| Fibre optic investment for Cape Town - 12/10/2006 |
The City of Cape Town is considering a plan to roll-out fibre optic cable throughout its municipal area to make it Africa’s first wireless city. The municipality is likely to use its private telephone network licence as the basis of the authority for the project, said City of Cape Town CIO Nirvesh Sooful. ITWeb reports that Robert Macdonald, spokesperson for Cape Town executive mayor Helen Zille, said plans are under discussion that could mean an investment of between R300m to R400m to lay fibre optic cable throughout the city environs.
Macdonald said part of the reasoning behind the investment is to make the city ready for the 2010 Soccer World Cup, while the labour involved in laying the fibre would help job creation in the short-term, and it will also help reduce the cost of Cape Town’s R100m telecoms bill.
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Full ITWeb report
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| Sentech gives 2010 assurances - 110/10/2006 |
Fears that SA’s broadcasting and telecommunications systems will fail and plunge SA into global humiliation when the 2010 Fifa World Cup kicks off are no longer valid, state-owned signal carrier Sentech has promised. Business Day reports that about R2bn was likely to be invested in technologies to modernise and extend SA’s networking infrastructure, Sentech’s acting chief operating officer, Frans Lindeque, said. Sentech, Telkom and the SABC had called a truce to work together to ensure their facilities became world class. There was no doubt that the hi-tech sector would not only be ready for the 2010 World Cup, but also for the African Confederation Cup in 2009.
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Full Business Day report
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| LOC confident about ICT sector - 10/10/2006 |
SA’s LOC for the 2010 World Cup is confident the necessary ICT infrastructure will be in place, in time, despite claims that the country may fail in this regard. Speaking on behalf of the committee, Tumi Makgabo says although the exact requirements have not yet been determined, SA will be capable of upgrading its ICT infrastructure if the current economic climate continues. ITWeb reports that recent blips on the economic radar have been just that, temporary glitches, she says. ’In general, SA’s economic conditions are stable.’ However, international credit insurance company Coface’s director of underwriting, Pieter Breitenbach, argues that the weakening rand and increases in the lending rate could push SA’s credit rating down and result in the country being unable to import essential ICT infrastructure for the World Cup.
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Full ITWeb report
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| WC promotes ties with Nigeria - 09/10/2006 |
Business has never been so good for SA’s pay-per-view television station Multichoice Nigeria. The company controls about 90% of the cable business in the west African nation and in its years of operation in the country have seen huge earnings. Africa Today reports that Multichoice is one of the many SA companies that have made tremendous in-road into the Nigerian economy, a country with immense market potential for diverse companies and products. Mindful of the growing imbalance in investment between the two countries, the SA Government is intensifying efforts to attract more investment from Nigeria prior to the 2010 World Cup, which it is hosting. Mandisi Mpahlwa, Trade and Industry Minister made this known at the forum. However, it is very unlikely that this would materialise. According to Olusola Obajimi, executive secretary, Nigerian-South African Chamber of Commerce (N-SACC), Nigerian companies’ products do not serve a need in SA: ’You don’t sell where there is no need.’
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Full Africa Today report
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| Limpopo launches technology council - 07/10/2006 |
Limpopo will soon be at the forefront of information an communications technology This comes after premier Sello Moloto’s office launched the Premier’s Advisory Council on Technology (PACT) on Thursday. PACT was launched to bridge the digital divide between urban and the rural communities in the province.
The premier said the 2010 World Cup will require cutting edge technology. Held at Meropa Casino and Entertainment World, the launch aimed to take forward the goals of the Provincial Growth and Development Strategy (PGDS).
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| Zero tolerance for technical failures - 22/09/2006 |
Fifa requirements are stringent and there would be zero tolerance for technical failures that could result in interrupted transmissions of the 2010 soccer games, said Sentech CE Sebiletso Mokone-Matabane. ITWeb reports that the Department of Communications has given guarantees to Fifa for dual-route, secure, high-speed, high-availability links between venues, the international broadcast centre (IBC) and international gateways. The communication infrastructure architecture is designed so that if a fibre optic connection fails, there is an immediate uptake by satellite. Mokone-Matabane says most of the 220 sites needed to broadcast digital terrestrial television (DTT) to 92% of SA’s population are already in place and need only be upgraded to become fully digital.
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Full ITWeb report
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| Pay-TV on cellphones by 2010 – 21/09/2006 |
SA cellular operator MTN is in talks with Naspers’ MultiChoice pay-TV business to provide television on mobile phones by 2010, a top company official said. FIN24 reports that Buckley McGrath, head of MTN SA’s corporate business unit, said MTN was in talks with existing players about providing pay-TV via mobile handsets. McGrath said MTN hoped to get the service up and running in the next few years, with commercial services available by 2010, when SA is due to host the soccer World Cup.
