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INDUSTRY, TECHNOLOGY, PRODUCTS and INNOVATION you want to read about

5G will become the fastest adopted

mobile generation but not in Africa

ricsson projects that 5G mobile subscriptions will exceed 580 million by the end online users, with the more moderate online users having
Eof 2021, driven by an estimated one million new 5G mobile subscriptions every introduced more online services in their daily life over the course
day. The forecast, which features in the latest Ericsson Mobility Report, confirms the of the pandemic.
expectation that 5G will become the fastest adopted mobile generation. 5G is expected Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the implementation of online
to surpass a billion subscriptions two years ahead of the 4G LTE timeline for the same education at schools and universities as well as remote working
milestone. in South Africa has increased to 97 percent and 66 percent
At the end of 2020 in sub-Saharan African markets, around 15 percent of mobile respectively. Going forward, online education and remote working
subscriptions were for 4G. Mobile broadband subscriptions are predicted to increase, are collectively expected to remain at a level of 29 percent.
reaching 76 percent of mobile subscriptions by 2026. However, 5G volumes are not Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the amount of online
expected to grow in the region for 2021, but are likely to reach around 70 million 5G shopping in South Africa stood at 25 percent out of the total
subscriptions in 2026. number of all shopping events, both online and at physical stores.
Separately, the Global Telecom Market Report (GTM) also known as “The Future During the COVID-19 pandemic, this figure increased to 41 percent.
of Urban Reality Report” was also recently launched by the Ericsson ConsumerLab to South African consumers anticipate their habits around online
assess the penetration of 5G and the tremendous potential it holds for markets around shopping will remain at a level of 35 percent after the COVID-19
the world. It is the largest consumer study to date, revealing key insights about what pandemic has passed.
South African consumers believe will happen beyond the pandemic, into the year 2025, Mahomed Essof, country manager of Ericsson South Africa
through surveying a sample of 1,000 to 2,000 respondents between the ages of 15–79. says: “Sub-Saharan Africa is looking at a growth of mobile
The report found that when entering the “next normal”, consumers in Africa will broadband subscriptions driven by the young, growing population,
have added an average of 3,4 online services to their daily online activities, while also the increasing digital skills and the more affordable smartphones.
increasing the time they spend online by 10 hours per week by 2025, compared to their As 4G and 5G continue to grow together in the next five years,
pre-pandemic habits. setting #AfricaInMotion, mobile networks and digital inclusion will
This move is also expected to bridge the gap between moderate and advanced play a significant role in increasing resilience and competitiveness.”

New Qi 1.3 Wireless Charging

Reference Accelerates Qi Transmitter

he Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) has recently released the Qi 1.3
Tspecification that requires authentication for improved safety when transmitting
up to 15W of power between a transmitter and a receiver.
To meet the requirements of the specification, Microchip Technology announce
a new Qi® 1.3 wireless charging reference design providing developers of wireless
charging systems for automotive and consumer applications with the necessary tools
and support for the seamless integration and certification of new-generation product Qi 1.3 transmitter designs, speeding time to market and easing
designs. end-product certification.”
For wireless charging system developers launching certified Qi 1.3 transmitters Included in Microchip’s reference design solution for wireless
under tight timelines, Microchip’s three-coil Qi 1.3 reference design provides a charging systems are all required elements: Qi controller, Qi
head start for product development. The reference design fully integrates secure application software, provisioned authentication controller
storage subsystem software with the wireless power microcontroller (MCU) and is that is a WPC-approved secure storage subsystem and crypto
a flexible solution, enabling custom topologies and foreign object detection (FOD) software libraries that execute on the Qi controller. The reference
implementation. design includes complete schematics, bill of materials, software
As a regular member in the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC), which sets and design guidelines. Microchip is partnering with Avnet to
global standards for wireless charging of mobile devices, Microchip provided make evaluation boards for the Qi reference design available to
expertise during development of the recently released Qi 1.3 specification. Qi 1.3 qualified customers around the world.
is a significant update from Qi 1.2.4 and mandates hardware-based authentication To support its Qi 1.3 wireless power solution, Microchip
between transmitter and receiving devices for power transfer above 5W. By adhering provides the dsPIC33C family of devices to run the Qi application
to the new authentication standard, designers can ensure phones receiving 15W are software and the ECC608/TA100 secure storage subsystem
receiving it from a Qi-certified authenticated transmitter to ensure safety. provisioned by Microchip as a licensed WPC Manufacturing
“Wireless charging makes it easy and convenient for consumers to charge Certificate Authority. As a total system solution, this reference
devices and, as a result, demand for these systems in the automotive and consumer design also incorporates MIC4605 and MCP14700 gate drivers,
segments is on the rise,” said Joe Thomsen, vice president, MCU16 business unit. MCP16331 and MCP1725 regulators, an MCP6C02 current
“Microchip’s Qi 1.3 reference design, tools and support help engineers to meet sense device, an ATA6563 CAN transceiver and an MCP9700
rapidly evolving development requirements and enable easy certification of the new temperature sensor.

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