| Sentech offers communication technology opportunities - 21/06/2007 |
Technology giant, Sentech, recently contributed to an exhibition on youth and information communication technology opportunities, held at the Ekurhuleni FET College in Brakpan. According to a Media Update report, the exhibition, organised by the Youth Directorate with the GDYC Chief Directorate of the Department, showcased the FET ICT skills programme and various opportunities available for young people within the ICT sector. Sentech will play a vital role in taking SA’s TV industry into the digital age with digital terrestrial television (DTT). This technology is needed to ensure that SA’s analogue broadcasting infrastructure is upgraded and ready for the 2010 World Cup. Sentech exhibited technology and ICT products and also introduced the youth to the multiple career paths that are open to them in the ICT industry.
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Full Media Update report
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| CNBC welcomed to local screens - 21/06/2007 |
Gauteng Premier Mbhazima Shilowa last week welcomed international television network CNBC Africa to Gauteng as the ’global powerhouse of business television’. The network started broadcasting in SA on 1 June after months of preparation to join the local airwaves. Shilowa said the Gauteng global city region is ready to work with the network to make insightful and informative commentary on provincial success stories. According to a Gauteng Online report, he pointed out that CNBC Africa will provide valuable economic information that will help SA build an image of economic prosperity and that the Gauteng Provincial Government is keen to support the channel in its efforts to bring quality broadcast news content to the region. Shilowa said CNBC Africa have placed themselves in a favourable position to settle in SA well in advance of the 2010 World Cup. ’You have come to SA at a critical time. It is exactly 36 months to the World Cup. By coming to our country at this stage, you have placed yourselves in pole position to better understand the strategies and programmes we are implementing ahead of these events,’ said Shilowa.
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Full Gauteng Online report
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| R1bn deal to improve local soccer - 17/06/2007 |
The PSL’s decision to award pay-TV channel SuperSport International exclusive rights to broadcast PSL matches would improve the standard of local soccer because of the huge amount of money the deal would generate for the sport, say PSL team bosses. The Cape Argus report that there has been widespread condemnation of the deal by interest groups ranging from soccer fans to political parties. The five-year deal worth R1bn was announced by PSL chairperson Irvin Khoza after lengthy negotiations with public broadcaster SABC which has held the broadcasting rights since the founding of the PSL nine seasons ago. SABC CE Dali Mpofu has vowed the broadcaster will take all steps necessary to reverse the deal and has hinted at legal action. Former Bafana Bafana coach Ted Dumitru said he didn’t think SuperSport would have exclusive rights to matches. He said the awarding of games was still under arbitration. Fellow former Bafana Bafana coach Clive Barker said the decision would attract people back to soccer stadiums, and would contribute to a better atmosphere in soccer stadiums ahead of the 2010 World Cup.
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Full Cape Argus report
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| Billion rand soccer deal announced - 16/06/2007 |
The PSL has struck a deal worth more than R1bn over five years with SuperSport International, giving the pay channel exclusive TV rights to all PSL fixtures. The shock announcement was made by PSL chairperson Irvin Khoza and is the culmination of a simmering war with the SABC, who has held the TV rights since the PSL’s inception nine seasons ago. According to a report on the IoL site, the move could deprive the bulk of SA’s millions of soccer fans of watching Kaizer Chiefs, Orlando Pirates, Mamelodi Sundowns and the other PSL teams on TV - although Khoza stressed the deal with SuperSport was conditional on them offering the rights of whichever games they saw fit to rival TV broadcasters. Parliament’s sports portfolio committee chairperson, Butana Kompela, and SABC chief executive Dali Mpofu criticised the deal.
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Full report on the IoL site
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| Former Nail boss eyes pay TV market - 14/06/2007 |
Kenny Setzin, a former executive director of New Africa Investments Limited (Nail), is eyeing the lucrative pay television market and aggressively pursuing several transactions in the media sector in a bid to build a significant media company. According to Business Report, Setzin said Nail wanted to invest in pay TV five years ago in partnership with Sentech, but it was not economically viable as it needed R1bn in investments. Based on that experience and the relationship he has established with some international content providers, Setzin believes his company, Direng Investments, could play a role by partnering with whoever wins a pay TV licence, especially new entrants. Direng has set aside about R10m to invest in the radio stations and expects to go on air in November. The launch will coincide with the festive season, which normally brings huge advertising expenditure. Setzin said there were opportunities in advertising as firms positioned themselves for the 2010 World Cup. He expects the two radio stations, Radio North West and MPower, to break even in the next three years.
