Government should, by November, reveal the first figures related to its ICT spend for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, says Local Organising Committee (LOC) IT director Zakes Mnisi.
"The LOC has put in proposals to government for figures to be approved and the first chunk of that should be approved by November."
Until now, government has not given any hint of its expected technology budget for the event. It has been speculated that the figure for the entire ICT budget could be in the region of R5 billion.
Mnisi, speaking on the sidelines of the ICT in Provincial and Local Government Summit yesterday, hinted the final figure could be around R2.5 billion. He would not be drawn on details, but states he is confident "all stakeholders would come to the party and make things happen".
He cites fixed-line utility Telkom as an example.
"Telkom is spending what they have to. They told us: tell us what you want, and we will make it happen. They might have to roll back some other plans, but I am confident they will deliver what we need. If, in time, we learn what the budget for that is, that's fine, as long as we [FIFA] get what we want."
In August, Telkom signed a deal to become a "National Supporter of the 2010 FIFA World Cup", worth R225 million. Telkom will provide fixed-line connectivity for the event.
IT services outsourcing group T-Systems SA is expected to secure an anchor partnership with Telkom to provide technology solutions and infrastructure for the event. This will allow it to draw on the experience of its German parent company, which provided 75% of the stadium technology for the 2006 World Cup.
The figures that government will approve by November relate to what Mnisi calls "the last mile", which is the connectivity between stadiums and host cities to the national grid.
However, Mnisi points out that not all ICT spend happens at national level. Host cities are responsible for creating infrastructure at stadiums and, he says, the LOC is in the process of sitting down with the relevant CIOs to determine how they approach the projects.
"You can see it as a stadium where what you need is temporary, or you can see it as a conference centre that will continue to generate business after the World Cup," explains Mnisi.
He says he is in favour of the second option, as this would ensure a lasting legacy for the country after the sporting event. However, it does have budget implications as "once you have installed something, you have to maintain it".
Mnisi says there should be clearer timelines for the host cities' ICT roll-out by the end of the first quarter of 2008.
Local concerns
He confirms the international broadcasting centre (IBC) will be situated at Nasrec. Government has yet to make an official announcement about this, following Johannesburg's successful bid to host the IBC.
"All we have to hand over to FIFA and HBC [FIFA's international IT and technology partner] is an empty shell with lots of big pipes," says Mnisi. The IBC will not be needed for the Confederations Cup, in 2009. "We only need to hand over the structure by the end of November 2009."
HBC will then have up to five months to set up the systems inside the building, after which international news crews will be able to move in. "In essence, the IBC is an amazing temporary structure - there isn't really any sense of a legacy being left in this regard, apart from the connectivity referred to."
Related stories:
ICT unease as 2010 nears
Govt mum on IBC details
Neotel in the 2010 game
Share