2010 technology plans mature

By Damaria Senne, ITWeb senior journalist

Johannesburg, 10 May 2007

Technology plans for the 2010 World Cup, which are in line with guarantees required by the Federation of the International Football Association (FIFA), are at a mature stage, the Department of Communications (DOC) says.

Rose Sekese, the deputy director-general responsible for 2010 planning, says the business plan has been completed and funding plans have been approved by National Treasury.

Additionally, Telkom was appointed to provide fixed-line connectivity between the 10 stadiums selected for the games and the International Broadcast Centre (IBC).

"The critical portion of the planning, which includes meeting FIFA guarantees, is now complete, and we can now focus on other issues, such as providing connectivity to hotels and fan parks where local people will be able to watch the games," Sekese says.

A news report by state-owned BuaNews says SA will spend between R2 billion and R5 billion on ICT infrastructure for the 2010 World Cup Soccer tournament.

Sekese refused to be drawn on exact details of this funding. She says that, while the funding range is right, there are likely to be fluctuations due to price changes as 2010 draws closer. As a result, the amounts approved by National Treasury are likely to change to accommodate the fluctuations.

Sekese would also not be drawn on the details of the Telkom contract, but says government is expected to hand over the technology-kitted stadiums to FIFA in November 2009. Technology installations will begin 12 months before that deadline, once the brick and mortar work is completed, she says.

Contracts

Sekese says the contract was not awarded through a tender process, as Telkom was the only operator with the experience and resources to provide the fixed-line infrastructure required. Sentech will provide satellite back-up for communications between the stadiums and the IBC.

"If the primary and secondary fixed-line connections fail, Sentech will provide redundancy through a satellite connection," she says.

Additionally, Senetch will be responsible for providing infrastructure for broadcasters and is currently migrating from an analogue to a digital broadcasting platform.

Other telecoms players, which include Neotel and the mobile operators, will have the opportunity to provide connectivity for hotels, media centres, fan parks and related facilities that are not part of the FIFA guarantees, she says.

IT solutions inside the stadiums will be provided by FIFA with Match, the federation's technology arm, she adds.

Sekese says the ICT sector will have the opportunity to provide input into the 2010 technology plan. The DOC recently completed the appointment of the ICT co-ordinating forum, which provides input on how smaller ICT players can capitalise on opportunities provided by the 2010 games.

She adds that a decision as to where the IBC will be situated has not yet been made. Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban were shortlisted as possible venues, and a discussion on the matter is ongoing.