The Internet of Things (IoT) and big data analysis are the main drivers behind Huawei Technologies ongoing interest in Africa’s growing technology landscape.

At the CeBIT 2017 Conference taking place in Hannover, Germany this week, the company emphasised the role IoT plays in facilitating centralised, realtime data communication and automation – crucial to the rollout of concepts like smart city development and implementation.

Huawei’s technology continues to target its enterprise offering at several vertical markets including manufacturing, retail, corporate and government. However, its consumer silo remains an important component of its strategy.

The company engaged with a global audience at the start of CeBIT 2017 and introduced a number of global software solutions partners that make up its larger ecosystem.

Huawei emphasised its collaboration with global partners who use the company’s infrastructure to roll out solutions.

One example is the ongoing project with Cireto, described as the largest hadoop cluster in Europe with 26TB data increment per day and 9PB of data analysis capability. The client has built its rack on Huawei infrastructure and uses this for precision marketing and analysis.

Another is the use of robotics in manufacture, and the deployment of drones to deliver multimedia information in realtime to technicians on oil rigs.

Huawei used the first day to introduce an omnimedia solution based on the integration of all multimedia content into the cloud. All editing and publishing can be managed in the cloud using what developers have called the industry’s first 8-track HD editing desktop cloud solution.

Users are also able to extract information and apply analytics in realtime, there is no downloading as all the editing software resides in the cloud.

Smart city

Smart city development continues to draw attention, particularly in Africa, where there has been application of Huawei’s flagship solution, its Intelligent Operation Centre.

The company showcased the application of various technologies that form part of its broader smart city strategy, including converged command capability, 4K ultra HD for all scenarios, intelligent video analysis, as well as intelligent facial recognition.