond selling broadband connectivity and target new types of use cases that are specifically enabled by 5G’s unprecedented capabilities.

To capitalize fully on these new use cases, operators must understand the nature of demand and the willingness of end-users and business partners to pay, and work out how the returns will be generated. They’ll also need to harness powerful processing capabilities, such as edge computing and cloud computing, that will reduce the cost and enhance performance in applications such as VR and gaming.

For operators that can bring these elements together, a diverse set of 5G-specific use cases present themselves across both the consumer and business customer spaces. To name just two examples, on the consumer side there’s great potential to deliver enhanced AR/VR experiences — and, more generally, as the range of wearables continues to explode, operators should help drive the growth and promotion of these devices. This is a particular focus for U.K.-based BT/ EE, which foresees a long list of wearables becoming an integral part of the 5G experience. On the business side, 5G has huge potential in industries such as manufacturing, which is being targeted by AT&T and Samsung, working together.

Source: Strategy , February 2019

About the Authors Rolf Meakin is a partner with PwC UK based in London. He advises on telecoms, media, and technology industries.

Kirolous Zikry is a senior manager with PwC UK. He advises on the telecommunications and technology industries.

Stephen Wong is a partner with PwC China, based in Beijing and Hong Kong.

He advises on telecom and technology.

Darren Shea is an advisor to executives in the telecommunications industry for PwC.

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Cover Story

How to monetize 5G technology

By Rolf Meakin, Kirolous Zikry, Stephen Wong, Darren Shea

The next generation of cellular mobile communications technology has arrived. Over the coming four years, companies will invest heavily to build higher network density, add spectrum, and upgrade active equipment. As they do so, they will seek to avoid a repeat of the 4G rollout experience.

Although 4G, launched in 2012, it has catalysed a revolution in the adoption of data services, operators struggled to generate additional revenues from end-users to cover the investments.

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onsumers continually expect to have more — more data, more connectivity, more functionality — while paying the same or less. This is one of the reasons that the total shareholder returns of the top 39 telecom companies, globally, have lagged that of wider stock indices over the past three years. And since telecom companies compete strongly on having the best networks, they face competitive pressure to make 5G investments, even if they try to do so in the most cost-effective way.

To ensure they reap a fair return for their enormous investments in 5G, operators must think holistically about the monetization opportunities, going beyond simply charging consumers more for faster data. While 5G may present Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) broadband opportunities in certain circumstances, it will be difficult to realize attractive returns on overall 5G investment. In fact, 5G offers not just higher speed but also other valuable — and monetizable — attributes.

Upcoming releases will deliver a number of 5G attributes, such as higher reliability, segmented network performance, and

24 August - September 2019

much lower latency. As a result, 5G creates the potential for entirely new service offerings, use cases, business models, and revenue opportunities. Instead of relying mainly on end-users paying telecom companies directly for connectivity, operators in a 5G world could generate substantial revenues by charging the companies that are providing 5G-reliant services to their customers.

Variants of this model, which is widely termed business-to-business-to-X (B2B2X), where X can be a consumer, a business, or a public agency, will be suited to a vast array of widely differing use cases. By identifying and tapping into these opportunities, operators have the chance to ensure that the returns on their 5G investments exceed those from 4G. But to achieve this, operators will need to develop or acquire several vital capabilities.

There is a clear road map to success in the world of 5G. To navigate that world, companies must first gain clarity on the 5G-enabled services and experiences that consumers, businesses, and public agencies will want in the future. Then they must formulate their strategies for monetizing 5G; develop monetization models and required partnerships and platforms; decide

on the use cases and service offerings that will fit that model; and, most important, ensure their capabilities are aligned with their chosen 5G “ways to play.” Players who take all these steps successfully will be well placed to win in a 5G world.

Operators’ opinions are divided on ways to play and the underlying role they should aim to fulfil with 5G. Some want to be primarily providers of connectivity, acting as an enabler rather than focusing on creating vertically integrated solutions themselves.

