Just two years into our new democracy, Sentech elected to partner the Siyabonga Telecentre in Orange Farm. One of its most prominent upliftment projects, it embraces the company's vision to empower previously disadvantaged communities.
The Siyabonga Multi Centre is a non-profit and non-governmental organisation that was established in 1996 by women and youth who were concerned about poverty and the unemployment rate in Orange Farm.
With an initial computer hardware investment from the USA, Sentech provided free Internet connectivity to the centre and trained staff to use the software, extending these skills to the community. Sentech also provided expertise to assist in drawing up a business plan and basic training in management and marketing. Today the Siyabonga Telecentre is a section 21 company annually evaluated by Sentech to assess its resource needs.
As one of government's most important delivery partners in the ICT environment, Sentech is able to leverage its skill and resource base towards CSI initiatives at community level, like Siyabonga, and also nationally, as in the case of its involvement with the Mindset Network.
The Mindset Network addresses the key educational challenges in schooling, health and livelihood creation for SA and the broader continent, emphasising Sentech's commitment to education, particularly where access to technology is a critical contribution to the quality of education in remote areas.
Technology facilitates the opportunity to redress some of the country's educational legacy by upgrading teacher skills and providing learners with skilled maths and science educators.
Sentech's initial involvement with Mindset Network was as a founding member of the Mindset Learn Channel, for which it provides connectivity. This allows the delivery of a broadcast signal, enabling the channel to constantly beam educational content via its various transmission partners and platforms to classrooms across the country. In terms of its multimedia licence, Sentech broadcasts Channel Activate content to almost 500 schools in townships and rural areas.
Sentech has also introduced the Mindset Health Channel, operating in five languages to target healthcare workers, patients and the general public. The Health Channel delivers satellite broadcasting for streaming and data storage to onsite PC storage devices. This facilitates an 'on demand' viewing service for users. As a partner to the Mindset Network and the Department of Health, Sentech provides satellite connectivity that connects clinics and public hospitals to essential medical training and support material.
"While we are committed to our current projects, Sentech is seeking to extend its CSI activities to the rest of the African continent," says Thabo Komane, Sentech, manager, office of the CEO.
It is a strategic objective that aligns with the company's commercial future and to this end, Sentech is part of a consortium lead by Oracle to provide Internet connectivity to 21 schools in seven African countries - South Africa, Lesotho, Ghana, Kenya, Egypt, Mali and Gabon and six other African countries - Lesotho, Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, Mali and Gabon.
"Sentech believes that investing in the education of Africa's future generation is the path to the sustainable development of the continent, and that it will move from being primarily consumer-oriented to one that manufactures, nationally and globally," Komane concludes.
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Sentech is the trailblazer of broadband wireless communications in SA: connecting businesses and individuals to the world via satellite.
Sentech is present in every home in SA connecting consumers to the world of television and radio via its satellite network. Sentech also connects its customers - consumers and businesses - to the Internet, international calling as well as access to a company's virtual private network.
Sentech brings television and radio to over 42 million people, has 53 000 South Africans connecting wirelessly via its satellite infrastructure, and connects cellular companies through its international telephony every day/week/month. Sentech currently has 53 MyWireless access sites in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, Tshwane and Nelspruit, and is striving to grow this daily. Sentech employs over 550 people.
Sentech was the first company in SA to roll-out a third-generation (3G) broadband wireless access network and is continually pioneering the provision of broadband data, converged voice and broadcasting signal distribution services. Its best-known brands are MyWireless, MyWireless Flexi, VMESH, Satellite Linking, VSTAR Internet, Broadcasting Signal Distribution Service, Business Television and Radio, Value Added Network Services, Vivid, MailLink, InStoreAd and MultiNet which bring Net-access, e-mail and other value-adding services to consumers, micro-business and SMEs respectively.
Sentech is state-owned and is a fully commercial enterprise holding a number of licences, including the common carrier licence for broadcasting, and licences for multimedia and international carrier of carriers services. Sentech carries traffic for all three mobile operators in SA.
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