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Full FIN24 report
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| Sentech says 2010 preparations are on track - 20/09/2006 |
Business opportunities exist for the local ICT sector to take part in the project management of telecoms infrastructure roll-outs in preparation for the 2010 Soccer World Cup. That’s according to Sentech CE Sebiletso Mokone-Matabane who addressed a media briefing on Wednesday. ITWeb reports that Mokone-Matabane, who did a presentation on Sentech’s readiness for the 2010 Soccer World Cup, noted that SA already has adequate physical telecoms infrastructure, through contributions by Sentech, Telkom and Neotel. She added that Sentech has already begun building a digital infrastructure and demonstrated high definition TV in a number of venues, to be used for the 2010 World Cup. Speakers from other sectors, including construction and transport, noted preparations for the tournament were on track and a number of tenders would result from the process.
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Full ITWeb report
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| CBC secures broadcasting rights to 2010 - 15/09/2006 |
CBC Sports is still very much alive and kicking. Slam Sports reports that the public broadcaster scored a stunning coup, securing the broadcast rights to the 2010 and 2014 soccer World Cups as part of an eight-year agreement with Fifa. Also included in the staggering package of 37 Fifa events is next year’s World Cup Under-20 men’s tournament - which will be played in six Canadian cities, including Ottawa - and the 2007 and 2011 women’s World Cups. CBC is host broadcaster for next year’s event in Canada.
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Full Slam Sports report
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| Will there be sufficient telecoms capacity in 2010? - 08/09/2006 |
While most attention has been focused on building and upgrading of stadiums and other infrastructure for the 2010 World Cup, one of the biggest requirements will be ensuring there is sufficient telecoms capacity to handle the expected influx of visitors. Cellular News reports that with an estimated several million people expected to arrive in SA for the global football event, it is likely that each of them will have a cellphone, either on roaming or will buy a pay-as-you-go plan when they land. All of these visitors will need and want to make calls and the potential revenue for SA’s mobile operators is massive.
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Full Cellular News report
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| Value of marketing rights continues to soar - 15/08/2006 |
The value of the marketing rights for the 2010 World Cup in SA is set to take a further leap to reach close to €3bn, compared with about €1.9bn for this year’s World Cup in Germany. Sportcal.com reports that focusing on the next World Cup, Fifa, soccer’s world governing body, said that it estimated that media rights, including new media, would be worth about €1.8bn in 2010, while sponsorship would be worth €1.1bn. Many of the main television rights deals for the 2010 event have already been concluded, together with a reduced number of six, more lucrative, deals with top-tier Fifa partners.
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Full Sportcal.com report
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| SABC envisages 12 channels by 2010 - 08/08/2006 |
At least 12 SABC channels by 2010. This is one of the plans envisaged by the SABC’s CE, Dali Mpofu. According to a report on the New24 site, Mpofu says digitisation would make this ’multi-channel environment’ possible. He thinks these channels should not be divided by language, but by subject (possibilities include sport, news and religion).
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Full report on the News24 site
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| SBS nearing deal to broadcast 2010 and 2014 WC matches - 08/08/2006 |
The nation’s third largest broadcasting company SBS is nearing a deal with a Japanese advertising company for exclusive rights to broadcast the 2010 and 2014 WC games in South Korea. The Korea Times reports that the deal, if confirmed, will likely deal another blow to the previous "Korea Pool’’ system, in which three major broadcasters - KBS, MBC, and SBS - formed a joint pool to share the broadcasting rights after buying them from international organizations such as International Olympic Committee and Fifa.
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Full report in The Korea Times
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| T-Systems eyes Tetra network for 2010 - 26/07/2006 |
A terrestrial trunked radio (Tetra) network is one of the solutions T-Systems is eyeing to bring to the 2010 WC in SA, and will, over the next two months, formulate a business case for the possible supply of technology for the event. ITWeb reports that "T-Systems will finalise a business case for six possible solutions that it can repackage from Germany and make available for the 2010 World Cup."
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Full ITWeb report
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| Digital TV available in SA by 2010 - 15/07/2006 |
Digital television will be available across most of SA by the time of the WC in 2010 - but just how many people will be able to afford to adapt their TV sets will depend on how much the government is prepared to cough up to help make the transition. The Pretoria News reports that "Sentech, the country’s broadcasting signal distribution network operator, has announced it aims to beam digital terrestrial television into 78% of homes by 2010. But unless viewers buy very expensive digital TV sets, every home will require a decoder - currently priced at around R500 each."
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Full Pretoria News report
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| SA can learn from Deutsche Telekom - 14/07/2006 |
SA can benefit from the lessons learned by Deutsche Telekom in Germany, says GM for business development and strategy at T-Systems SA, Gert Schoonbee. ITWeb reports that "Deutsche Telekom was responsible for about 75% of the IT and telecommunications services required for the 2006 WC. He adds the company’s SA office is often used as an incubator for new ideas, and he was sure they would be able to benefit from the new systems that have been developed for the 2006 tournament and leverage off this to develop even better technology to serve the 2010 edition."
