By Thandiwe Kubere
MASERU – Econet Telecom Lesotho hosted Lesotho’s very first digital Expo which was aimed at ensuring that all Basotho from different walks of life, regardless of age, join the digital global revolution. The event took place at Maseru Mall from the 27th till the 28th of July 2023.
Through the Expo, Econet showcased its newest products and high-end services such as Smart Home Ecosystems, e-Health Solutions to improve doctors’ interactions with patients remotely, Fibre plus services with advanced modems and WI-FI 6 solutions for self-improved network connectivity.
The ultimate goal of the expo was to leverage the power of technology in order to transform lives for better and be accommodative to not only those in the urban areas but those in the highlands as well, such that no one is left behind. This was also brought up so that the nation gets to explore the latest digital technologies, products, and services.
Basing itself on, “It takes vision and knowledge to decide to do things that are different. This Expo is a fantastic showcase of what it can mean for Basotho to be at the age of digital living.” The Econet Expo demonstrated Econet’s digital services for enterprises, homes, and individuals, pronouncing its position as the forward-thinking, industry-leading digital services provider in the market. The expo featured some of the most highly anticipated products and services of the year to ensure digital access and inclusivity for all in the country.
Clients were assured digital solutions to; Make life easier and more affordable at home, improve speed and productivity in the workplace, keep people connected wherever they are no matter the demographics, enable speedy cashless financial transactions, educate and stimulate the minds of children, as well as to create connected families and communities through exhibits, interactive workshops and live demonstrations.
The Chief Executive Officer of ETL, Mr. Dennis Plaatjies, highlighted that this was a one of a kind digital Expo where clients would get a chance to experience some of the innovations the company has invested in to better the lives of Basotho. He added that the company highly values and makes use of technology to give a wide range of digital products. The digital products are available for individuals, business and homes.
ETL has been making use of technology to give its customers quality services. “Over the past few months, we have been investing in products and services to take advantage of AI to improve Customer Experience. We recently, for the first time in the country, launched an embedded sim card which is called an eSIM. It provides more security to communication, with more storage and it gives more flexibility on the capacity of the sim card”, he said.
Mr. Plaatjies further declared that Econet Telecom Lesotho was introducing Fibre plus which brings AI powered strength at home. Fibre plus was said to be an improved service for the well-functioning of most businesses and homes which use more internet and is meant not to have extra costs. He said Fibre to the Room which is able to ensure that all system connected to it are able to communicate seamlessly has been introduced.
As a means of improving services they offer to Basotho, Wi-Fi 6 rooters which are now available on ETL’s network. Mr. Plaatjies deliberated that a number of people connect all their devices to Wi-Fi in their homes. However Wi-Fi 6 removes that need to only connect at home because of its speed capacity and its strength. Adding to its advantages is that its modem provides parental control. This means that parents or caregivers have greater control of what the Wi-Fi is used for and are able to keep track of their children’s internet consumption to ensure their wellbeing. This means they also get to decide when to connect the devices.
“We are also introducing voice over LTE on Internet protocol to secure communication between people. “We are here to solve real life challenges and we become excited to witness people’s lives change for the better”, said Plaatjies.
ETL General Manager – Sales, Mr. Lebohang Ramaisa during the Expo said. “We are extremely excited as Econet to set-up an expo of this magnitude that will go a long way in helping to bridge the digital division in Lesotho and further cement our position as the leader in providing life changing digital solutions to our esteemed customers.”
Mr. Ramaisa further emphasized that the expo guarantees their customers digital solutions that will make life easier and more affordable at home, improve operational efficiencies in the workplace, and keep people connected wherever they may be. The provided solutions have also been designed to enable speedy cashless financial transactions as well as to educate and stimulate the minds of children. To ensure the success of the expo, ETL worked with a number of partners, and amongst them was Vitality. Vitality representative, Mr. Raleche Semethe extended appreciation and gratitude to ETL for having made Vitality part of this life-changing event. He demonstrated how technology can now be used for remote consultations between Doctors and patients such that the gap of people travelling for long distances which could deteriorate their health further can now be bridged through video consultations. Here doctors are able to diagnose according to the patient’s symptoms and thereafter give medical prescriptions. “We appreciate bringing AI and technology to improve services delivery in the health space”, he said. Moreover, CBL Governor Maluke Letete declared that the Expo signified and is proof that the 4th industrial revolution is here. He declared that Lesotho is in fact late as compared to other countries. “We need to embrace the 4th industrial revolution. I failed to by a phone in the United States because it uses an embedded sim card. It enables the efficiency in the delivery of services and is here to stay. It protects and safeguards people’s resources and assets. Therefore, please innovate as much as you can and regulation will follow you because if we stop innovation we are doomed”, said Letete.