Cisco Projects There will be Nearly 850 Million Mobile Users in M. East and Africa By 2017

According to the Cisco Visual Networking Index Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast for 2012 to 2017, in the Middle East and Africa (MEA), there will be 849,226,090 mobile users in 2017. The expected steady increase in mobile traffic is partly due to continued strong growth in the number of mobile Internet connections (personal devices and machine-to-machine applications), which will exceed the world’s population (United Nations estimates 7.6 billion) by 2017:
2017 VNI MEA Highlights:

• In Middle East and Africa, mobile data traffic will grow 17-fold from 2012 to 2017, a compound annual growth rate of 77%.
• In Middle East and Africa, mobile data traffic will reach 861,298 Terabytes (0.86 Exabytes) per month in 2017, the equivalent of 215 million DVDs each month or 2,374 million text messages each second.
• In Middle East and Africa, mobile data traffic will account for 17% of Middle Eastern and African fixed and mobile data traffic in 2017, up from 8% in 2012. (An official Cisco VNI fixed IP traffic forecast through 2017 will not be released until June 2013.)

Business Mobile Traffic in MEA:

• In 2012, Middle East and Africa’s business mobile data traffic grew 1.7-fold, or 69%.
• In Middle East and Africa, business mobile traffic will grow 11-fold from 2012 to 2017, a compound annual growth rate of 60%.
• Business will account for 12% of Middle East and Africa’s mobile data traffic in 2017, compared to 19% at the end of 2012.

Video in MEA:

• In Middle East and Africa, mobile video traffic will grow 27-fold from 2012 to 2017, a compound annual growth rate of 93%.
• Video will be 72% of Middle East and Africa’s mobile data traffic in 2017, compared to 47% at the end of 2012.
• Video reaches half of Middle East and Africa’s mobile data traffic by year-end 2012

Consumer Mobile Traffic in MEA:

• In 2012, Middle East and Africa’s consumer mobile data traffic grew 2.1-fold, or 110%.
• In Middle East and Africa, consumer mobile traffic will grow 19-fold from 2012 to 2017, a compound annual growth rate of 80%.
• Consumer will account for 88% of Middle East and Africa’s mobile data traffic in 2017, compared to 81% at the end of 2012

During the 2012 to 2017 forecast period, Cisco anticipates that global mobile data traffic will outpace global fixed data traffic by a factor of three. The following major trends are driving global mobile data traffic growth:

• More mobile users: By 2017, there will be 5.2 billion mobile users (up from 4.3 billion in 2012).
• More mobile connections: By 2017, there will be more than 10 billion mobile devices/connections, including more than 1.7 billion M2M connections (up from 7 billion total mobile devices and M2M connections in 2012).
• Faster mobile speeds: Average global mobile network speeds will increase seven-fold from 2012 (0.5 Mbps) to 2017 (3.9 Mbps).
• More mobile video: By 2017, mobile video will represent 66 percent of global mobile data traffic (up from 51 percent in 2012).

Impact of Mobile Devices/Connections

• Smartphones, laptops, and tablets will drive 93 percent of global mobile data traffic by 2017.
• M2M traffic (such as GPS systems in cars, asset tracking systems, medical applications, etc.) will represent 5 percent of 2017 global mobile data traffic.
• Basic handsets will account for the remaining 2 percent of global mobile data traffic in 2017.
• In 2012, 14 percent of all mobile-connected devices/connections (1 billion) were IPv6-capable.
• By 2017, 41 percent of all mobile-connected devices/connections (4.2 billion) will be IPv6-capable.

Traffic Offload from Mobile Networks to Fixed Networks
To address the rise in demand for mobile Internet, and to address the lack of available new mobile spectrum and the expense and complexity of adding new macrocell sites, service providers are increasingly looking to offload traffic to fixed or Wi-Fi networks.
4G Adoption and Mobile Data Traffic Growth
Many global mobile carriers are deploying 4G technologies to address consumer and business users’ demands for wireless services. In many emerging markets, carriers are creating new mobile networks with 4G solutions. In mature markets, carriers are supplementing or replacing legacy (2G/3G) networks with 4G technologies. The Cisco Mobile VNI study now projects the growth and impact of 4G.

