Vodacom Business has partnered with local governments to provide technology solutions that help make South African cities smarter as it digitalises critical enterprise sectors.

The partnership forms part of a five-year transversal contract with the National Treasury.

“We have a proven track record in partnering with the public sector to deliver transformative digital solutions. We aim to use our experience and expertise in understanding government needs to achieve their smart-city goals,” says Vodacom Business director Videsha Proothveerajh.

This includes digitalising utilities management, healthcare, education and security, which streamlines operations, enhances efficiencies and improves the lives of citizens, she continues, highlighting that digital solutions can help municipalities deliver services efficiently and effectively manage the consumption and delivery of services such as water and electricity.

Vodacom Business’s smart utilities management system, which uses connected smart meters to provide real-time information on consumption, can help improve accurate billing and revenue collection for residents.

This system has been extended to include fleet management, which further saves the municipalities costs and enhances the life span, value and efficiency of their assets.

In addition, Vodacom Business has developed and deployed the Citizen Engagement app, which enables two-way communication and collaboration between citizens and municipalities, including logging service requests and tracking their progress.

Further, with technology effectively leveraged as a solution for improving critical access to healthcare apps such as the secure, cloud-based Stock Visibility Solution by Vodacom Business can strengthen stock-level monitoring and administration by healthcare facilities to deliver greater efficiency and medication-dispensing responses.

Other digital initiatives from Vodacom Business to support public healthcare delivery include smartphone-based platform AitaHealth, which enables community health workers to deliver preventative care services to communities on a home-based level, and the Computer Aided Dispatch system, which allows users to track ambulance requests from the moment a call is logged all the way to the final delivery of the patients at their destination.

In the education sector, Vodacom Business has developed digital solutions to support education departments and schools with more streamlined e-admissions, as well as bridging the communication gap between schools, district management and provincial offices for greater visibility.

“Vodacom’s e-learning uses mobile technology to help improve the learning experience both in and out of the classroom, supporting the government’s goal to improve educational outcomes in South Africa.”

Vodacom Business has also developed various Internet of Things security solutions, such as real-time firearm tracking and geo-fencing to enhance public sector security services, while body-worn cameras facilitate real-time video transmission to central locations, enabling live monitoring during critical situations and providing evidentiary proof for incident management.

“By enabling the growth of smart cities, we are turning public services into public successes and supporting the government to utilise the power of technology to better serve citizens and create an inclusive digital society in South Africa,” concludes Proothveerajh.