While the rest of the world reaches for the promise of the one-stop device, converged wireless networks, and the Next Big Thing in IT, SA is being left behind.
SA has already missed the boat for the Internet due to Telkom`s inflated bandwidth rates.
Jason Norwood-Young, Technology Editor, ITWeb
Convergence - described as the next "big wave" in IT - is causing vendors to scramble over each other in the hopes of delivering the killer application or device that will capture the imagination and hard-earned cash of the masses.
We in SA could once again be left in the dust of the technology race, and, like our Internet back-roads that we meander upon (while the rest of the world is on the information superbahn), our lack of nimbleness in the 100-meter technology dash is partly due to the tightly-controlled telecom monopoly in this country.
Technology convergence describes the meeting of various technologies, such as wireless networking, the Internet, voice, data, and more recently, digital visual content.
Imagine your cellular phone, computer, CD player and television all merged into one convenient device. This device will be permanently connected to a high-speed Internet connection, will be portable, and could in time also replace other personal items like credit cards and ID documents.
From concept to reality
[VIDEO]It`s a great idea, and as soon as we reach the stage of technology where the concept machines are turned into production items, I will be robbing banks and selling my mother`s jewellery just to get my hands on one.
Once I do get the gadget of my dreams, I had also best get my emigration papers in order, as it is unlikely that I will be able to use it as more than an overpriced personal digital assistant (PDA) in this country.
Such devices already exist in a simplified form - cellular/PDA devices, wireless Internet/PDA crossovers, and cellular phone-cum-MP3 players. Unfortunately, to get the most out of these devices, SA lacks one vital component needed for true mobile voice/video/data convergence - a high-speed always-on wireless network.
We are still limping along with GSM`s pathetic 9 600kbps data rate, although plans are underway to double this to 18 000kbps. The last time I saw a 9 600 baud modem, it was attached to my 286 PC. The Internet had not reached SA at that point, and we used it to dial into bulletin board systems, watching the text load slowly down the screen with great anticipation. Using it as a business or commerce tool is ludicrous when compared to the speed that the Internet has taught us to expect.
In addition, 9 600 and 18 000 GSM lack another important feature - the ability to connect users to the Internet constantly. It still works on a time-charge basis, compared to third-generation cellular, which uses alternate payment methods such as a monthly flat rate, or different costs for voice and data.
Missing the telecoms boat
SA has already missed the boat for the Internet due to Telkom`s inflated bandwidth rates. We now face the same problem with cellular, as the third cellular licence debacle and accusations against MTN regarding its business practices take centre stage, with updates in technology falling into the backdrop.
It is unlikely that there will be a third-generation cellular network in the country before the end of Telkom`s monopoly, as inflated prices caused by lack of competition allow the networks to put off the expensive investments required by a network technology upgrade.
The Internet promised to deliver a leapfrog effect for developing nations. On the Internet, no one knows that your business is a one-man shop operating out of a reed hut. It was supposed to put South African and African business on an equal footing with the rest of the world. Once again we watch helplessly as the technology waves wash over us, while the developed world rides its crest. Convergence will get here, but it may get here too late to make a difference.
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