The Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence and augmented reality took over the Mobile World Congress (MWC) and set the trends that will follow the mobile industry in the world, supported by a new generation of networks: the 5G. Uruguay's representatives were few, but they returned with the promise of achieving a greater participation of the country in this great summit that in late February convened in Barcelona to some 108,000 attendees.
Beyond the expected launch of Samsung's Galaxy S9 (which innovated in augmented reality and IoT) and the awarding of the iPhone X as the best phone of 2017 at the Global Mobile Awards (although Apple was not present at the Congress), great innovations that transcend phones stood out in the biggest event of the sector.
The huge exhibition hall was the stage for models of smartphones capable of withstanding up to 400°C, extreme humidity and shocks (from companies like Caterpillar and Crosscall) to others that seek to preserve security for those who invest in cryptocurrencies, such as bitcoins. The latter is the case of the SiKurPhone, whose operating system does not allow downloading third-party apps, which would make the phone less exposed to being hacked.
In a fair that denoted how technologies once considered "futuristic" are becoming reality, the most "retro" product was perhaps the version with 4G connectivity of the Nokia 8110 model, which had its heyday in the 90s (when it was popularly known as banana phone, by the curvature that forms the cover when sliding).
The car as a gadget
Some of the most striking innovations were those that take advantage of the interconnection of devices, i.e. the IoT.
Samsung showed how it can improve the experience in tasks related to the home, while other companies gave a leading role to the car in what appears to be the path to autonomous vehicles.
For example, Toyota exhibited Smart Device Link, a platform that connects the smartphone with the navigation system of a car or motorcycle, to prevent the driver from taking his eyes off the road. Meanwhile, Seat (the Spanish automaker in the hands of Volkswagen) showed off its car with a built-in breathalyzer: if the driver has alcohol in his blood, it does not start the engine and offers to call a taxi or another person.
Huawei, meanwhile, presented a smartphone with artificial intelligence to drive a Porsche Panamera. Cheng Zhu, head of the IoT area of the company, said at the MWC that 2018 will see a kind of big bang of networks that interconnect devices.
Towards a 5G network
The effort to improve the infrastructure underpinning new technologies was evident at MWC. Vodafone, Nokia and Audi, for example, announced that they are working to install the first 4G mobile network on the Moon next year.
But, on planet Earth, the big challenge is to evolve to a 5G (fifth generation) network, whose mobile connection is about 1,000 times faster than the 4G available in the developed world.
At the beginning of 2017, only 60% of the global population had access to the 4G network, according to data from GSMA (the association that organizes the MWC, which brings together more than 800 operators worldwide). In Uruguay, a network that represents a breakthrough is already available: the 4.5G. The first to launch it was Antel, which made the announcement in December stating that it will allow broadcasting in 4K all the matches of the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
The GSMA estimates that the fifth generation will reach Europe in 2019 and Latin America a year later. By 2025, it expects the total number of 3G connections to exceed 50 million in the region.
A stand for Uruguay
The Minister of Industry, Carolina Cosse, attended the Congress as a speaker on the panel "Expanding Digital Services To The Next Billion". In an interview with El Empresario, she stressed that "investment in telecommunications infrastructure can never stop" and that Antel has already developed a public platform for IoT.
In Switch was the only Uruguayan company present at MWC (for the second consecutive year) and Cosse will try to ensure that the country has its own stand in 2019. "I will make efforts for Uruguay to have a place. I have already formally raised it," she said. In the meantime, the key is to generate contact networks for this new innovative ecosystem to grow.
Four innovative cases
1 - Samsung
If you went to the supermarket without a shopping list, you can ask your phone to show you what's in the fridge. Or to turn on the oven so you can start preparing lunch. Or ask if it's going to be a sunny day and tell it to turn on the washing machine. Samsung's virtual assistant, Bixby, makes this possible by connecting these devices. The new Galaxy S9 smartphones even allow you to know through augmented reality how many calories a food has by pointing the camera at it and thus adjust your daily diet and exercise.
2 - Toyota
To prevent the driver from taking his or her eyes off the road and thus facilitate safer mobility, Toyota has introduced Smart Device Link, which connects the user's smartphone with the navigation system. In this way, it is possible to dispense with the phone and only use the vehicle's screen. The technology (which is also compatible with Suzuki motorcycles) offers an "easy to read" format, responds to verbal commands and also blocks applications that could distract the driver.
3 - Huawei
The Chinese tech giant showed how its Mate 10 Pro smartphone can use artificial intelligence to drive a Porsche Panamera, as it detects and understands the stimuli around it. With a camera on the roof of the car, it distinguishes 1,000 different objects (such as a dog, a ball, a child or a bicycle) and dodge them when moving in a straight line. Thus, the company demonstrated the capabilities of its smartphone, although it clarified that it does not plan to develop an autonomous driving system for vehicles.
4 - In Switch
Uruguay's In Switch (which competes against giants such as Huawei, SAP, Ericsson, Amdocs and Comviva-Mahindra) was recognized for being the first company in the world to implement an interoperability standard for financial inclusion and cash flow reduction ecosystems. Its platforms perform more than nine million financial transactions per hour, with clients such as Banco Nación of Argentina and TigoMoney Paraguay. At the MWC, its vice president of sales, Líber Fernández, participated as a guest speaker in a seminar on innovation and digital payments.
Source: El País
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