The 27th annual SATNAC summit is underway in Hermanus and delegates eagerly await insight into the theme ‘Africa’s Ascent: Towards a Sustainable and Resilient Future Enabled by Secure Next-Generation Infrastructure, Digital Technology and Artificial Intelligence’
SATNAC runs in parallel with the Telkom Centre of Excellence (COE) postgraduate research initiative and the SATNAC Industry Solutions Challenge for postgraduate and undergraduate students
As day one of SATNAC draws to a close, thank you for sticking with us today. We hope you've found the coverage interesting. Don't forget to join us tomorrow for more on-the-scene reporting.
The digital divide is a social and economic fault-line and we need to expand coverage into underserved areas. We need to work with government and communities to accelerate rollout. Every tower deployed is a catalyst for inclusion, a foundation for infrastructure sharing.
Cellphone towers shouldn't be seen as merely a steel piece of infrastructure, but rather as a gateway to sustainable digital transformation and a catalyst for change. So says Sandile Msimango, CEO and VP, IHS South Africa.
“They are central to South Africa’s digital future,” he adds. “They're a gateway to inclusion, to safety, to education, to the very promise of a digitally-enabled society.”
Msimango says that towers are enablers of national progress, and the foundational layer that builds on the scaffolding of possibility “brick by brick, connection by connection".
He says South Africa is moving into the next era of telecommunications infrastructure, which is scalable and sustainable – driven by a focus on renewable energy, a reduction in carbon emissions and climate resilient sites.
With the need to drive digital inclusivity, markets are now driven by modular fixed-wireless access and the Internet of Things, he adds.
“The digital divide is a social and economic fault-line and we need to expand coverage into underserved areas. We need to work with government and communities to accelerate rollout. Every tower deployed is a catalyst for inclusion, a foundation for infrastructure sharing.”
As emerging technologies such as AI continue to impact industries, there's a need for connectivity that empowers, innovation that uplifts and partnerships that help sustain development, he says.
Seiso Mohai, South Africa’s deputy minister of Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation, says the country finds itself at a pivotal stage in its digital transformation journey.
He references the work being completed by the G20 digital economy working group and AI task force, and the AI for Africa initiative, as well as the work undertaken across university hubs.
“Recently, at the Tshwane University of Technology, there have been a range of cutting-edge projects helping to establish the hubs and attracting (the interest of) academia from Europe and Francophone countries – with R11.3million in funding secured for research,” says Mohai.
It’s important to realise that policy and regulation will not stifle innovation, he says. “Technology must progress with robust governance and has shifted from an exclusive privilege to being a universal imperative.”
Naeem Seedat, group executive: Digital Strategy and Venturing, Telkom SA, is talking about the increasing need for data sovereignty and ethical governance with the context of an acceleration of AI adoption.
The need to ensure data sovereignty and governance within Africa's digital ecosystem is paramount, says Seedat
"The future is not just about digital transformation, but digital self-determination," he says.
We must humanise technology so that technology meets the demands of reality, including affordability and accessibility…Humanity must be the heartbeat of innovation.
Gugu Mthembu, CMO, Telkom Consumer & Small Business, says humanity must be at the centre of every technology leap. "We must humanise technology so that technology meets the demands of reality, including affordability and accessibility."
She says Telkom provides the infrastructure for Africa's ascent towards a sustainable and resilient future, but this journey is collaborative and requires a change in mindset.
"Connectivity is not just a utility, it enables ecosystems, education and expands reach for SMMEs. But we need to humanise technology beyond connectivity. It's not just megabytes per second...we must ask 'does our AI, our cloud, our fibre make human life safer and more dignified?"
Mthembu adds that AI can help with job creation and learning outcomes, but it must be built responsibly to avoid bias and create trust. "Humanity must be the heartbeat of innovation," she says.
“Investment in people and ideas will ensure the country’s digital capacity grows...Technology only has impact when people can build on it, shape it and access it.”
#SATNAC 2025 – collaboration between government, industry and academia underlined as crucial to develop critical skills, to strengthen R&D, innovation and address issues like youth unemployment. In his welcome address at SATNAC 2025, Raymond Crown, director: Information & Communication Services, University of Western Cape says SA’s digital future not an abstract idea. SATNAC as a platform is key to strengthen SAs digital capability.
“It’s not only a ceremonial event, but also a technical research-driven forum. The work presented has helped to shape thinking on digital technology, on emerging technology – where research meets application and application forms policy. This is about building on a body of work and set of partnerships.”
Ecosystem including Telkom Centre of Excellence and partners like University of Western Cape has resulted in support for 3 641 post-graduates and 7 300 research outputs generated.
“Investment in people and ideas will ensure the country’s digital capacity grows,” says Crown.
He said it was important to close the loop between research, policy and practice – to ensure relevance.
“Technology only has impact when people can build on it, shape it and access it.”
He underlined three commitments that are necessary to help grow SA’s digital capacity:
• To deepen research partnerships, especially with previously disadvantaged institutions,
• To strengthen and connect programs, to ensure they reinforce each other, rather than operate as silos,
• To ensure SATNAC continues and sustains work, that the work started does not end here.
“The next phase of Africa’s digital advancement will depend on its ability to scale, to grow, to become more capable.”
The world is determined to remind Africa of its lack, of infrastructure, of funding, of data and of skills, but the AI era reveals that Africa’s greatest resource is resilience, its people… we are the most determined to leapfrog, to innovate and to build.
Serame Taukobong, group CEO, Telkom SA, is delivering the opening presentation at SATNAC 2025 and is underlining SATNAC’s role in skills development and collaboration. "This year feels different, the energy feels different, the stakes are different…opportunities before us is bigger than any others faced. In the age of intelligent systems, Africa is not behind – we are alongside," he says.
According to Taukobong, AI – and especially LLMs – are reshaping every industry, economy, and every profession.
“Beneath the hype and all the tools, lies a simple truth – AI is not about technology, it’s about how we empower and uplift people. The world is determined to remind Africa of its lack, of infrastructure, of funding, of data and of skills, but the AI era reveals that Africa’s greatest resource is resilience, its people…we are the most determined to leapfrog, to innovate and to build.”
Telkom is an enabler of connection and of progress, says Taukobong. “Our infrastructure does more than enable business, it enables nations. Africa does not just participate in technology revolutions, we accelerate them.
"Africa has a moral voice in AI. Ethics is not new to us - ubuntu is engrained in who we are. The future is not being built in Silicon Valley, but our people refuse to be left behind, it’s been built right here. This is Africa’s moment. The opportunity is ours. Together we will rise.”
Opening SATNAC 2025 - Dr Mmaki Jantjies, group executive: Innovation and Transformation says the reality of hosting this conference in South Africa and Africa, means experts contend with the reality of challenges such as tackling poverty, inequality and high youth unemployment.
Digital infrastructure and emerging technologies, like AI, are crucial and represent a global shift. “Business leaders are right to ask what real measurable value AI can deliver for business and society?
“We’ve seen practical examples – AI in healthcare to fight TB and breast cancer; in financial services, AI is used to curb fraud, digital crime; and within climate change. But there is skepticism in some circles – leaders’ question rising compute and storage costs, skills shortages across Africa to power this revolution, (availability of) data, and the environmental footprint to train LLMs, concerns are real. But history is also clear, companies, and countries fall behind because they adapt too slowly. Building local capacity becomes mission critical."