Deployment of mobile services is a real success story in Africa. Cloud Computing is just starting to take off. African Cloud Computing has a big and perhaps unseen potential as it may answer to traditional technical issues (lack of storage, connectivity, infrastructure and unreliable local energy sources). However providing cloud infrastructure will not be enough. African constraints shall be taken into account in order to provide Platforms as a Service adapted to this very specific environment. The talk will introduce Emerginov, an open source PHP PaaS dedicated to co innovation in Africa, part of the OW2 community and developed by Orange Labs.  This talk is given by Morgan Richomme, Network architect for multimedia services in Orange Labs.

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Emerginov
A Telco Web PaaS for African Cloud
Morgan Richomme, Orange Labs, OW2

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Cloud Computing in Africa
● « Many in sub-Saharan Africa have skipped
directly to mobile devices. And while Africa, like
other emerging markets, has been slow to embrace
cloud computing, it is starting to take off here, with
tech experts touting the cloud’s big and perhaps
unseen potential. »
● Cloud computing may in fact prove ideal for
Africa, where there is little traditional internet
infrastructure, unreliable electricity grids in
many areas — making on-site storage impractical
— and an ongoing boom in business and
development
Src : Erin Conway-Smith November 7 2013, http://www.globalpost.com

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Need for a telco Web PaaS ?
●
Mobile everywhere
● Reliable GSM Networks
●
Low litteracy rate
● Scarce expertise
●
Qualified web diaspora and urban youth
● Energy issues

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Emerginov
● A smart integration of open source mature components
● An all-in-one solution bridging Web and Telco worlds
● A Web toolbox to allow local innovation for and by local
developers
● A focus on vocal applications with support of local
languages
● A PHP PaaS matching African needs developed by
Orange

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An infrastructure

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A community
● OW2
● Emerginovateurs
● InnovAfrica
● Hackathons, Codecamps
● Research contracts (UCAD, UTM,
ESMT, UoM, Lirima, UoB)
● Benin, Burkina, Botswana, Cameroon,
Ivory Coast, Madagascar, Mali,
Mauritius, Senegal, Togo
Emerginov training for Botswana Innovation Hub
(worldbank, Microsoft, orange,..)

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A African open innovation forge
●
More than 150 micro services
● All under free licenses
●
Any domain : m-agri, transport, health, education

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Conclusion
●
Cloud is an opportunity for Africa
● IaaS is not enough
●
Specific PaaS shall be developed to match African
specificities
● Emerginov hosted in OW2 is one of them

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Thank you

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Questions