Sentech has announced its participation in the GautengOnline project, rolling out Internet access to schools in Gauteng in partnership with the Gauteng Department of Education.
The partnership agreement - the biggest of its kind in Africa and one of the largest in the world - heralds the start of online education for 1.6 million learners and 60 000 educators at state schools across the province.
Sentech started rolling out Internet services to schools from mid-January 2004.
Sentech is best known as the South African signal provider that delivers programmes to TV viewers and audio services to radio listeners. Eighteen months ago the company also became the world's first licensed provider of broadband or multimedia services utilising advanced messaging platforms based on Internet Protocols (IP).
This means it also provides audio, text, video and data services with Internet access and e-mail as core offerings.
The GautengOnline initiative implemented by the Gauteng Department of Education is the biggest of its kind yet in Africa, for the provision of customised broadband services.
Sentech CEO Dr Sebiletso Mokone-Matabane commented: "We salute our customer, the Gauteng Department of Education, for having the vision to deploy advanced IP-based systems in all provincial schools.
"The department is connecting the next generation to a whole world of knowledge and a whole world of opportunity in an extremely reliable and cost-effective manner.
"Sentech is proud that its technology and services will touch so many lives in such a meaningful and positive way.
"Gauteng is the first to take this great leap forward. It is the most significant initiative yet to bridge the digital divide. We believe it is the blueprint for similar initiatives across SA and, in the not-too-distant future, across the entire continent."
Sentech's GautengOnline offering entails:
* Cost-efficient, always-on Net access and e-mail services, with no dial-up fees and no reconnection charges when dial-up connectivity is lost.
* Use of VSTAR, a bi-directional satellite based system. It is characterised by the deployment of a hub connected to the remote sites in the network with send and receive terminals. VSTAR boasts TCP/IP with TCP acceleration (spoofing) and Turbocoding to limit the effect of latency and improve throughput.
* A no-cap promise. Within the bandwidth allocated to the network, the users will have unlimited access to the Internet, unlike other suppliers that place a cap on the amount of data that can be sent or received.
* Zero dependence on fixed telephone connections.
* A distance insensitive environment - all costs are catered for by one subscription fee.
Sentech is backing its technology and services with a call centre facility, linking schools with vendors and other role-players. If any problems occur, the schools simply call the Sentech trouble-shooters at 0800123456.
Sentech's system will provide e-mail and Internet links for computer labs at each school.
A total of 1 100 schools in Gauteng will be connected to the Sentech system and Internet linked during the first phase.
E-mail for learners will be loaded by educators at each school using a smart, easy to use interface.
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Sentech is a commercially operated, state-owned enterprise that began its operations in 1992 under the auspices of the SABC, as a signal distributor for all transmissions related to the SABC.
Sentech provides the following services:
* Terrestrial broadcasting coverage in analogue format to 98% of SA broadcasters;
* Satellite distribution for linking both radio and TV transmissions networks through its C-band capacity;
* Business broadcasting, data casting and interactive distance learning;
* Fast Internet access; and
* Broadband services, delivered via both satellite and terrestrial networks.
Sentech's broadband services first became available in August 2003. The first package, VSTAR Custom, is a satellite-driven broadband service with Internet access as a core offering aimed at the broad business market. Sentech also offers a standard VSTAR Internet product to access the Internet at speeds as high as 512Mbps and as low as 128Mb.
Sentech's latest addition to its broadband wireless product offering is the new Internet service, called MyWireless, offered in three packages, starting with MyWireless 128, which offers a shared 128Kbps connection, mainly for residential users, and two higher bandwidth offerings, namely MyWireless 256 and MyWireless 512, aimed at the small office home office (SOHO) and small to medium-sized enterprises.
Sentech has:
* 207 transmission high sites;
* 552 TV transmitters;
* 719 FM transmitters;
* 16 medium wave transmitters; and
* Over 20 microwave multipoint distribution systems.
The company is also in the process of rolling out the MyWireless network throughout the country.
For more information, log on to www.sentech.co.za.
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