More concern about SA`s World Cup readiness

By Paul Vecchiatto, ITWeb Cape Town correspondent

Cape Town, 19 Jun 2006

T-Systems has expressed concern that SA`s broadcast infrastructure will not be ready for the 2010 Soccer World Cup.

Gert Schoonbee, GM of business development and strategy for the local operation of the Deutsche Telekom operation, says a lot more than talking needs to be done.

"After the completion of the Soccer World Cup in Germany, all eyes will turn to SA and if we are ready to host the games."

His comments come in the wake of national signal distributor Sentech`s statements to Parliament on the topic earlier this year, followed by repeated assurances by senior government ministers that the country will be ready. However, Schoonbee remains unconvinced.

"There have been a lot of talks about doing things, such as putting in more bandwidth, but nothing has really been done. For instance, no one knows where the international broadcast centre will be hosted," he says.

Broadcasting the World Soccer Cup is done through Host Broadcasting Services, a company that exists to broadcast the games to television and radio stations around the world. It has the rights to the 2010 games in SA.

"SA has to still build most of the infrastructure required. This year, in Germany, the building of the infrastructure could focus on innovation as what was needed was already in place because of the Internet boom," Schoonbee says.

Bandwidth worries

He says there is also concern about there being enough bandwidth out of the country to meet international broadcast feed obligations.

"Satellite infrastructure is not sufficiently capable of transmitting the required clarity that high-definition television broadcasts of such an event need," Schoonbee says. "And we don`t have enough bandwidth on the SAT-3 undersea cable. Even with the Eassy [East African Undersea Cable System] being developed, there are doubts it will provide sufficient bandwidth."

FIFA will release its budget for the South African local organising committee once the German games are completed and then the serious part of what is spent where and how takes place, Schoonbee says.

"We have to be ready before 2010; in fact, we have to be ready by 2009 as the curtain raiser to the World Cup, the Confederations Cup, takes place then," he says.

According to Schoonbee, SA sees the Soccer World Cup as an opportunity for the development of local businesses, expertise and infrastructure. However, FIFA could award an overall contract to a large international company that can do everything at the lowest cost and with the least risk.

"This would not be good for the country as a whole and now it is time to start to do more than just talk," he says.