Joburg network on track

A third of the Joburg Broadband Network Project (JBNP) has been laid so far, with completion expected in 2013.

The City of Johannesburg (COJ), along with Ericsson and BWired, announced the project's progress, at a press briefing at Westbury Secondary School.

The JBNP is a municipal initiative to create a citywide broadband network. The city says the network will result in citywide capacity for tele-working, videoconferencing, video streaming, Internet access and the creation of WiFi hotspots.

The project is being implemented through Bwired, an Ericsson initiative formed specifically for this purpose. Upon completion, the network will cover all eight regions in Johannesburg.

“Our intention is to create a digital city and to do so with a network that will place us at the cutting edge of trends in broadband connectivity,” says executive mayor of Johannesburg Amos Masondo.

He adds that the project is not an optional extra, but a necessity for service delivery.

Since April 2010, over 300km of fibre-optic cable has been laid in various parts of the city, from Midrand to Roodepoort, Braamfontein, Jabulani, Lenasia and Booysens, according to the COJ.

It adds that, upon completion of the project, over 900km of cable would have been laid.

“Probably at the end of next year people will start to benefit from the project. The immediate priority is to service COJ offices,” says BWired director Musa Nkosi.

Over R250 million has been spent on the project so far, and another R600 million will be spent by completion, he adds.

The nine core rings that link the South (Soweto) to the North (Midrand) have been completed, and the company is close to having the first 100 buildings of the COJ enabled with the fibre, setting the project three months ahead of schedule.

Capacity of the network backbone is being designed for 1.2 terabits. “The vision is that a desktop user will be accessing 100Mbps.”

Masondo says going digital will result in a reduction in the cost of telecommunications, improved service delivery and increased access to information technology to every corner of the city.

Nkosi says the network will go a long way in bridging the digital divide. “In the past, we have had several conferences discussing how to close this gap between rich and poor, yielding no great result; now we can say with confidence... this initiative is that bridge.”

The possibilities and applications that will be provided by this network are endless, and will greatly improve service delivery and enhance the socio-economic lot of Joburg citizens, says the COJ.

“The Johannesburg of the future will have at its disposal a network that will enable us to improve two-way communication between the city and residents,” says Masondo.

He adds that the networked communities in Johannesburg will be able to access the entire spectrum of government e-services from their homes, or from strategically placed locations throughout the city.

“Our ability to communicate effectively between city departments and municipal-owned entities will be greatly enhanced, as well as our capacity to co-ordinate our activities with other provincial and national departments.”

The mayor says schools in Johannesburg will have direct access to the network and hospitals and clinics will have online access to patient records and medical histories.

“The envisaged surplus capacity on our fibre network will be rented out to Internet service providers, banking institutions and private sector companies at competitive rates - thus making our contribution to bring down the cost of connectivity in Johannesburg.”

Ericsson won the tender for the project, giving it a 15-year contract. Once the contract period is complete, the project will be taken over by the city.

The IT company will construct the network for three years and then operate it for a further 12 years.

The JBNP is “self-funding” and will have “no additional cost to ratepayers” - which means the operational costs for the project will come entirely from Ericsson.

The network will enable the transport of any kind of data, video and voice - including dark fibre, lit fibre, Internet and mobile backhaul, and will even allow for the future implementation of IPTV services.

Ericsson states the network will be Ethernet, IP-based technology - which it says will allow for the network's expansion and help maintain the quality of the infrastructure over the years. It also says the network is IPv6-enabled so won't need to be upgraded in future.

Lars Linden, Ericsson head of sub-Saharan Africa, says the project changes Johannesburg from a world-class African city to a world-class electronic African city.