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Full story in Business Report
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| Best coverage for 2010 - 11/06/2007 |
SABC, African Union Broadcasting and Southern African Broadcasting Association (SABA) have joined forces to ensure that the 2010 World Cup receives the best coverage. According to a Sunday World report, the joint venture will be backed by cellular network MTN. ’Broadcasting is the best tool to reach the entire African continent,’ says SABC group CE Dali Mpofu. ’When we won the rights to stage the event we made it clear that the tournament was not only about SA but about Africa. As broadcasters we will take part in the build-up to the 2010 World Cup. We have to create a state of readiness going into the event. We also want other corporates to strengthen our structure,’ he said. The broadcasters will host 53 countries at a conference that will take place as from tomorrow at the sponsor’s offices.
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Full Sunday World report
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| i-Cable wins broadcasting rights for 2010 - 11/06/2007 |
Pay-TV operator i-Cable Communications (1097) is back in the game against Now TV by winning the broadcasting rights for the 2010 football World Cup in SA. The Standard reports that it has also scored exclusive coverage of Brazil’s qualifying matches for the tournament. Despite the stunning smash and grab, i-Cable will not reveal just how much it paid. ’Including production and broadcasting rights, total cost would be more than HK$100m,’ was all Ronald Chiu Ying-chun, executive director at i-Cable News and i-Cable Sports, would say. The operator suffered a shattering defeat last year when it lost its highly popular screening of the English Premier League to Now TV, which kicks off the new season in August.
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Full report in The Standard
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| Focus on World Cup broadcasting issues - 08/06/2007 |
Broadcasters from around the continent will meet in Johannesburg on Monday
in an attempt to establish a common goal and strategy for the 2010 World Cup. The event marks the first time that broadcasters from all 53 African states will meet. The two-day conference is expected to establish guidelines on broadcasting rights, technological advances and licensing agreements. It will be held under the auspices of the African Union of Broadcasting in conjunction with the Southern African Broadcasting Association and the SABC. As the host broadcaster, the SABC has been awarded broadcasting rights for all Fifa competitions between 2007 and 2014, which include both World Cups and the two Fifa Confederations Cups that will take place during this period.
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Full SABC report
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| SABC and PSL fail to reach agreement - 06/06/2007 |
Soccer fans may not be able to watch their favourite teams on TV, because the SABC and the PSL have failed to reach an agreement on broadcast rights. The Star reports that this was the concern raised by the SABC’s group CE, Dali Mpofu, after the public broadcaster won a ruling by an arbitrator that the league was negotiating in bad faith. But PSL CE Trevor Phillips said there was nothing to worry about as the league believed that all broadcasting rights issues would be sorted out by the time the new season starts in two months’ time. Currently, the PSL and the public broadcaster are involved in an arbitration process, but no date has been set for the hearing.
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Full report in The Star
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| Promises of better TV by 2010 - 03/06/2007 |
TV addicts will soon have two new channels to choose from - CNBC Africa and Al Jazeera English. Another 18 broadcasters started bidding last week for commercial satellite and cable-transmission licences from the Independent Communications Authority of SA (Icasa). Presentations will continue until the middle of this month. A decision is expected by August. The new entrants come at an exciting time for viewers. The government is embarking on radical changes to the broadcasting landscape that are intended to promote access to digital TV services and make them easily available through a single network. Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri, the minister of communications, said she wanted mobile broadcasting services to be provided on a single network with national coverage. Matsepe-Casaburri said the cabinet had approved November 1 next year as the start date for digital broadcasting. ’Sentech is on schedule to meet the government’s commitment by providing about 80% of digital terrestrial television coverage (in time for the) 2010 World Cup,’ she said.
