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drones, a hospital that requires a certain blood
type for a transfusion or certain medications
to treat an outbreak, can message through to
a larger urban area and the equipment may
be delivered quickly and safely,” says Dr Linda
Seward, Communications Officer at NCCR. commercially interesting retail opportunities,”
says Jonathan Ledgard, Founder of Red Line.
“It could provide a town’s population with
access to e-commerce on a massive scale.
Small businesses in the town will also benefit as
they will be connected as well for the first time.”
“But while medical supplies are the obvious
target for this, there are plenty of other
means – for example, if an area doesn’t
have good transport links then it makes it
hard for people who live there to trade –
delivery drones can change that.” Connectivity will be absolutely critical to this
alternate distribution channel, providing
towns with online access to order goods, as
well as enabling drones to communicate
throughout their journey. From connected
coolers through to automated stock reports,
the latest retail technologies and innovations
require ubiquitous high-speed connectivity.
Through the largest independent pan-
African fibre network, Liquid Telecom is
helping retailers and other businesses on the
continent on their digital journey.
This has culminated in plans for the world’s
first airport for drones, which will be launched
in Rwanda next year. The Red Line drone
port will become home to a delivery network
of drones that will help deliver medical and
emergency supplies as well as commercial
products, such as electronics and e-commerce.
“There is a big opportunity for drones
delivering medium-sized payloads between
secondary towns. This will create some
www.intelligentcio.com
With a network stretching over 24,000km
and growing, Liquid Telecom is providing a
connectivity platform for businesses of all kind
to introduce the technologies of tomorrow. n
INDUSTRY WATCH
GAINING
ACCURATE
INSIGHT AND
VISIBILITY ON
THE DELIVERY
OF PRODUCTS
ACROSS
AFRICA IS
A MAJOR
CHALLENGE
FOR
RETAILERS.
INTELLIGENTCIO
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