SONY to Sell its VAIO PC Unit to Japanese Investor for $500 Million

Japanese electronics giant, SONY has sounded a profit warning indicating that it is booking a $1.08 billion annual loss as it cuts 5,000 jobs and sell off its overpriced but stagnant PC unit. The maker projects that it will save about $5 million through the jobs cuts starting in early 2015.
The VAIO units have not  managed to register much success despite SONY being a giant in many verticals of the electronics market. SONY is selling the PC unit to Japanese Investment Partners for between $400 million and $500 million. Not much financial information on the deal was announced.
Market analysts, Moody’s recently downgraded SONY’s credit rating to junk, saying that the giant electronics maker had more work to do in repairing its battered balance sheet. SONY expects to cut 3.5% of its global work force some of whom might be hired by the new owners.
But SONY is not facing a gloomy outlook alone. Sharp and Panasonic are facing more diminished returns,as foreign rivals such as Apple and Samsung outperform them in the smartphone and television business.

MICROSOFT SAYS NO SUPPORT FOR OLD VERSIONS OF INTERNET EXPLORER (IE)

Microsoft has announced that starting January 12, 2016 it will only support the most recent copy of Internet Explorer (IE) for the various versions of Windows. Any individual using older versions of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer browser will in the near future no longer receive bug fixes and security updates for the software.

The move puts an end to a long existing strategy of offering support for various IE versions. According to Microsoft, the move would improve security and assist developers who would only be required to support newer browsers.
Microsoft explained the changes in its blogpost stating that commercial clients who had “standardized” on previous IE versions should begin making plans to migrate to the latest releases.
Microsoft promised to offer resources and assistance for customers to make sure web-based programs and applications made for older IE versions continue to function with newer versions.
“The change should assist developers since they will no longer be needed to support the old technologies in those older browsers,” Microsoft said.
The change implies that Microsoft will be only supporting versions 9 and above of Internet Explorer. Users of various Window editions will be expected to use the most recent copy for that release.
Microsoft has also moved further to improve security on its browser. Starting August 12, 2014 Explorer will block outdated add-ons, called ActiveX controls, for the program.
“Outdated add-ons are often targeted by cyber-thieves as a way to destroy browsers and steal information. The regular monthly IE update will make the change that blocks outdated add-ons,” Microsoft said in a statement.

KENYA TO ESTABLISH DATA SHARING CENTRE AT JKUAT

East Africa will soon have a data sharing centre that will help to accelerate generation, analysis, management and archival of scientific data to support its development plans.
The standard reports that the Centre will be based at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology who will partner with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Committee on Data for Science and Technology ( CODATA) and the United Nations.
According to  ICT Cabinet Secretary, Dr. Fred. Matiang’I, the centre will facilitate creation of people-centric, inclusive, open and development oriented information society where people can create, access, utilise and share information and knowledge.
“There is a clear demand for new data sets, manifested by the recent upsurge of request,” said Matiangi.
In his speech Matiang’i at the United Nations Offices where he opened an international workshop on open data for science and sustainability in developing economies
Matiangi also said that the government will be tabling a draft legislation on access to information and data protection in parliament that will guide collection and management of information in Kenya.
While speaking at the same event JKUAT Vice Chancellor, Prof. Mabel Imbuga said Kenya is yet to draw useful insights from such data due to knowledge gaps and inadequate infrastructure despite large data sets permeating various sectors of the economy.

BRCK - RUGGED INTERNET FOR PEOPLE AND THINGS

Internet has become an integral part of our lives and the society at large so much so that we can't live without it. if the network is down all own problems begin, you will think part of our heart has seized to function, people depend on internet on almost everything nowadays. for you to have an internet you need to subscribe to an internet service provide for a convenient package that suits your need, you need a constant supply of power , if you want to share among several users, then you will need something called a router for sharing out the internet, you may decide to use Ethernet or wireless in order to use the internet amongst users. 

                    when you have all this under one roof that is in a single device then you're safe with a mobile wireless internet that can connect 20 devices together this is the concept in BRCK  pronounced as brick , an idea by Ushahidi  founder and now iHub founder ERIC a techpreneur..designed in Nairobi but made in  the United States of America.
a wireless, battery-powered modem i.e using GSM network that aims to help users connect to the web no matter where they are in the world.
                     Described as "the backup generator for the internet", BRCK can support up to 20 devices connected at once, has a tough exterior shell and an eight hour battery life so it can sit out any blackouts, it can connect to the web via Ethernet, WiFi, 3G or 4G, shifting between them dependent on service.
                     This is device is a noble thing especially in remote areas like villages in Africa and Asia where access to internet was a nightmare, with most part of this areas having a GSM network now internet is no more a problem they can connect 20 devices to BRCK and get to have internet.

                      BRCK is a noble idea but the cost of internet in our telecom companies are so high that it might render the noble idea useless until later times, i guess the government through the right authorities should bring laws and regulations curbing the high cost of internet in our GSM networks.