"Wiring up Cities for a Better Future" is the theme of the upcoming inaugural BMI-TechKnowledge Digital Cities Forum to be held at Gallagher Estate, Johannesburg on 3 and 4 November.
The forum will focus on the growing global phenomena of cities self-providing broadband networks for municipal and residential use. Major stakeholders including local governments and private enterprise will assemble to grapple with the many issues associated with metropolitan broadband. The two-day event will attempt to address issues such as:
* Should cities self-provide their own networks or should they leave this entirely up to the private sector?
* If metropolitan areas do self-provide, how should they go about it?
* Should taxpayers` money be deployed in cities to advance broadband penetration and reduce the digital divide?
* Cities worldwide are deploying their own broadband networks to drive economic growth, reduce the cost of government and reduce the digital divide, is this true for SA?
* What are the legal and regulatory obstacles and how can these be overcome?
Opened by the minister of communications, Greg Richardson of CIVITIUM and Esme Vos of MuniWireless, the leading worldwide authorities on municipal networks will offer their insights at the Digital Cities Forum together with workshops on how a metropolitan area can become a "Digital City".
The presenters will share their direct experiences in major city networks such as Philadelphia, Houston, San Francisco, New York and many others. Richardson and Vos carry a deep knowledge of municipal networks and the keys to success.
The City of Tswhane is the founding city sponsor of the Digital Cities Forum and will provide a practical on-site tour of a "Digital City in the making" showing fibre and broadband into the small office and home environments.
Denis Smit, Managing Director of BMI-TechKnowledge, says: "The BMI-T Digital Cities Forum is a major initiative to drive broadband advancement and the lowering of the cost of communications. A massive groundswell of support for this forum has already been solicited. We have very senior delegations coming from the Department of Communications and ICASA as they see this as major policy-influencing event."
More information surrounding the Digital Cities Forum may be obtained from the BMI-T Web site: www.bmi-t.co.za.
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