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DST launches another wireless network

Tyson Ngubeni
By Tyson Ngubeni
Johannesburg, 15 Apr 2014
Deputy science and technology minister Michael Masutha launched the wireless mesh network in the Northern Cape.
Deputy science and technology minister Michael Masutha launched the wireless mesh network in the Northern Cape.

The Department of Science and Technology (DST) has expanded its rural connectivity project by launching the Northern Cape phase of the wireless mesh network (WMN) technology initiative.

The project aims to provide broadband Internet access to 56 public facilities - including 52 schools - in the John Taolo Gaetsewe District Municipality in the province. The district municipality comprises three local municipalities and 186 towns and settlements, of which the majority (80%) are villages.

WMN uses peer-to-peer communication between network nodes instead of traditional point-to-multipoint communication, which is more expensive.

Deputy science and technology minister Michael Masutha recently launched the project at the Learamela Special School in Kuruman. He said government's broadband policy "has a vision to make broadband universally accessible by 2030, at a cost and quality that meets citizens' needs, including formal and informal business and the public sector".

The project - Broadband4All - was developed by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and aims to provide broadband connectivity to communities in under-serviced rural areas.

The DST initiated the programme in 2010 when it connected the Nkangala District Municipality in Mpumalanga and Sekhukhune Municipal District in Limpopo. The Northern Cape launch forms part of a first phase, in which connectivity is demonstrated and tested.

According to the DST, the second phase aims to use new innovations in services and applications using the connectivity infrastructure, while the third phase will look towards establishing models that enhance rural business prospects.

'Village operators'

The CSIR developed the village operator business model as part of the project, which aims to establish rural connectivity by fostering rural micro enterprises that build, operate and support localised network infrastructure using WMN technology.

According to the CSIR, the model "focuses on sustainability and resilience in providing the connectivity service, considering the adverse conditions, limited resources, and the cultural and political contexts in which these networks have to survive".

Masutha says schools connectivity will be a priority for the DST's future projects. "As a department, in partnership with other stakeholders, we have developed a 10-year roadmap."

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