By contrast, others want to play a wider role across the ecosystem, becoming more involved in delivering vertical solutions to their customers.

But there is a consensus that telecom companies will not be creating the vertical 5G applications themselves — and that partnerships are the way forward if

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Cover Story ing B2B2X — business-to-business-tothird-party. Under B2B2X, which encompasses both B2B2B and B2B2C, operators collaborate and share the rewards with B2B partners.

Why focus on B2B2X?

To ensure they reap a fair return for their enormous investments in 5G, operators must think holistically about the monetization opportunities, going beyond simply charging consumers more for faster data.

they are to win a share of the value generated from them.

Carriers are also unanimous in their belief that operators should extract insights from their 5G networks and not just let 5G traffic pass across them. The resulting intelligence will be very useful for developing and optimizing many use cases. One of the key parameters to negotiate in forming partnerships is which parties have access to which data.

Focusing on capabilities The reality is that the transition to 5G requires a significant departure from the way telecom companies have thought

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and operated in the past. To negotiate the transition successfully, operators need to define three elements: First, the services and use cases that consumers, businesses, and public agencies will value; second, the optimal way to play to monetize and create value; and third, the capabilities needed to succeed.

A way to play that appears increasingly viable for generating value is selling 5G services to other businesses, which will then sell them as part of their offering to their own customers. This means expanding away from the traditional business-to-business (B2B) and business-to consumer (B2C) business models by add-

B2B2X represents a significant break with the recent past for operators. Consumers’ response when presented with a plethora of over-the-top (OTT) services has dictated that telecom companies focus mainly on one type of business model.

Under this model, commonly used for 4G services, the operator sells voice and data connectivity directly to end-users, who simultaneously contract separately with their chosen third parties to access services over that connection. For example, a user might buy a 10 GB data plan from the operator and a separate subscription to a video-streaming service such as Netflix or Amazon Prime.

But this pattern is now evolving: Some operators have started to partner with OTT service providers to bundle their service with connectivity subscriptions, sometimes with an explicit charge and sometimes without (for example, by making certain streams unmetered against the customer’s data bundle) . “With the improvements in network capabilities in the 5G era, customers can expect to enjoy more network services bundled with content provider services — including accelerated gaming — and the operator could offer its network service to the customer as part of that bundle,” said a senior executive at an Asian Internet player.

“So, as a content provider that is closer to the requirements of the customers, we could be the sales channel for the operator’s network service.”

In the 5G world, where the network technology allows a far greater range of functionality that can be monetized, telecom companies have many more opportunities to develop these types of collaborations with a variety of businesses and public agencies.

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We see three main options for how operators could monetize this greater functionality.

a. Connectivity provider — operator-led B2B or B2C The telecom company extrapolates the typical 4G pricing and bundling model by applying additional elements and innovation. This may involve adopting an “airline-type” approach, delivering a multitiered connectivity service to both B2C and B2B customers based on the level of package selected by the customer.

To implement such a model, an operator could offer different speeds, quality-of-service levels, and pricing levels to match each customer’s needs and budget. A variation on operators’ traditional approach, this tactic runs a risk of becoming overly complex for end-users, who may struggle to understand the value of a plan whose pricing is defined on the basis of technical functionality (such as latency and reliability) rather than simply speed and data allowance.

b. Solution enabler — third party–led B2B2X

A third party such as a cloud provider or video-streaming service incorporates 5G connectivity sourced from the operator as part of its own offering. The third party markets the bundled offering to its customers, receiving revenue through either direct payment or some other monetization model, while paying the telecom company for the network usage and variable functionality in the form of either a network charge or a revenue share. The third party effectively buys a “slice” of the operator’s 5G network capacity for its own use, and the interface between them is managed and enabled through application programming interfaces (APIs) .

