Government provides infrastructure to boost internet connectivity

Government has rolled out infrastructure for internet connectivity in four villages in eMaXesibeni, allowing households to access the internet at cheaper rates.

“For R249 per month, a subscribing household has unlimited access to robust internet. The project has realised cheaper data costs as low as R5 per one gig for a day,” the department of communications & digital technologies said on Monday.

This initiative is part of government’s flagship programme, SA Connect, which seeks to bridge the digital divide by connecting government institutions and providing Wi-Fi access to communities across the country with the target to achieve 80% internet connectivity for the population by the end of the 2024/25 financial year.

The aim of the project is to improve broadband penetration, reduce broadband prices and drive economic growth.

“The rollout of this project nullifies the vastness (geographic distance) of the district as well as the rural-urban divide as villagers no longer need to make long distance trips to towns to access services such as banking, education and ecommerce, as well as various government services,” minister of communications & digital technologies Mondli Gungubele said.

The Sentech tower situated at Simakamaka Mountain is providing a clear line of sight to the four villages and anchors the internet connectivity.

It has provided employment opportunities to a total of 120 skilled professionals and semiskilled labour force and contributed immensely to the general economic upliftment of the area.

“It is envisaged that the overall Wi-Fi access to communities will result in excess of 75 small to medium sized companies offering employment opportunities to 4,505 skilled professionals and semiskilled labour force,” the department said.

The minister launched phase two of the SA Connect Project on November 4.

The eMaXesibeni segment of the project has exceeded the 500 households it originally intended to connect and is oversubscribed with many more potential subscribers still requesting the service.

The department will launch other pilots of phase two of SA Connect in Harry Gwala Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal as well as the Modimolle Local Municipality, Waterberg District in Limpopo in the next coming weeks.

Overall, connectivity will be rolled out in 16 districts by March 2024. —