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Compiled by the Government Communication and Information System --------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 08 Dec 2006 Title: Success of 2010 World Cup depends on ICT industry: Minister --------------------------------------------------------------- By Oupa Segalwe, tel: (012) 314-2419 Pretoria - Communication Minister Ivy Matsepe-Cassaburri has reiterated that the success of the FIFA 2010 World Cup will depend on the South African Information and Communications Technology (ICT) industry. "Without this sector, the 2010 World Cup cannot happen," Dr Matsepe-Casaburri said, addressing the first meeting of the 2010 Sector Wide Coordinating Committee for the ICT industry here Friday. The meeting sought to form a forum, comprising different role players from the industry, to discuss their role in ensuring that the country delivers on ICT and Telecommunications infrastructure requirements of FIFA. The committee is a crucial building block that ensures the country meets its FIFA ICT guarantees committed to and singed by Dr Matsepe-Cassaburri. The guarantees entail ensuring that the country builds and avails Telecommunications, Broadcasting infrastructure and networks to deliver a successful World Cup. Among the FIFA requirements, the country needs to ensure the establishment of the International Broadcasting Centre (IBC), a reliable broadcasting infrastructure back-up for the IBC and media centers at all stadia with necessary ICT infrastructure to flight games to the world. In terms of telecommunications, the country must avail a telecoms infrastructure, which includes transport of bidirectional broadcast traffic between venues and the IBC at no specific cost. The Minister expressed confidence in the sector, saying she was confident that it would stage the best World Cup event ever. She said government through her department had already started with preparations for the biggest soccer tournament in the world. "We have already embarked on getting ready as government through the digital migration process," she said. The Minister received a 350 page report on how the country should consider approaching the transition from analogue to digital broadcasting in order to catch up with technological advancements. This will enable broadcasters to have better capacity to improve and diversify their services. Chairperson of the committee Victor Moche said the formation of the forum help put forward inputs for the formation of a policy for the communication department for implementation to ensure a successful World Cup. He said the forum would develop among other strategies on how the World Cup becomes accessible to people in remote and rural areas. "We may be sure that we will access the games from our big screen televisions in Waterkloof or Sandton but is that the case for people in Soutpansberg," Mr Moche asked. Deputy Derector General for the Communication Department Rosey Sekese said, in terms of the current status of broadcasting services, the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) had began to assess the involvement of other local and African broadcasters regarding the broadcasting of the 2010 games. The SABC was earlier in the year awarded Broadcast Rights to the 2010 World Cup games, including the build-up events and other FIFA event post 2010 until the 2014 World Cup. She said the public broadcaster's first high definition television (HDTV) had been delivered adding that "training and development had commenced in preparation for a supporting role to FIFA's broadcasters." HDTV has about 1080 lines as opposed to the 625 lines of a normal television set. With this type of television, viewers experience pictures of the highest quality enhanced by a wide screen. "Meetings have commenced with the FIFA broadcasting team to try and determine what other role or opportunities the SABC can and will play during the World Cup," she added. - BuaNews |
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