Share

Mass Wi-Fi rollout 'makes sense' for SA

Cape Town - The lack of a spectrum licence for deployment makes Wi-Fi an ideal technology to grant internet access to people, says an industry player.

"That's the beauty of Wi-Fi - you don't need a licence," Michael Fletcher, sales director for Ruckus Wireless sub-Saharan Africa told Fin24.

But with expansion of Wi-Fi comes a risk: Because the Wi-Fi spectrum is unlicensed, there is greater potential for conflict as companies and organisations race to provide access.

The answer seems to be that local government entities in SA are rolling out Wi-Fi to give citizens access to the internet.

The City of Tshwane has contracted with Project Isizwe to deliver universal Wi-Fi throughout the metro.

"Definitely Tshwane's taken the lead: They started with a small project and it was quite successful. It's slowly got bigger," said Fletcher.

National priority

The Western Cape Provincial government has also launched a Wi-Fi access programme mainly in poorer communities where the cost of data is a significant challenge to internet access.

In her State of the Province Address, Western Cape Premier Helen Zille promised that the province would see universal internet coverage in a deal signed with Neotel.

"Neotel has therefore generously committed to funding the infrastructure rollout of 384 Wi-Fi hotspots, using Western Cape Government buildings, which will cover almost every ward in the province.  Our government will be subsidising the free portion of citizens' internet access," Zille said.


Modern smartphones require more data to be useful than previous generation devices. (Duncan Alfreds, Fin24)

Mobile broadband is a national priority as the government eyes a 2020 deadline for universal broadband access.

In President Jacob Zuma's State of the Nation Address, he made reference to the expansion of broadband and the country's shift to digital terrestrial television.

"We will expand, modernise and increase the affordability of information and communications infrastructure and electronic communication services, including broadband and digital broadcasting," Zuma said.

However, the move toward digital terrestrial TV has been held up as national broadcaster the SABC proves unwilling or unable to migrate its services out of the key 800MHz band ideal for high speed data access.

Implementation quagmire

In Barcelona earlier this year, Ruckus demonstrated a dual antenna Wi-Fi hotspot that has an extended range for Wi-Fi, potentially taking the technology out of bars and restaurants, and into neighbourhoods and CBDs.

Fletcher believes that more private and public projects will expand Wi-Fi in SA, even as national implementation remains trapped in a policy quagmire.

"I think you'll see more of that [Wi-Fi projects] following on - where other commercial applications will become available to consumers to give them as much access as they need."

Watch what Fletcher had to in this online video:



- Follow Duncan on Twitter

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Rand - Dollar
18.99
-0.5%
Rand - Pound
23.95
-0.2%
Rand - Euro
20.50
-0.1%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.35
+0.0%
Rand - Yen
0.13
-0.4%
Platinum
896.95
-1.0%
Palladium
1,000.11
-0.2%
Gold
2,192.73
-0.1%
Silver
24.45
-0.8%
Brent-ruolie
86.09
-0.2%
Top 40
67,991
+0.5%
All Share
74,199
+0.4%
Resource 10
56,296
+1.1%
Industrial 25
103,587
+0.3%
Financial 15
16,547
+0.1%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Company Snapshot
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE
Government tenders

Find public sector tender opportunities in South Africa here.

Government tenders
This portal provides access to information on all tenders made by all public sector organisations in all spheres of government.
Browse tenders