78 |FORBESAFRICAAPRIL 2020 FORBESAFRICA.COMPhotos via Getty ImagesT
ECHNOLOGY IS CONSTANTLY CHANGING THE
way we live, and its rapid pace makes it impossible
to predict what the end of the next decade will look
like. The body behind the CES tech conference in Las
Vegas, the Consumer Technology Association, which represents
more than 2,200 consumer tech companies in the United States,
has outlined what it will pay close attention to over the next few
years.
The company believes the Internet of Things (IoT) is moving
towards a new ‘Intelligence of Things’, bearing testimony that
artificial intelligence is permeating every facet of our commerce
and culture.
These trends include 5G, artificial intelligence, streaming
media, cloud-based gaming, task-based robots, connected homes,
mixed reality, and electric transport to name a few.
Meanwhile, research house GlobalWebIndex has predicted
the following consumer tech trends for 2020 in its ‘Connecting
the Dots’ report: travel, social gaming, privacy in a cashless
society and digital health.
Here’s a look at some of these trends in a more African and
South African context:- ALMOST 5G READY
The general sentiment around 5G is that Africa is not yet
ready for it. Vodacom became the first network in Africa to
commercially launch 5G in Lesotho in 2018, and is set for roll
out in South Africa sometime in 2020. MTN showcased its 5G
From the ‘Internet of Things’ to the ‘Intelligence of
Things’, and games that will now be the basis of
new massive online communities.TECH TRENDS
IN 2020
BY NAFISA AKABORdemo indoors in Gauteng, South Africa, in 2019 and live demos
in Nigeria in November 2019, with a commercial rollout in
South Africa expected in 2020. Rain, however, became the first
network in South Africa to go live with its direct-to-consumer
5G offering in 2019, albeit to a very small part of the population
in the Western Cape and Gauteng provinces. It remains to be
seen which major smartphone manufacturers will bring 5G
handsets to the continent, a process dictated by the readiness of
mobile networks.- STREAMING MEDIA
It’s no secret African-based pay-TV operator DStv has been
losing premium subscribers over the years. As fiber connectivity
becomes more readily available on the continent, consumers
are shifting towards streaming services due to convenience and
price. In the past year, we’ve seen what has been dubbed the
‘streaming wars’ as VOD offerings have exploded and consumers
are spoilt for choice. One of the most anticipated global rollouts
is Disney+, available currently in select markets, whose content
has slowly been disappearing off Netflix. Only time will tell
which VOD will be crowned king as the market continues to
saturate. - CLOUD-BASED AND SOCIAL GAMING
The meteoric rise of eSports has seen it jump from a $130 million
industry in 2012 to an over a $1 billion industry in 2019. It is
estimated to be worth $1.79 billion by 2022, according to Statista;
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