The City of Cape Town has encouraged the private sector to take advantage of its broadband network for inclusive growth and economic development.
Andre Stelzner, CIO of the City of Cape Town, says business and the city must work together to transform Cape Town into a progressive, smart and inclusive city.
In 2014, the Cape Town government announced it had budgeted R1.3 billion for a multi-year broadband infrastructure investment project. For this financial year, the city is set to spend R185 million on its broadband initiative.
The city and province have additional funding to support digital initiatives from the Western Cape government of R11.8 million for broadband infrastructure and R23.7 million for the Digital Inclusion Project (WiFi).
According to Ryan Ravens, CEO of Accelerate Cape Town, a collaborative approach will be central to unlocking the full potential of the city's fibre network.
"In order to create a stable and conducive business environment, we need to find creative ways of accelerating inclusive growth and to work more carefully with our resources," he says.
"By putting the broadband infrastructure in place, the city has optimised the environment for private sector involvement by providing the backbone infrastructure. And by extending this invitation to business to become involved in the provision of related products and services to citizens, we are presented with an excellent opportunity to help transform Cape Town into a smart city."
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