South Africa, the second biggest economy in Africa is dreaming big and looking at the possibility of offering free internet access to all and sundry.
Under Project Isiziwe, the government will make available to all citizens who cannot current afford escalating data costs, a free WiFi that will connet people for education, economic development and social inclusion.
Using the economies of scale induced by public-private partnerships Project Isiziwe has found a way to bring the data cost down to R1 per gigabyte.
Project Isizwe has implemented the Robertson and Atlantis hot spots as part of the Western Cape Broadband strategy, as well as numerous hot spots in Pretoria.
The hope is that everyone in the entire province will have access to affordable broadband by 2030 through a high-speed optical network to be built by Neotel.
Four pilot sites have been launched in George, Robertson, and the two under-serviced impoverished areas of Atlantis and Delft.
“The Free WiFi project is assisting us in developing the most effective way of delivering internet access to residents.
“The aim of this pilot is to pioneer a model we can replicate across the province. We are taking services to the areas that need them most. It’s these targeted interventions that make a real difference in people’s lives,” said the promoters.
From the city of Cape Town’s side, spreading the fibre optic infrastructure across the metropolitan area to connect businesses and public entities is a priority. Following a feasibility study conducted last year, for the past six months it has also run a Proof of Concept Phase to bring down costs and enhance service levels in underserved areas of the city. An announcement is expected soon.