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Full report on the IoL site
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| Sentech still waiting for government funding - 31/05/2007 |
Sentech cannot explain why the communications department can`t secure funding for digital migration. The lack of new funding for digital terrestrial TV (DTT) migration may impact the project in later years as equipment orders will be placed later, says Sebiletso Mokone-Matabane. The Sentech CE was reacting to the budget vote speech by communications minister Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri. The speech reiterated the national signal distributor would complete the migration of the country`s broadcasting signal from analogue to digital by November 2011. According to a MyDigitalLife.co.za report, Matsepe-Casaburri also said Sentech was on schedule to have 80% of the country covered by DTT for the 2010 World Cup. ’Further, Sentech plans to launch at least one HDTV (high-definition TV) satellite channel in time for the 2010 Soccer World Cup,’ she said. Mokone-Matabane says while Sentech has sufficient funds to modify and maintain the signal transmitter locations, it does not have the money yet to place orders for the equipment.
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Full MyDigitalLife.co.za report
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| NGN announced for 2010 - 28/05/2007 |
Government is improving its Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure to deliver efficient services ahead of the 2010 World Cup. On Wednesday, Public Service and Administration Minister Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi announced a Next Generation Network (NGN) would replace the current Government Common Core Network (GCCN). ’Deploying NGN services and enhancing the transmission capacity of the GCCN augurs well for the improved government service delivery as the country gears up for 2010,’ she said. Currently, the State Information Technology Agency (SITA) provides data services to the three spheres of government via GCCN, introduced in 2002. WorldCupWeb reports that NGN is the largest deployment of network services in Sub-Saharan Africa in the public sector.
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Full World Cup Web report
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| Sentech to launch HDTV ahead of 2010 - 24/05/2007 |
Sentech intends to launch at least one high-definition television (HDTV) satellite channel in time for the 2010 World Cup, Communications Minister Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri said. Sentech would also build a second teleport to provide additional capacity needed for the 2010 satellite uplink requirement. Sentech was on schedule to meet the government’s commitment of providing about 80% digital terrestrial television (DTT) coverage by 2010. FIN24 reports that the SABC planned to have six more high definition units in place by the end of 2009, also in line with the technology plan for 2010. Matsepe-Casaburri said the digital signal would be switched on on November 1 2008, and the analogue signal should be switched off on the same date in 2011.
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Full FIN24 report
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| Every effort made for 2010 ICT needs - 23/05/2007 |
Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, the Deputy President, says everything possible is being done to ensure that guarantees to Fifa regarding information and communications technology (ICT) are met in preparation for the 2010 World Cup. She was answering questions in the National Assembly. Mlambo-Ngcuka says three host cities have been short-listed for the International Broadcast Centre (IBC). A selection panel has made recommendations to the Cabinet, which is due to make a final decision soon. ’I must emphasize that government takes very seriously this obligation, because we are very aware that the majority of soccer lovers who will be watching the games, will not be in SA, in the stadiums. They’ll be watching at home all over the world. So nothing can go wrong and nothing can be spared in relation to ensuring that our IBC works efficiently,’ she said.
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Full SABC report
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| Bridging the digital gap by 2010 - 23/05/2007 |
As the country prepares to host the World Cup in 2010, there is renewed urgency to narrow the digital gap. The digital divide is widely accepted as a major challenge within developing markets like SA. As the country prepares to host the World Cup in 2010, there is renewed urgency to narrow this digital gap. It is the revamped outsourcing business model that could very well lead the way in terms of corporate development and digital communications availability. According to an ITWeb report, there is no doubt that ICT represents one of the key pillars in the foundation on which the country’s World Cup strategy is built. Widely implemented digital infrastructure and reliable connectivity is critical if SA is to provide effective communications – both internally and externally – during the global tournament. One of the main obstacles to addressing the digital divide is that of being able to quantify the full extent of the challenge. Access to communications resources is at the top of the list of priorities, but this is placed alongside the need for more power sources, enhanced service delivery, and so on.
