South Africa: MTN and Cisco Jasper partner to advance IoT progression

On Wednesday 6 December 2017, South African telecommunications company, MTN, announced a partnership with Cisco Jasper in an attempt to enable their business customers throughout Africa to deliver Internet of Things (IoT) services worldwide.

MTN will be the first mobile operator in South Africa to deploy Cisco Jasper Control Center, an automated connectivity management platform for IoT. The partnership also represents Cisco Jasper’s initial expansion into South Africa.

Mariana Kruger, General Manager for ICT Solutions at MTN Business, says this partnership will entrench MTN’s position in the IoT and connected vehicles space and will give IoT device and vehicle manufacturers the opportunity to leverage MTN’s expansive network. While this solution will initially be rolled out in South Africa, plans are in place to leverage MTN’s data centres across its 22 points of presence across Africa.

“Our business customers in nearly every industry are looking to innovate and transform their businesses by offering connected services,” said Kruger. “The combination of our powerful mobile networks and Cisco Jasper’s leading IoT platform will empower our customers to deliver new connected services that generate recurring revenues, while also enhancing their customers’ experiences. More enterprises globally rely on Cisco Jasper Control Center than any other IoT platform, and we are excited to bring its capabilities to our customers.”

“Over the past three years, we have invested substantially in our network and have forged strategic partnerships with leading global players in the IoT space. These interventions have put us in a better position to provide our customers with a distinct customer experience. The partnership between Cisco Jasper and MTN has several synergies – both companies have the unrivalled capacity and expertise to provide IoT services to enterprise customers. In addition, the technologies that we have invested in give MTN the ability to provide cutting-edge and tailored propositions to our clients, while delivering a secure and fool-proof connection,” concludes Kruger.

MTN identified the following areas which have seen significant demand for the Control Center platform:

• Telematics & Vehicle Diagnostics – Connected Car initiatives enable auto makers worldwide to constantly monitor the performance of their vehicles and proactively address any issues before they cause a problem for drivers. Cisco Jasper has a deep history in the Connected Car market, with 50 of the world’s largest auto brands using Control Center for their Connected Car initiatives.
• Vehicle Tracking – Vehicle connectivity enables a range of vehicle tracking services, from remote tracking to aid in recovery of stolen vehicles to the monitoring of vehicles for better fleet management.
• Building Security and Automation – Connectivity has transformed how we interact with both commercial properties and our homes, making them more efficient, secure and responsive to our needs. The more we value these services, the more pivotal connectivity becomes, which is why many of the world’s largest building security and automation providers rely on the Cisco Jasper platform.
• Logistics – IoT is a critical enabler for optimizing and automating logistics businesses. Cisco Jasper Control Center enables companies to increase productivity and profitability with real-time visibility, automated controls, and remote diagnostics that optimize performance and quickly identify, solve and prevent issues.

The Cisco Jasper Control Center enables companies to rapidly and efficiently launch, manage and monetise their IoT services, while providing the flexibility for businesses to scale those IoT services worldwide to meet the changing needs and expectations of their customers, according to the company.

“For more than a decade, Cisco Jasper has been helping enterprises across every industry to enhance their customers’ experiences through connected services,” said Kalle Ward, Managing Director EMEAR, IoT Cloud at Cisco Jasper. “We do this by partnering with the most strategic mobile operators, and by combining the Control Center platform with their mobile networks and expertise, together we help businesses automate and manage the delivery of their IoT services globally. We are excited to partner with MTN and to expand into South Africa to serve this new, strategic market.”

Edited by Dean Workman
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