Communications minister Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri is confident SA will be technologically ready for the 2010 Soccer World Cup.
She admitted yesterday to feeling apprehensive when hearing SA had been awarded the 2010 Soccer World Cup.
"However, now I feel 2010 will be a showcase of SA`s technological gems," she said during MultiChoice`s digital video broadcasting via handheld (DVB-H) launch in Cape Town yesterday.
Matsepe-Casaburri noted that while she was excited by the news that this country would host one of the world`s largest sporting events, she also realised the work that had to be done to ensure broadcasting and communications facilities were in place.
After her speech, she told ITWeb that national signal distributor Sentech`s funding to ensure it could broadcast digital terrestrial TV by 2010 is in place. The National Treasury only granted it R200 million of the more than R1.2 billion it asked for.
"There has never been a question that it [Sentech] would not receive the funding it needs. I am satisfied that everything will be in place by 2010," Matsepe-Casaburri said.
The minister will make further announcements on this issue and the liberalisation of the telecommunications industry on 25 May during her budget speech to Parliament.
Koos Bekker, CEO of Naspers, the holding company for digital TV broadcaster MultiChoice, said that despite all the local and international criticism, SA is more than technologically ready for the event.
"We are the only country that will broadcast this year`s World Soccer Cup using DBV-H technology," he said.
MultiChoice will spend R200 million with Sentech so it can install the required equipment to broadcast using DBV-H.
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