The Department of Communications (DOC) has been allocated R450 million over the next three years to develop a broadband implementation strategy, and deliver broadband infrastructure and services in under-serviced areas.
Treasury will pay out R100 million in the new financial year, R150 million in the next year and a further R200 million in the last year under its mid-term framework. The DOC will not physically build the projects, but will monitor and evaluate them to track delivery and spending.
Currently, about 2% of SA's population has access to broadband. This is set to increase to 4% in the new financial year and to 10% by the 2013/14 year, which is the last year included in Treasury's mid-term policy framework.
The DOC will also facilitate the creation of a programme of action that is aimed at reducing the cost of communications, and improving the quality and use of ICT across all sectors. The programme of action will accelerate local loop unbundling, which will be wrapped up by 2011.
In addition, the DOC will redeploy broadband infrastructure used during the 2010 Fifa Soccer World Cup. Treasury's Estimates of National Expenditure says the broadband infrastructure will be used to “provide increased bandwidth capacities to the host cities, which will contribute to a more responsive infrastructure network and improved access, including in rural areas”.
In the coming financial year, the department will impellent a plan to leverage off the infrastructure that was rolled out for the soccer tournament. Government spent R1.5 billion on rolling out World Cup communication infrastructure.
The department will also develop, and implement, an ICT rural strategy by 2012, which will aim to integrate delivery of ICT infrastructure and services to “bridge the information and knowledge divide between rural and urban areas” by 2012.
The department has been allocated a total of R1.9 billion for the new financial year, which is a decline on the R2.1 billion it received in the current financial year. The decline is due to spending on initiatives such as the Soccer World Cup ending.
Share