“We don’t need to develop every capability in-house, especially if they are core to other sectors,” notes Vishal Dix-

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it, director of strategy and wholesale, Vodafone U.K. “We recently announced a global strategic partnership with IBM focused on cloud and hosting. We will jointly go to market, with Vodafone leading on connectivity and IBM leading on verticalized solutions.”

Upcoming releases will deliver a number of 5G attributes, such as higher reliability, segmented network performance, and much lower latency.

c. Solution creator — operator-led B2B2X An operator creates new digital propositions by bundling third-party products and services with its core connectivity and markets the bundled solution directly to its own customers. Telecom companies might use this approach to create vertically integrated solutions that bundle third-party offerings, such as AR/VR services and equip-

ment, with access to their 5G networks.

Under this model, a telecom company could offer its customers a data plan that comes complete with VR gaming, including a VR content subscription and a headset, at no extra cost. A number of operators, including Vodafone, already make commercial agreements with OTTs to buy their services wholesale and resell them to consumers — and they are looking at how this type of model could be enhanced to build in 5G functionality, allowing customers to pick and choose from a menu of OTT products and receive a discount depending on their selection.

New collaborative monetization models will undoubtedly be invented as the

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Cover Story

A telephone mast.

be a good mechanism to distribute and package VR content more attractively. We want 5G to unlock the uptake of high-quality but cheaper all-in VR solutions,” said a CEO of a virtual reality hardware company.

possibilities of 5G become clearer to the market. Operators have the opportunity to be proactive in scaling up and industrializing their partnership-based businesses.

The availability of these widely varying business and monetization models will enable operators to benefit from greater choice and flexibility in terms of their services and pricing, and will spread value around more evenly into different areas of the ecosystem. Across all the models, operators and their partners will tailor their service offerings to capitalize on emerging technology trends such as the IoT, AI, drones, robotics, smart cities, and Industry 4.0.

“Telcos are keen to offer our branded devices — they’ve been investing and focusing on acquiring and developing content for them. So a B2B2C VR model will

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Selecting the optimal business model

To help operators and other participants in the quickly expanding 5G ecosystem identify the most suitable business model — connectivity provider, solution enabler, or solution creator — for each specific use case, PwC Strategy& has developed a matrix of five criteria for scoring potential use cases.

When the operator’s third-party partner in a potential business model has a very strong brand in relation to the target use case, the third party has an advantage in owning the customer relationship. For example, game-streaming service Twitch would have stronger brand strength among the serious gamer customer segment for an enhanced 4K gaming service than a telecom operator.

If the prospective third-party collaborator already has a high market penetration

in the sector where the use case is located, the situation also points to that third party owning the customer relationship.

For example, a specialist engineering solutions provider with strong penetration among transit authorities would be better placed than an operator to roll out a dynamic traffic control system. If the use case is closely aligned with its existing capabilities, the telecom company has a greater ability to own the customer relationship and secure a higher proportion of revenue share. For instance, an operator’s existing strengths in distribution, service delivery, billing capabilities, and physical presence may mean it’s well placed to sell AR/VR experiences over 5G to consumers and businesses.

This points to the solution creator option for the business model. The higher the relevance of the telecom operator’s brand to the use case, the greater the operator’s ability to own the customer relationship and claim a bigger share of revenues. For example, an industrial OEM may have a stronger brand than a telecom operator for selling an automated, real-time controlled production solution to manufacturers.

In this case, the telecom company should probably aim to partner with and support the OEM as a solution enabler, rather than expecting to take the lead itself. When a use case has a high intensity of 5G usage or is critically enabled by 5G, it may give the operator a greater ability to own the business model and take a bigger slice of the resulting revenue.

For example, for VR headset distribution business models, operators are well placed to act as solution creators because of not just their physical retail presence and device financing but also their ability to optimize network slices for graphics-heavy gaming requiring ultra-high 5G speeds and cloud-based edge computing for low latency rendering.

