Driving universal broadband access to reach the digitally disempowered

Government's National Broadband Policy is a significant step in the right direction for SA, but achieving universal broadband access will require a great deal more than just rolling out broadband networks.

This is according to Carel Booysen, executive for business broadband at Telkom South Africa, who notes that Internet access is just a part of what will be needed to achieve the government's broadband penetration goals.

"If you consider that there is only around 39% Internet penetration in South Africa at the moment, and that the younger section of the population and those with a secondary school education are those more likely to adapt to the digital world, then we find that a large proportion of the population can be considered 'digitally disempowered'," he says. This 'digitally disempowered' community comprises the millions who are over the age of 24, have not completed secondary school, and/or who have no Internet access. "We could be looking at around 15 million people who fit this description," he says.

As the pace of global digitisation picks up, SA is - in effect - falling behind the developed world in terms of innovation and broadband readiness, Booysen says.

He adds that broadband plays a crucial role in developing business, so impacting the economy as a whole. Small and medium-sized businesses, which contribute significantly to SA's GDP and job creation, stand to benefit enormously from Internet access. "Research such as studies by McKinsey have found that the Internet creates more SME jobs than it destroys - with up to 3.5 SME jobs created for every job online business destroys. McKinsey has also found that SMEs that are intensive Internet users grow twice as fast as competitors that are low-intensity users," he says.

Therefore, it is vital for SA's economic growth that individuals and SMEs are empowered to access and fully utilise the Internet, he says.

While Telkom is rapidly rolling out a greater range of Internet solutions and is fast increasing its access speeds, Booysen notes that achieving effective universal broadband access that truly benefits business will require several key factors. "In addition to the access, affordable access devices and effective training are also needed, in order to reach the digitally disempowered," he says.

Booysen says public-private partnerships will be key to achieving the necessary infrastructure, device access and training. He notes that the government is set to release a new version of its Broadband Policy towards the end of this year, which may elaborate on plans to achieve this.