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Full ITWeb report
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| Telecel eyes WC role - 22/05/2007 |
Telecel Zimbabwe has signed additional roaming agreements with unnamed international operators as the mobile operator seeks to increase its share of the market as the country steps up preparations for the 2010 World Cup . ’We believe that quality of (mobile phone) services is going to be an important element for soccer tourists to phone back home and we are working flat out to reduce network congestion to and within international tolerance limits,’ Telecel chief executive officer John Chibesa said. The company had to date installed an additional 18 base stations worth billions of dollars in major cities and towns to improve radio capacity. Chibesa said the company was targeting all major border posts to reduce network congestion during the month-long soccer showcase, which is expected to see up to 300 000 soccer fans descending on the ’rainbow nation’.
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Full allafrica.com report
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| Network providers battle to find sites - 22/05/2007 |
Growth is sometimes dangerous. That’s the lesson that telecoms network providers battling to find available sites to deploy their masts, base stations and signal towers are learning. Blame it on either of the following factors: the proliferation of wireless technology or the build-up to the 2010 World Cup. However, the truth is there’s hardly a site available. iBurst MD Alan Knott-Craig junior says the biggest challenge to broadband purveyors’ roll-out plans has been the lack of sites. ’If we happen to get it, the rentals that property owners are asking for don’t provide a realistic return on investment.’ According to a MyADSL.co.za report, State signal distributor Sentech, cellular operators Vodacom, MTN and Cell C and Telkom all have huge infrastructure roll-out plans. Neotel will also soon kick-start its ambitious wireless network roll-out and a host of municipalities - including Johannesburg, licences permitting - could also soon start operating WiFi and WiMax infrastructures.
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Full MyADSL.co.za report
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| T-Systems and Telkom join forces for 2010 - 17/05/2007 |
IT services outsourcing group T-Systems SA is about to secure an anchor partnership with Telkom to provide technology solutions and infrastructure for the country’s 2010 World Cup stadiums. While neither company would confirm this, T-Systems has previously said it has already concluded a high-level heads of agreement to work with a local partner who has the necessary skills and access to infrastructure. Meanwhile, Rose Sekese, the deputy director-general of the Department of Communications, revealed that Telkom has already been appointed to provide fixed-line connectivity between the 10 stadiums to be used during the tournament and the International Broadcast Centre (IBC). ITWeb reports that Sekese said government would hand over the technology-kitted stadiums to Fifa in November 2009, adding that technology installations will begin 12 months before that deadline, following the completion of the brick-and-mortar work.
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Full ITWeb report
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| New technology opportunities for SA - 16/05/2007 |
In looking ahead at the new technology needed for SA’s hosting of the 2010 World Cup, Thomas Makore, Spescom Telecommunications CE, talks about the new opportunities created. Data Week reports that Spescom is directly involved with all the major role players in the initiative to have digital, high-definition TV (HDTV) in place, as well as other elements, such as mobile TV services. ’SA is set to move to the next level of broadcast, converged communications with the new technology being put in place for this event, which draws a huge global audience,’ said Makore. ’Specifically, this includes HDTV transmission - replacing the obsolete analog equipment in use at present - and digital mobile TV services direct to cellphones.’
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Full Data Week report
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| 2010 broadcast city to be announced - 15/05/2007 |
An announcement on which SA city will host the 2010 World Cup International Broadcast Centre is ’imminent’, Deputy Finance Minister Jabu Moleketi said on Tuesday. According to a report on the News24 site, he said one of the three possible cities, Cape Town, Johannesburg or Durban, had already been eliminated and the remaining two were asked for some additional information before the final decision was made. He would not say which two cities were still in the running but said an announcement was expected very soon. The International Broadcast Centre is the temporary home for journalists from around the world who cover the World Cup. Moleketi said the one in SA would host over 2 000 journalists that would provide television coverage as well as radio, newspaper and the Internet.
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Full report on the News24 site
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| BBC focuses on SA issues - 14/05/2007 |
With the number of locals who have deserted our country in favour of Britain’s bitter weather and bad cuisine, the English island has virtually become a second SA. So it’s not surprising that news networks which traditionally only catered for the UK’s home-grown market have finally embraced this fact and are - quite cleverly - cashing in on it. According to a report on the IoL site, over the next week, the BBC will broadcast a series of programmes titled SA Direct, which will highlight situations and prominent personalities that have shaped our indigenous culture. With the 2010 World Cup looming, the programme will also examine whether the concerns about crime are exaggerated, or whether the government needs to pull up its proverbial socks to ensure the safety of the thousands of football fans set to flood our shores.