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Role model

India’s emergent digital economy and its nascent dividends For many developing countries like Uganda, the digital revolution and its dividends is the hope for socioeconomic transformation. But how to get there is still a quagmire. India, a good partner of Africa, is making head way in this areas, and it might be a good example to follow as far as digitalising and benefiting from digitalisation is concerned. In this article, Alok Kshirsagar and Anu Madgavkar write that new digital ecosystems are springing up across India’s economy, transforming business models and delivering huge productivity, efficiency, and growth benefits. And sectors that have not traditionally had technology at their core – such as agriculture, banking, health care, and logistics – are among those with the most potential.

I

ndia is taking a great digital leap. Having reaped substantial rewards from building up its core digital sectors, such as information technology and business process management, the country is now seizing new digital opportunities in many more sectors, such as agriculture, education, energy, financial services, health care, and logistics. These opportunities could deliver up to US$500 billion of economic value by 2025.

India’s digitization process has been the second-fastest among the 17 mature and emerging economies studied by McKinsey Institute.

Admittedly, it started from a low base, but in the last five years alone, the number of Internet subscribers has almost doubled, reaching 560 million.

Last year, Indians downloaded 12.3 billion apps, second only to the Chinese, and they spent an average 17 hours per week on social media, more than Americans. As a result, Indians used more than 54 times as much data, on average, in 2018 than in mid-2016.

Both the public and private sectors have played an important role in driving digitization. Many public services are now accessible only when linked to the government’s Aadhaar biometric digital-identification programme, in which over 1.2 billion people are now enrolled. Aadhaar has thus helped to propel the development of many other digital services. About 80 per cent of Indians now have digital bank accounts, with the vast ma-

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Digital business leaders are now spearheading even more innovative ways to reach and serve customers.

New digital ecosystems are springing up across the economy, transforming business models and delivering huge productivity, efficiency, and growth benefits.

jority of government benefits paid directly into Aadhaar-linked accounts. The Goods and Services Tax Network – a government platform for taxing wholesale and retail sales – has likewise created a powerful incentive for businesses to digitize their operations.

The private sector has facilitated this process, as competition has helped to reduce data costs by 95 per cent from 2013 to 2017 and to make smartphones affordable. Falling costs have fuelled rising data use: last year, Indian data subscribers used 8.3 GB of data per month, on average, compared to 5.5 GB used by Chinese subscribers. Together with rapid growth in telecom infrastructure, lower costs have also helped to reduce the digital divide: In the last four and a half years, India’s middle- and low-income states have accounted for 45 per cent of the 293 million new Internet subscribers.

Digital business leaders are now spearheading even more innovative ways to reach and serve customers. New digital ecosystems are springing up across the economy, transforming business models and delivering huge productivity, efficiency, and growth benefits.

Some of the sectors where the most value stands to be created – such as financial services, agriculture, health care, logistics, education, and energy – have not traditionally had technology at their core. We estimate that each of these sectors could create between $10 billion and $150 billion of incremental economic value in 2025.

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Role model

The picture featuring Camp for Aadhaar Card on April 12, 2013 in New Delhi, India.

In financial services, the surge in digital payments and related data is already enabling flow-based lending, whereby actual patterns of receipts and payments – rather than loan applications – are used to evaluate potential borrowers. India’s largest bank, the State Bank of India, has recorded a 50 per cent increase in lending to small and medium-size enterprises since switching to an automated flow-based system.

In agriculture, farmers are not only seizing the credit opportunities created by digital financial services; they are also using digital applications to gain specialized knowhow on, say, optimizing fertilizer and pesticide inputs.

Moreover, farmers are increasingly selling their

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produce in online marketplaces, which offer better prices. One such platform, the government’s electronic National Agriculture Market (eNAM), is available in 585 locations in 16 states, and could increase the prices realized by farmers by 15 per cent.

In health care, companies like Apollo Hospitals are using telemedicine to improve access in rural areas, where doctors are often few and far between. We estimate that telemedicine could eventually account for half of all outpatient consultations in India, giving rural citizens access to more qualified practitioners than they would be able to reach in person.

