Carrying the flag for SA in the technology race

MultiChoice announced that South Africa now has the technological capability to handle the world's biggest sporting event and that the country is equipped to transmit a high-quality broadcast not only to all South Africans, but more importantly, to billions of international viewers in 2010. The three technologies that will play a significant role in the transmission of the 2010 World Cup are HDTV (high definition television), broadband Internet and DVB-H (digital video broadcast - handheld).

Naspers MD Koos Bekker said at the function: "It's not often that we as a sector get an opportunity to pull in one direction and carry the flag for South Africa in the technology space. Yet this is precisely what we seem to have achieved today."

According to Minister of Communications Dr Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri, the collaboration of the main sector leaders, who are traditionally competitors, to bring this technology to South Africa, is very encouraging and in the greater interests of the country: " I hope that today's demonstration will put paid to those Afro-pessimists who did not think that Africa could deliver on 2010. We can see that not only are we willing and able; we are ready. South Africa is showcasing the technology of the future, today."

DVB-H is a mobile broadcast technology that allows for the digital terrestrial broadcast of live television channels to a mobile phone. DVB-H is so new that no country has launched commercially yet. The international race to lead with DVB-H is intensifying, and now South Africa is amongst the top contenders.

High definition TV is television that broadcasts at a higher definition than standard TV to deliver a beautiful crisp picture, while broadband Internet will allow for high-speed internet delivery of large amounts of data, so large and so fast that users can watch a movie or live soccer game on their PCs as comfortably as on a television set.

Delivering in 2006 already

MultiChoice CEO, Nolo Letele, the man whose responsibility it is to run South Africa in the DVB-H technology race, says that MultiChoice is especially proud that South Africa will be one of the few countries where every adrenalin-pumping moment of the 2006 Soccer World Cup will be broadcast on DVB-H-enabled mobile handsets. "Not bad for a country to deliver a technology that will be a big deal in 2010; in 2006 already," he states.

South Africa is in a race against time with Finland, Germany, Italy and France to be one of the first nations in the world to commercially launch DVB-H. MultiChoice and M-Net have been conducting trials - under a test license from industry regulator ICASA - in Soweto, Pretoria, Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban since November last year.

Letele says that this has very much been a collaborative effort: "Thanks to the collaboration of the key broadcasting and mobile players - MultiChoice, Sentech, the SABC, MTN, Vodacom and Cell C - South Africa is able to boast technological readiness for an event that will leave an enduring legacy for the country".

A critical role

Sentech play a critical role - MultiChoice will draw on its expertise to roll out the DVB-H network across the country. CEO of Sentech, one of the largest broadcast signal distributor on the African continent, Dr Sebiletso Mokone-Matabane, says: "We are very pleased as Sentech to be associated with MultiChoice in this regard and together we will be offering the South African public mobile television".

The SABC is collaborating with MultiChoice to provide content for the DVB-H offer. MultiChoice in turn is working with the SABC to enable a test HDTV broadcast during the 2006 World Cup. Group CEO of SABC Dali Mpofu believes that in spite of daily competition in the market place, the industry players pull together when it counts most. "...[W]e are rightfully co-operating and making sure that as a country we are complimenting each other. And this co-operation with our HDTV solution on the one hand and MultiChoice DVB-H solution on the other; is one such co-operation."

All three South Africa's mobile operators are participating in the live DVB-H trial. Outgoing CEO of Cell C, Talaat Laham, says that his company - along with the other players - is committed to ensuring the success of DVB-H implementation. "Through this technology Cell C will be able to bring the World Cup to its subscribers," he says.

Opening up great possibilities

Dr Matsepe-Casaburri says that the technological developments that were demonstrated at the Cape Town event are very significant for South Africa and the African continent, "...not only in terms of technological advancement or the reputation of South Africa amongst her global peers, but also for skills development and job creation, because it opens up many great possibilities for our country ".

Danny Jordaan, head of the local organising committee for the 2010 tournament, spoke to the audience in a link from France: "I'm very excited about the role new media will play and what it means for SA in terms of access to information, entertainment; how it can unlock revenue and the message it sends to the world about our abilities".

Phuthuma Nhleko, CEO of MTN, added, "The honour that South Africa has to host the 2010 World Cup provides a great opportunity for mobile operators... As MTN we are very ready for that task and we shall be providing that service everywhere you go."

It is the expectation of Alan Knott-Craig, CEO of Vodacom, that by 2010 every South African will have access to telecommunications, high speed broadband data, and television on their phones".