Broadband Infraco presented its 2011/2012 Annual Report to the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee of the Department of Public Enterprises, on Tuesday 20 November 2012. “Our presentation was very well received. It unpacked our obligations as contained in our Mandate; our network expansion and footprint across the nine provinces; bringing connectivity to underserviced areas to date; SADC regional inter-connectivity; groundbreaking successes with WACS; projects of national importance and Broadband Infraco's critical role in delivering on government's Strategic Infrastructure Projects (SIPS),” explained Chief Executive Puleng Kwele.
The SOC provides in-depth reports on the work it has delivered during the financial year under consideration, including:
* Investing R444.7 million to connect government through SITA. Creating the South Ring between Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape. This project covered seven provinces.
* Investing approximately R317.2 million in infrastructure across eight provinces.
* Rolling out 17 out of 18 Phase1 POPs by the required deadline.
* Investing R36.7 million to enable regional integration of telecommunications services in Swaziland, Namibia, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.
* Investing R440 million in the West African Cable System (WACS) in which Broadband Infraco has tier 1 investor status.
* Broadband Infraco also spent R31.7 million for the KZN Mthunzini interconnect; and an additional R32 million for the SALT/KAT project interconnecting the telescope to Cape Town. The International scientific community will require capacity to do research hence this route from Cape Town to Sutherland via Laingsburg and for the KAT Cape Town to Carnarvon link.
* Broadband Infraco also spent R89.9 million to provide quality services to its customers (testing equipment; monitoring system; network operations centre; transmission equipment).
Broadband Infraco also generated positive cash from operating activities of over R52 million during the year and achieved a clean (unqualified) audit. Its focus areas in the current and future financial years include:
* Consolidating its market position through delivering superior value to its customers and shareholder.
* Achieve a positive EBITDA.
* Continued effective supply chain management.
* Optimised capital expenditure in terms of its both national and international networks.
* Strategic partnerships with various stakeholders.
* Attracting and retaining appropriate human capital.
Concluded the CEO: “Our Act requires us to provision electronic communication network services at prices lower than prevailing market prices for the same or similar kind of products and/or services. Thus, Broadband Infraco is invariably always more competitive than its competitors in all its price categories.”
Share
Editorial contacts