infrastructure

The Zambia Thetha ICT Discussion Forum will be held on 28 October 2009 at the Golfview Hotel in Lusaka.

The event forms part of a series of regional events that SANGONeT is hosting in Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia and Botswana.

Barely four months since RDB/IT introduced the two models of ICT buses, reports indicate that their impact in improving information technology is already being felt all over the country.

In a phone interview with Wilson Muyenzi, the e-Rwanda coordinator, one of the Hi-tech buses is already being used in Kamonyi district, in the Southern Province, by students and other local residents seeking IT services.

"We expect higher benefits to people in other rural areas which have been cut off in terms of ICT access," pointed Muyenzi.

Download the full report here.

This report presents a situational analysis of ICT4D in Tanzania and aims to establish key priority areas for ICT4D in Tanzania, identify various issues determining the success or failure of ICT4D in Tanzania, and recommend possible measures to be taken to facilitate the progress of ICT4D for the next ten years.

The Universal Service and Access Agency of South Africa (USAASA) will host a Consultative Public Workshop on 2&3 April 2009 in Johannesburg.

The main objective of the workshop is to solicit public input from interested and affected parties and organisations on the definitions of universal access and universal service, needy persons and under-serviced areas.

• Is your IT infrastructure providing you with an increased ability to service your community?
• Are you responsible for IT decisions or support in your organisation?
• Is your organisation partnering with Microsoft and SANGONeT in making the most of your IT investment?

SANGONeT and Microsoft invite you to attend a one-day event on 24 March 2009 in Johannesburg where we will be exploring:

• How NGOs are connecting with their stakeholders using technology.

The GSMA mobile phone industry association has announced an agreement among 17 mobile phone operators and major handset makers to standardise chargers by 2012. 

The move means no matter what brand of phone you buy, the chargers should be interchangeable, making it possible to charge a phone from any available charger even if you leave yours at home.

Telecommunications company MTN and Neotel have announced that they will co-build a long-distance fibre optic network connecting major centres around the country.

MTN director, Kim Lowry says, "This co-build agreement with Neotel marks the biggest collaboration in the South African telecommunications industry, and is a defining moment in the history of the country."