Research and development in telecommunications has been boosted by today`s launch of a Telkom and Siemens-funded Centre of Excellence (CoE) at Technikon SA.
The launch marks the extension of the already-existing University of Witwatersrand CoE to Technikon SA, which will enable post-graduate students at both institutions to conduct R&D into telecommunications service and access, and find innovative ways of integrating different technologies used on the telecommunications network.
Total sponsorship amounts to R1,6 million annually, of which Telkom and Siemens will each contribute about R400 000. The remainder will come from the Department of Trade and Industry`s Technology and Human Resources for Industry Programme (THRIP).
The CoE programme is an initiative aimed at leveraging investment for research and development in the telecommunications industry, and at promoting the empowerment of previously disadvantaged communities to increase the number of South African students in technological study fields.
Speaking at the launch, Telkom`s CEO Sizwe Nxasana said that as with the rest of the African continent, South Africa faced vast challenges to extend and reinforce the infrastructure and systems needed to grow our country.
"By working together with educational institutions, government and the private sector, we are able to harness the creativity and innovation of our youth at these Centres of Excellence to assist in addressing these challenges," he said.
The University of the Witwatersrand and Technikon SA CoE brings to twelve the number of CoEs Telkom has jointly funded as part of its drive to promote a culture of excellence in science, engineering and technology.
The primary objectives of the CoEs are to enhance national expertise for the design, development and management of the national information infrastructure with due regard to marginalised communities. The initiative has touched the lives of hundreds of students at tertiary institutions across the country, and the CoEs also aim to boost the capability to develop software tools and intelligent network platforms which will result in enhanced network performance. Through CoEs, Telkom plans to achieve a systematic and co-ordinated R&D Programme which is in step with the development of the National System of Innovation (NSI), and to promote science and technology nationally.
Other Centres of Excellence include:
F`SATIE - a partnership of Telkom and Alcatel Altech involving the Pretoria, Northern Gauteng and North West Technikons, and focusing on Radio Planning.
Universities of Potchefstroom and North West - a partnership of Telkom and Grintek Telecoms focusing on Telecommunication Application Modeling.
Rand Afrikaans University and Wits Technikon - a partnership of Telkom and ATC, focusing on Optical Communication.
Eastern Cape Technikon - a partnership of Telkom and MarPless, focusing on Rural Applications.
Universities of Transkei and Port Elizabeth - a partnership of Telkom and Lucent Technologies, focusing on Multimedia Software.
Rhodes University and University of Fort Hare - a partnership of Telkom, Dimension Data and Lucent Technologies, focusing on Distributed Multimedia.
University of Stellenbosch and Peninsula Technikon, a partnership of Telkom and Datafusion, focusing on Satellite Communication and Speech and Image Processing.
Universities of the North and Pretoria - a partnership of Telkom and MarPless, focusing on Teletraffic Engineering.
Universities of Natal and Zululand - a partnership of Telkom and Alcatel Altech Telecoms, focusing on Radio Access. * Universities of Cape Town, Western Cape and Stellenbosch - a partnership of Telkom and Siemens, focusing on Broadband.
University of Durban Westville and ML Sultan Technikon - a partnership of Telkom and Ericsson, focusing on Rural Telecommunications.
Sizwe Nxasana emphasised the fact that Africa`s tremendous backlog in infrastructure would not be met by traditional technologies.
"Given that communication is not only a need but an imperative for success in this Information Age, the advancement of technical skills such as we will achieve through the Centre of Excellence initiative will play a vital role in the successful transformation of our country, " he said.
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