In logistics, online freight-forwarding platforms offer services like instant pricing and booking, cargo tracking, and centralized documentation. Such platforms are already reducing costs and boosting efficiency in what has

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Role model

historically been a highly inefficient sector.

The benefits of digitization may also extend to workers themselves, though this will require retraining, skills upgrading, and redeployment in many cases. We estimate that, by 2025, technology could eliminate between 4045 million mostly routine jobs in areas such as clerical services and data entry. But it will also help to create some 60-65 million higher-quality jobs. Workers will need to be ready to make the shift.

In facilitating this and other digitization-related processes, India’s government still has plenty of work to do. Among other things, it should continue to use digital technology to improve public services, while working with the private sector to develop further the country’s digital infrastructure. Making data available to entrepreneurs creating useful apps and services would also help, though this requires enacting legal provisions for data privacy and consent-based frameworks, which in turn rely on improved consumer literacy regarding the risks and benefits of digital technologies.

When it comes to tapping the full potential of digitization, the early signs are more than encouraging. Between its huge and growing In-

A Bosch employee controls a deep field robot called BoniRob at a field in Renningen, Germany. Photo: Michaela Rehle/Reuter

ternet-consumer base and its eagerness to innovate, India seems well positioned to unleash the dynamism of a truly digital economy.

Alok Kshirsagar is a senior partner at McKinsey & Company. Anu Madgavkar is a partner at McKinsey Global Institute. Source: Project-Syndicate

A heart surgeon in Bangalore, southern India, gives a teleconsultation to a patient in Calcutta

30 August - September 2019

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Comment

Why Uganda needs to up her conversations on the 4th Industrial Revolution

By Simon E. Omoding

Between July 3-4, an important conference took place in Kampala. Dubbed “Africa 4.0: Preparing Africa for the 4th Industrial Revolution,� the conference that should have caused a lot of excitement, instead passed largely unnoticed with minimal and wrongly framed mainstream media coverage, little political attention and completely no general public interest. Even the presence of the President of Sierra Leone, Brig. Julius Maada Bio, to open and grace the conference, was distortedly reported as a by-the- way. And that is symptomatic enough.

T

he 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR) is globally feted to be the next big thing. It is going to change everything. It is going to change the way humans live, work and interact with each other, how they meet their basic needs and how society lives and works.

In our The Infrastructure Magazine MarchApril 2019 edition, we carried a long feature defining what 4IR is and how it is likely to impact society. Elements of 4IR include block chains, Artificial Intelligence (AI), robotics, big data and analytics, drone technologies, Internet of

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Simon E. Omoding

Things, among others.

Even though Uganda is noticeably already deploying some elements of the 4IR technologies, the country largely remains oblivious of the phenomenon that the rest of the world is currently frantically talking about and preparing for.

Some of the basic 4IR elements that Uganda is already deploying include drone technologyused in security management (such as during Martyrs day celebrations that attract millions of people) and humanitarian interventions (Budu-

31 August - September 2019

Comment

da landslide surveys) . The other is big data and facial recognition technologies deployed by the Police street cameras. Because of this technology police is now able to identify, follow up and apprehend a culprit because their data technologies have capabilities to match and recognise faces. Integration of this technology into the national ID database even makes work easier.

We need to realise and admit that conversations –like creation of jobs through factories and manufacturing entities, are fast fading.

In the next 15 years, there will be no industrialist who will hire people for jobs that can be done by machines and robots-cheaply, more efficiently, more predictably, etc. All projections are that within the next 10 years, the 4IR will be here and the nature of work and jobs- especially factory type jobs- will be its first casualty. That’s why there is a big conversation going on at the international level, led by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) –on the subject of the “Future of work.”

In Uganda as well, we need to up our conversation (and game) on 4IR by putting in place a clear strategy for critically engaging with the phenomenon.

