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With the launch of BWired, Johannesburg's
vision of being a smart, digital city has taken another step forward.
BWIRED is to turn Johannesburg into a
digital city, following the launch of the new company on Tuesday, 12 January.
BWired’s managing director, Keith Kenneth, with City manager Mavela Dlamini
Some high profile government
representatives were at the launch, held at the Arthur Ashe Sports Complex in
Jabavu, Soweto.
The company was formed after Ericsson South
Africa was chosen to partner the city
in its billion rand Joburg Broadband Network
Project (JBNP) in February 2009, and is set to provide voice and data communications throughout the
city.
"Our global experience has demonstrated
undeniable benefits to society as a whole, making sizable contributions to the
employment, health and education sectors, where broadband has been introduced
as a societal norm. BWired is poised to make these advantages a reality for the
City of Johannesburg," said Ericsson's head of market unit of sub-Saharan
Africa, Lars Linden.
BWired is an Ericsson initiative that will make
affordable broadband widely accessible to Joburgers.
Broadband refers to telecommunications infrastructure
in which a wide band of frequencies is available to transmit information.
Because a wide band of frequencies is available, information can be sent on
many different frequencies or channels within the band at the same time,
allowing more information to be transmitted in a given amount of time - much as
more lanes on a highway allow more cars to travel on it at the same time.
It is becoming an increasingly important
part of developed and developing economies around the world, with the use of
broadband services expected to increase. It has had a positive and direct effect
on employment, with studies showing a correlation between broadband penetration
and an increase in employment.
"Broadband is currently also being used
around the world by communities to improve public safety and by governments to
improve efficiency. This has resulted in more user-friendly government services
and huge cost savings," said BWired's managing director, Keith Kenneth.
Oupa Monareng, the member of the mayoral committee responsible for economic development (Photo: Enoch Lehung, City of Johannesburg)
The JBNP will begin with the laying of 900
kilometres of fibre optic cable in the city of gold. The roll-out is expected
to take about three years to complete. The primary focus is on connectivity in
rural areas, with the project beginning in Orange Farm, in the south of Joburg.
Another aim is to empower small businesses.
"We believe that our vision to make
broadband available in all corners of the city, from Diepsloot and Orange Farm
to Soweto and Alexandra, not to mention the many other towns that fall within our
jurisdiction, will soon be realised through BWired," said Johannesburg's City
manager, Mavela Dlamini.
"In essence, they will be creating a whole
new platform for local economic growth and social transformation in our city of
gold ... With the increasing push from government at all levels to make more
services available online, local governments will be able to use egovernment to
deliver services and information to our citizens and customers 24 hours a day,
seven days a week," he concluded.
Through its Broadband Technology
Opportunities Program, BWired aims to address the promotion of human rights,
greater access to educational information, expanded curricula and real-time
collaboration among students.
It will also address broadband expansion as
a way of promoting growth in commerce and tourism in Johannesburg, and growing
health care options in medically underserved districts.
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