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Full ITWeb report
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| SABC to install rural big screen TVs - 14/07/2006 |
The SA Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) intends bringing the 2010 WC to people who do not have access to personal television sets. ITWeb reports that "the broadcaster aims to install large screen TVs for community viewing in underprivileged areas. It was realised from experiences in Germany, that the public viewing sessions would attract thousands of people and contribute to a great unity of spirit.”
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Full ITWeb report
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| 2006 WC produces suprising viewership results - 13/07/2006 |
The introduction of overnight viewership data provided Sponsor Statistik, SA’s leading sponsorship valuation company, with the opportunity to publish some key findings from the recently completed Fifa WC. BizCommunity.com reports that "the average viewership on SABC 1 increased by 52% versus the 2002 tournament held in Japan and Korea and broadcast on eTV, and as the tournament moved through to the quarter, semi-finals and finals the ARs continued to increase. Considering these numbers, the 2010 WC represents a powerful opportunity for nationbuilding considering the unifying quality of sport."
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Full BizCommunity.com report
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| Fifa Web site ranks 68th out of 500 000 - 10/07/2006 |
Unlike the rest of the planet, Americans dont care about soccer. Or do they? Forbes.com reports that "the worlds sport" has managed decent American television ratings during this years Fifa World Cup. But online, US Web surfers flocked to soccer sites throughout the tournament. During the week ended June 24, which included the US teams final match versus Ghana, Fifas World Cup Web site ranked 68th out of the 500 000 US Web sites tracked by Internet market research firm Hitwise."
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Full Forbes.com report
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| SABC awarded 2010 WC TV rights - 10/07/2006 |
SA public-service broadcaster SABC acquired the rights for all Fifa competitions from 2007 to 2014, including the 2010 WC in SA. SportBusiness.com reports that "the agreement consists of all audiovisual rights for both free and pay TV as well as radio rights. Under the deal, SABC guarantees coverage of all Fifa tournaments for men and women and at senior and youth levels."
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Full SportsBusiness.com report
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| SA TV moves to digital age - 03/07/2006 |
Sentech has been given the go-ahead to roll out digital terrestrial television (DTT) and take SAs TV industry into the digital age. Sentech will play a major role in the 2010 World Cup by ensuring that SAs analogue broadcasting infrastructure is upgraded to a digital ready terrestrial system.
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| Sentech on track with HD broadcasts for 2010 - 29/06/2006 |
National signal distributor Sentech says that in the next two months it might be able to transmit high definition (HD) television to the country, four years before SA hosts the 2010 WC. Sentech, the state-owned operator of SA’s broadcasting signal distribution network, was lashed by Parliament when it warned that the country would not be able to show the 2010 WC unless government pumped in more resources for infrastructure.
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Full Business Day report
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| Fifa voices concerns on IT for 2010 - 22/06/2006 |
Fifa has started preparations for the 2010 WC in SA, but has expressed concerns that the country’s IT infrastructure is inadequate in its present state. Fifa is hoping to reuse large parts of the technology infrastructure from the tournament in Germany, but says lack of bandwidth could make it difficult to run accreditation, event management and football results systems in the same way.
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Full Vnunet report
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| WC fever sees TV sales soar - 19/06/2006 |
WC fever is kicking up already-strong demand for flat-panel televisions as consumers desiring a sharper picture of matches are finding lower prices and marketing pitches honed for soccer fans. The British electronics chain Currys, which has 550 stores Great Britain, is selling a flat-screen TV every 15 seconds.
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Full Mail & Guardian Online report
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| Nigeria unveils mobile WC magazine service - 12/06/2006 |
A wireless application protocol (WAP)-based mobile magazine service, named Germany2006, was unveiled at the weekend to provide Nigerians with mobile updates on all 64 of the World Cup soccer games, in a multimedia format. According to company research, there are 100 000 users in Nigeria who will be able to access the application across most Nigerian networks.
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Full ITWeb report
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| Multichoice extends digital video broadcasting trials - 09/06/2006 |
Multichoice and M-Net have extended their digital video broadcasting via handheld (DVB-H) trials to coincide with the WC. “Now over 1 500 people in the DVB-H coverage area will be able to watch all the soccer matches live on their Sagem myMobileTV cellphones,” says Multichoice CE Nolo Letele.
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Full ITWeb report
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| TV Licensing Authority extends WC clampdown - 09/06/2006 |
Employees watching WC matches on the Internet without a TV licence could for the first time land company directors in court as the TV Licensing Authority extends its WC clampdown to broadband and Internet usage. The TV Licensing Authority, however, could find it hard to police the extension to broadband use since it has no record of who has and who has not bought a PC, nor how they use it. Businesses caught watching TV without a valid licence risk a fine of up to £1 000.
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Full Out-Law.com report
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