Block chains technology, for instance, is anticipated to fundamentally change transaction and business processes by bringing better efficiency, agility, accuracy, speed and transparency. A transaction like purchase of a car from manufacturer in Europe will be considerably cut in terms of time and processes to an extent that a buyer will in a press of a button be able to transact and transfer monetary value directly to the seller- potentially cutting out all third party services like bank transfer processes, fees, bureaucracies thereby bringing much agility, transparency, timeliness, cutting of costs, etc.

Artificial intelligence is basically use of machines to make decisions using data systems (algorithms) . Examples includes self-driving cars or auto-pilot in aeroplanes. Hand held cell phones already demonstrate a lot of AI by using your history to make “judgement” on what your phone shows/recommends you to read/see. Internet of Things on the other hand is basically big internet capacity (currently 5G) to run facili-

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R-L: Stanbic Bank Uganda’ s Herbert Olwo, ICT Ministry Commissioner Julius Torach, CryptoSav press briefing. (COURTESY PHOTO)

These technologies will bring a lot of opportunities but a lot of threats, challenges and disruption in equal measure, especially in countries that will not have adequately prepared for it.

ties, equipment and appliances. This could work in homes, hospitals, offices, entertainment places etc. A residential house on a 5G Internet of Things technology could have recognition technology where the gate can identify the home owner’s car and open and close automatically.

A house lighting system run on internet switches on when a person enters the house and switches off the moment there is person in the room; TV based Internet of Things switches on your most watched/favourite channels as soon as you sit on your chair to view TV, or uses your eye movements to select channels, etc.

In many parts of the world, these technologies are already happening.

This means that countries need to prepare for these technologies. Once they become effective, people will lose jobs in the form those jobs are currently structured. This means that people need to be reskilled to position themselves for jobs that will be required and creat-

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Comment

World citizens will be truly in one global village; as sitting in Gulu or Kotido, with the right skills and infrastructure, one is as good as someone in New York or London.

What does government need to do? i. Make 4IR a political mantra Elsewhere, governments are making 4IR the political mantra of the day; presidents, ministers and government officials are talking about it at every opportunity. Leaders are entreating their citizens to prepare for it in terms of skills, disruption, opportunities, threats etc. And that is why the Kampala conference was one missed opportunity for the Government to show leadership and engagement with a phenomenon that will soon sweep us.

vannah’s CEO Kwame Rugunda and blockchain boss at a

ed for humans. Governments need to change policy frameworks, even laws, as most of the work will be delegated to machines rather than humans (one author has on a light note reasoned that humans will be lucky if machines keep them for pets, in the near future) .

These technologies will bring a lot of opportunities but a lot of threats, challenges and disruption in equal measure, especially in countries that will not have adequately prepared for it. While, these technologies have been said to be the biggest opportunity for developing countries to jump leap development stages into developed world status, they can be disastrous for the unprepared.

With these technologies irrespective of where you are in the world as long as you have the infrastructure and skills, you can be an active participant.

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ii. National strategies Many countries are now putting in place strategies to critically engage and prepare to benefit from the upcoming technological revolution. Policies, laws are all being reviewed or at least studied to make the necessary adjustments.

President Yoweri Museveni recently inaugurated a taskforce to study and advise government on the 4IR phenomenon. We hope this task force will come up with some clear and pragmatic advise to government on the way forward.

iii. Education One of the ways to benefit and minimise loses and disruption from the 4IR phenomenon is developing the country’s human capital- by educating, training, skilling and re-skilling people in view of the upcoming changes. First world universities are reviewing curricula to meet the needs of the new world.

We know that digital companies (Facebook, Google, etc) have -as a mat-

ter of policy -already stopped using university degrees as a requirement for job qualification. What is required now is a new “qualification” which is a mix between schooling, skill, emotion, judgement, creativity… attributes that currently lack any certification.

