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Cwele to chair global satellite body

Staff Writer
By Staff Writer, ITWeb
Johannesburg, 15 Jun 2018
Telecoms and postal services minister Siyabonga Cwele. (Photo source: WEF)
Telecoms and postal services minister Siyabonga Cwele. (Photo source: WEF)

Minister Siyabonga Cwele has been appointed as chairperson of the International Telecommunications Satellite Organisation (ITSO), marking the first time SA has been elected to chair the group.

ITSO is a 150-member intergovernmental satellite organisation that facilitates the provision of public telecoms services, including voice, data and video, on a non-discriminatory basis.

In a statement, the Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services (DTPS) says the minister was elected at the ITSO 38th Assembly of Parties in Washington DC in the US. South Africa's delegation, led by Cwele, includes Mlamli Booi, CEO of state-owned signal distributor Sentech.

Cwele, who will hold the position for two years, has prioritised strengthening partnerships with other international organisations as well as strategic partners to help ITSO become responsive to technological changes and new developments.

"It is our common goal to create a stronger ITSO. During the two-year chairpersonship tenure, I will facilitate a constructive, informed and open interaction among members."

He adds: "It is important for member countries to ensure the preservation of the common heritage in order to advance critical social goals, such as the provision of bandwidth that will enable distribution of educational content, telemedicine and other important services which are of great benefit to communities in remote and rural areas."

According to the DTPS, the chairpersonship is in line with SA's strategic objective to advance the interests of the continent and developing nations in multilateral organisations.

It further indicates the election coincides with Sentech finalising its business plan and funding model for a South African-owned communication satellite.

Last year, DTPS deputy minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams opened up about her department's satellite technology strategy as a possible way to bring Internet connectivity to all South Africans. Ndabeni-Abrahams said satellite technology is a possibility to aid where terrestrial networks are unable to provide connectivity.

Sentech CEO Booi notes the chairpersonship will assist his organisation in the processes required for launching a satellite. "We will have more access to resources that will give us information on satellite industry. It will open doors for us for partnerships."

The telecoms minister believes deliberations should ensure ITSO is more relevant in the fourth industrial revolution.

"The ability of satellite technology to provide ubiquitous and increasingly fast connectivity to billions of people globally is at the core of the fourth industrial revolution and achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals," he concludes.

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