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Telkom reflects on e-rate offering on World Telecommunications Day


Johannesburg, 17 May 2007

Today, 17 May, marks World Telecommunications Day (WTD), which signifies the founding of International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and the signing of the first International Telegraph Convention in 1865.

WTD has been celebrated annually since 1965. In November 2005, the World Summit on the Information Society called on the United Nations General Assembly to declare 17 May as the World Information Society Day to focus on ICT related issues.

In line with this year's WTD theme, "Connecting the Youth", Telkom has implemented various projects in its endeavours to connect young South Africans to ICT - especially with providing ICT access to the underprivileged youth.

ICT plays a central role in economic development across the world, and today's youth, the many users and beneficiaries of ICT innovations in the future, have become a core target for ICT access.

Telkom and its Corporate Social Responsibility arm, the Telkom Foundation, have implemented various initiatives that have successfully connected the young. One of these is known as e-rate.

In terms of e-rate, Telkom is providing a 50% Internet discount to about 1 300 public schools in the country. All public schools as defined and registered in terms of the South African Schools Act, 84 of 1996 and all public Further Education and Training Institutions as defined and registered in terms of the Further Education and Training Act, 98 of 1998, who have duly completed and submitted the Telkom request form for e-rate to Telkom, receive the discount.

Telkom also grants a 50% discount on the standard Telkom call charges for telecommunication calls to Internet Service Providers that are licensed in terms of the Telecommunications Act, 103 of 1996 and on the charges of a Telkom Internet service if the customer rents such a service from Telkom.

Qualifying parties can request the discount by means of the Telkom e-rate request form, which has been drafted in collaboration with the Department of Education. The request form for e-rate is available on Telkom's Web site - http://www.telkom.co.za/common/erate/index.html.

"In making Internet access more affordable to public schools, Telkom is certainly playing its role in 'connecting the young'," said Lulu Letlape, Telkom's Group Executive for Corporate Communication.

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