Governments are taking it upon themselves to review curricula in schools and universities to ensure that going forward people who are coming out of school are beginning to be oriented on the new reality.

Giving young people the right skills, attitudes and character will be a huge opportunity for a country like Uganda with a largely young population. Young people need to be trained to be active creators and participants of the Internet of Things, block chain, big data technologies, and not just active consumers (today, most people are only front end active users of internet technologies, with no clue how the back ends work) .

If young people are equipped with the new requisite skills, then the country will generate big volumes of occupations (as against jobs), turning in millions of dollars, thereby growing the GDP phenomenally.

iv. Development of infrastructure The 4IR technologies are going to be dependent especially on Internet and electric power. The country therefore needs to be investing in putting in place big capacity and infrastructure for internet. Lack of adequate internet infrastructure and capabilities will make the country impotent when the time comes to reap from 4IR technologies.

Equally, these technologies will operate on and consume electricity. Lack of adequate electric power will also be a hindrance as these technologies will necessarily use electricity to operate.

On this front, Uganda is in the right direction.

33 August - September 2019

Technology Review

The Mercedes-Benz where love of inventing never dies

By Daniel Otto, with addition reporting from Mercedes Benz USA

“Mercedes-Benz,” they say, “ has a history of making history.” And this history of the German car maker is a raft of innovations and breakthroughs in automobile engineering. Since inventing the car in 1886, MercedesBenz says they have never stopped reinventing, making their cars products of meticulous engineering, defined by continuous innovation. Mercedes-Benz boasts a stream of firsts in car safety, performance and driving enjoyment. In this article, we review some of the car-maker’s ground breaking innovations over the years that make Mercedes-Benz a celebrated car brand in safety, performance and comfort.

1886: Mercedes Patent issued

The first female driver

Carl Benz is awarded German patent number 37435 for a three-wheeled, self-propelled “Motorwagen”. With a rear-mounted single-cylinder engine, this became arguably the first automobile.

It was indeed a revolution as it was to change the way people move, and it was also to spark a legacy of innovation that continues to this day.

Bertha Benz, Carl’s wife, decided to help promote her husband’s invention by taking it on a 120-mile tour without his prior knowledge. She also served as her own mechanic on the trip. This was the first and longest trip ever such an automobile made; opening people’s eyes to how this invention could close distances by taking people and goods to places far and wide conveniently and faster.

1894: First motor rally won by Daimler Ten years after patent 37435, a Paris Magazine sponsored the first official automobile race which was won by a Daimler – powered car, making history of winning the first auto sports race; but also making history in what is today’s a multi-billion dollar motorsport that Mercedes-Benz continues to sponsor, participate in, and win.

2019, G65 model

34 August - September 2019

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Technology Review

A replica of the first Mercedes Benz automobile

1906: the first electric powered car

Mercedes developed the first battery propelled car- which was to become the early ancestor of today’s hybrid drive cars.

In 1906, Mercedes-Benz used this technology in cars, trucks and buses. Readers who have followed the history of automobile evolution, know that propulsion technologies for cars has been a choice between electro (battery propelled cars) or hydrocarbon (petroleum internal combustion) engines. For the last 100 years, oil won preference, but the battery cars are bouncing back with concerns around climate change, environment and the politics of oil in oil rich regions. Uganda’s own Kiira hybrid cars is a case in point.

1910: Multivalve engines The Benz Touring car becomes the first car to use four valves per cylinder to improve performance and fuel consumption.

Today VVT (variable valve timing) is a widely used technology for fuel efficiency in cars.

1921: The supercharged engine Mercedes-Benz launches its compressor driven by engine; which noticeably increases the power of several Mercedes models by pressuring fuel-air mixture. The compressor is one of the most favourite Merdeceds models to this day.

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2019 Mercedes-Benz GLE 400 4MATIC SUV

1931: 4 Wheel Independent Suspension

ward gears without pushbutton release.

This remains an industry standard.

