The OR Tambo district is in line for a R1.1-billion broadband rollout aimed at digitising social services and bringing it all online.
Speaking to the Daily Dispatch on the fringe of an Information Ethics and Digital Opportunities conference in East London last Friday, Deputy Minister of Telecommunications Hlengiwe Mkhize said President Jacob Zuma had asked her department to prioritise vulnerable communities when rolling out information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure.
“We have identified OR Tambo region. It has a large number of people who are very vulnerable.”
The country faces a funding shortfall for Telkom’s R98-billion broadband rollout plan, for which, according to a recent Sunday Times article, the telecommunications parastatal would not foot the bill.
Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene allocated R1.1-billion for the project in his budget speech over the next three years.
It remains unclear how the bulk of the funding will be sourced, but Mkhize said budget constraints necessitated centralisation of work by state-owned companies, which would have to consolidate for the broadband rollout and to start with communities in dire need, such as OR Tambo.
She said state-owned companies such as Infraco, the South African Post Office and the State Information Technology Agency (Sita) would participate in the rollout.
“ NDP compels us to work in smart partnerships. Telkom, because of its capacity, must lead the ICT revolution. If we talk of capacity, whether private or public, our state-owned companies must not operate in a fragmented way because that causes wastage,” Mkhize said.
“Once the president has made a region a priority, we are compelled to align all the resources to help schools, the National Health Insurance project, and clinics to become connected to ICT infrastructure.”
Mkhize said previously regions would issue their own tenders for small broadband projects that had little impact.
“That is why we are trying to consolidate our own state entities to do business with each other. Come April 1, that is how they are going to operate so resources can be used in a directed and focused way.”
Telkom has more than 147000km of fibre optic cable, more than any other entity in the country. Mkhize said the broadband rollout would create opportunities in the private sector.
“If we roll out to OR Tambo, we can’t expect the government to do it alone. We have to issue out tenders so people know there are opportunities and a bid. In that way it’s not about what we have in the kitty, it’s about how we can all coordinate our resources and roll out our broadband,” she said. — siyam@dispatch.co.za
R1.1bn for OR Tambo broadband
Speaking to the Daily Dispatch on the fringe of an Information Ethics and Digital Opportunities conference in East London last Friday, Deputy Minister of Telecommunications Hlengiwe Mkhize said President Jacob Zuma had asked her department to prioritise vulnerable communities when rolling out information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure.
“We have identified OR Tambo region. It has a large number of people who are very vulnerable.”
The country faces a funding shortfall for Telkom’s R98-billion broadband rollout plan, for which, according to a recent Sunday Times article, the telecommunications parastatal would not foot the bill.
Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene allocated R1.1-billion for the project in his budget speech over the next three years.
It remains unclear how the bulk of the funding will be sourced, but Mkhize said budget constraints necessitated centralisation of work by state-owned companies, which would have to consolidate for the broadband rollout and to start with communities in dire need, such as OR Tambo.
She said state-owned companies such as Infraco, the South African Post Office and the State Information Technology Agency (Sita) would participate in the rollout.
“ NDP compels us to work in smart partnerships. Telkom, because of its capacity, must lead the ICT revolution. If we talk of capacity, whether private or public, our state-owned companies must not operate in a fragmented way because that causes wastage,” Mkhize said.
“Once the president has made a region a priority, we are compelled to align all the resources to help schools, the National Health Insurance project, and clinics to become connected to ICT infrastructure.”
Mkhize said previously regions would issue their own tenders for small broadband projects that had little impact.
“That is why we are trying to consolidate our own state entities to do business with each other. Come April 1, that is how they are going to operate so resources can be used in a directed and focused way.”
Telkom has more than 147000km of fibre optic cable, more than any other entity in the country. Mkhize said the broadband rollout would create opportunities in the private sector.
“If we roll out to OR Tambo, we can’t expect the government to do it alone. We have to issue out tenders so people know there are opportunities and a bid. In that way it’s not about what we have in the kitty, it’s about how we can all coordinate our resources and roll out our broadband,” she said. — siyam@dispatch.co.za
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