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Full report on the IoL site
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| CVM TV buys 2010 rights – 12/05/2007 |
International Media Content Limited (IMC), parent company of regional sports cable giant SportsMax, last week announced an agreement with the CVM Group for the television broadcast rights to a Fifa football programming package from 2007 through 2014. The Jamaican Observer reports that the deal includes the 2010 World Cup and the 2014 World Cup and will begin with the broadcast of this year’s CONCACAF Gold Cup (June, 2007) and the Fifa U-17 (August, 2007) and U-20 (June, 2007) World Cups.
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| 2010 technology plans at mature stage - 10/05/2007 |
Technology plans for the 2010 World Cup, which are in line with guarantees required by Fifa, are at a mature stage, the Department of Communications (DOC) says. Rose Sekese, the deputy director-general responsible for 2010 planning, says the business plan has been completed and funding plans have been approved by National Treasury. Additionally, Telkom was appointed to provide fixed-line connectivity between the 10 stadiums selected for the games and the International Broadcast Centre (IBC). ’The critical portion of the planning, which includes meeting Fifa guarantees, is now complete, and we can now focus on other issues, such as providing connectivity to hotels and fan parks where local people will be able to watch the games,’ Sekese said. ITWeb reports that a news report says SA will spend between R2bn and R5bn on ICT infrastructure for the 2010 World Cup.
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Full ITWeb report
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| Sky Sports wins record-breaking rights – 30/04/2007 |
The BBC were licking their wounds following Sky Sport’s sensational capture of the rights to screen Northern Ireland’s international games. The record-breaking deal - exclusively revealed by the Belfast Telegraph - will net the Irish Football Association more than £10m over the next four years. The Sky Sports deal, which covers the 2010 World Cup and 2012 European qualifying campaigns, also includes provision for the live screening of major Irish League games from next season.
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Full Belfast Telegraph report
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| Klinsmann to make a comeback in 2010? – 27/04/2007 |
Jürgen Klinsmann, the former soccer coach for the German national team, has turned down one offer after another from international teams. Now, he is going into television. According to a DW-World report, former Germany boss Jürgen Klinsmann revealed he is set to return to coaching and will be spending the summer considering job offers - from both clubs and countries. Despite German press reports stating Klinsmann had effectively ruled himself out of coaching English Premiership champions Chelsea by taking a job with German TV, the 42-year old insists he wants to coach again. Klinsmann will work as an analyst and commentator for pay-TV channel Arena for the next two years and will fly to Germany from his home in California for major Bundesliga games. Although the TV contract has put his career as a football coach on hold for at least two years, the charismatic Klinsi recently dropped a hint that he might be back for the World Cup 2010. ’Who knows, perhaps I’ll be a coach once again at the 2010 World Cup,’ he said.
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Full DW-World report
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| Intel invests in technology ahead of 2010 - 24/04/2007 |
Intel is investing in technology that it says will revolutionise the way we watch television sport. It plans to have a product on the market by 2010 – just as SA gets ready to host the 2010 World Cup. ITWeb reports that the technology, under development at Intel’s research laboratory in Beijing, China, is part of the company’s investment in tera-scale research. Intel is about to release quad-core processors that will be exponentially more powerful than the desktop that produced this report. In fact, Intel researchers have an 80-core processor operational at present. The spread of digital media means that many consumers have hundreds of hours of digital video of children’s parties and soccer games on tape. However, there is no effective way to mine it for clips featuring a particular grandmother, a specific player or a particular game play – be it a foul or a goal; and no one has the time to sift through the material.
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Full ITWeb report
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| CCTV technology applications for SA host cities - 13/04/2007 |
The 2010 World Cup is getting closer, while the current debate and concerns about SA’s capacity to provide a secure and safe environment when we host the tournament is intensifying. According to a SecuritySA.com report, an integral part of the resources and structures that are part of a well-established and equipped security network is surveillance and CCTV solutions. ’We have identified key areas where CCTV technology would be appropriate for deployment. Stadia, airports, trains and railway stations - and in any other areas of high traffic flow,’ said Brett Birch, African region leader for GE Security.
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Full SecuritySA.com report
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