1963: Gated shifter

1985: 4MATIC all-wheel-drive (AWD)

On the first SL, to offer an automatic transmission, an ingenious notched layout facilitated selection of all four for-

The AWD E-class debuted with a two electronic traction system for rear wheel drive cars: the automatic differential lock

The Mercedes 170 features the 1978: Antilock Braking first-ever fully independent suspension, System (ABS) which allows each wheel to respond individually. Along with a new hydraulic A concept first unveiled in 1970, ABS braking system, the 170 set new perforhelps the driver retain steering control mance and safety benchunder heavy braking by marks that remain the gold preventing wheel lockup. It standard today. remains both a milestone Mercedes in automotive safety and a developed the 1939: Safety cornerstone, with the ability first battery engineering to individually brake wheels propelled carMercedes for the first serving as a fundamental which was to time goes into passenger element of countless future become the safety research. Led by Eng. breakthroughs. Brakes that early ancestor of Bela Barenyi tested vehiaccelerated progress: Sintoday’s hybrid cles with highly rigid floor, gle-wheel braking can also drive cars. In side impact protection and generate corrective rotation 1906, Mercedesa collapsible steering colof a car about its vertical axis.

Benz used this umn.

This fundamental ABS benetechnology in fit has since been put to use cars, trucks and 1958: Crash testing in innovations from electronbuses. program ic traction control and staFor the first time, develbility control to Active Lane opment of every new MerKeeping Assist and Active cedes includes an increasingly rigorous Blind Spot Assist. regimen of crash-testing.

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Technology Review

2019 E-model

(ASD) and automatic skid control (ASR) .

1991: CFC Free climate control Long before other auto manufacturers, Mercedes Benz remove fluoro-carbons, eco-unfriendly gases/chemicals not just from its air-condition systems but also from its entire manufacture process- making the MERC an environment friendly machine in this regard.

1995: The Electronic Stability programme (ESP) Perhaps the most important safety breakthrough since the airbag, the ESP helps maintain control in corners and evasive manoeuvres. It is now a requirement on all cars.

1997: Smart key Changing the tide in both convenience and antitheft protection, the compact Smart key uses an electronic code to unlock and start the car rather than a mechanical lock.

2002: PreSafety A ground-breaking system that can help prepare the occupants for an accident before it happens, PRE-SAFE can detect that certain types of collision might

36 August - September 2019

be imminent. In the precious moments before impact, it can snug the front seat belts and adjust the front head restraints to help optimize the effectiveness of the restraint systems. Safety first, when seconds count: PRE-SAFE responds when active safety systems like ESP are fully engaged but not restoring control. If it senses a severe sideways skid, it can even close the windows and sunroof. And if no accident occurs, the seat-belt tensioners reverse, you reopen your windows, and continue on your way.

2010: Attention Assist After measuring over 70 parameters in the first few minutes of a drive, this innovation can help detect signs of drowsiness and audibly alert the driver to take a break. Added sensitivity, no added sensors: ATTENTION ASSIST operates entirely from sensors already in a Mercedes-Benz. It cleverly tracks and compiles input from existing systems, from steering behaviour to a lack of interaction with dashboard controls, to determine that a driver might be getting drowsy.

2016: Car-to-X Communication This next-generation system in the 2017 E-Class, shares critical information with other vehicles equipped with the technology in order to help warn of potential danger - such as slippery road conditions, fog, h e a v y rain, and even accidents and break-downs - earlier than ever previously possible. Someday millions of cars could include this kind of technology, making driving safer and smarter than ever. A visionary enhancement to vehicle perception, Automated vehicle communication represents an important evolution in our ability to detect danger on the road: It allows equipped vehicles to communicate critical information by means of a cloud-based system. It works in addition to vehicle cameras and sensors- as well as the driver’ s own senses - to amplify our awareness of driving conditions.

2016: Active Lane Change Assist This radar and camera based system helps steer the vehicle during a lane change when it detects that the lane is unoccupied.

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