The Department of Communications (DOC) has missed several targets in the first six months of the year.
Treasury this afternoon released revised estimates of national expenditure, which include a mid-year update on progress made by government departments. According to the document, the DOC has only achieved one of its goals so far this year, which was to drop the interconnect rate.
The projections were set in February's national estimates of expenditure document. The DOC's full-year goals include broadband penetration of 4%, connecting 125 Dinaledi schools to the Internet, ensuring that 80% of television-owning households can receive digital signal as well as creating two ICT hubs for small and medium enterprises in each province.
More than 17 000 jobs were expected to be created this year through ICT-related projects. In addition, the department was also expected to involve 1 100 young people in a national youth information society and development programme.
However, the department failed to achieve any percentage of broadband penetration, and did not connect any Dinaledi schools, according to the document. No ICT hubs were created, no youth took part in the programme and there were no ICT-related jobs created either.
The estimates document indicates that the target for the number of young people participating in the development programme has been revised to 500, as funds have been reprioritised to the e-Skills Institute.
It also explains that the lack of connectivity at Dinaledi schools is because “provincial members of the executive councils for education and the national Department of Basic Education have been in discussion around how this will be rolled out”.
As a result, signing of contracts by the departments of basic education and communications and Telkom has been delayed, it says.
The department has rolled over R159 million for Sentech's roll-out of digital broadcasting technology, taking its total budget for the project to R268.9 million for the year.
SA is set to turn on digital television using the European DVB-T2 standard in April next year, with full commercial launch scheduled for September. Analogue broadcast will be turned off at the end of 2013.
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