Pretoria - Pretoria has taken a lead in the race to become the first South African metropolitan municipality to offer free internet connection to its residents.
At least 10 000 people are now able to connect to the internet at the same time at each of the five wi-fi hotspots that went live in the capital on Tuesday.
The sites are Church Square, Tshwane University of Technology’s Soshanguve Campus, University of Pretoria’s Hatfield Campus, Tshwane North College and the Mamelodi Community Centre. Phase two of the initiative will be rolled out next year at schools in Soshanguve, Mamelodi and Atteridgeville.
The project is a partnership between the municipality and Project Isizwe and provides fully managed free internet zones to residents. Isizwe a non-profit organisation and brainchild of former head of Mxit, iBurst and World of Avatar, Alan Knott-Craig jr.
Stellenbosch already offers free internet zones, but it is classified as a local municipality and not a metro. Cape Town is in the race to roll out fast internet to the public, and several other municipalities across the country are also have wi-fi connectivity in their agendas.
Dumisani Otumile, City of Tshwane group information officer, said the internet should now be classified as a basic service such as electricity and water, and no longer a luxury.
He said any public institution that did not address the digital divide was doomed to fail.
“For example, the new eTshwane service which allows property owners to manage their municipal bills online would fail if people were not able to access the internet,” said Otumile.
“The city has the highest level of education in the country with no less than four universities and seven national science councils, all national government departments and embassies, the capital, largest municipality in Africa and third largest in the world in terms of land mass.
“We are therefore justified to enter the internet space.”
He added the magnitude of the roll out in the City of Tshwane was unprecedented in Africa.
Executive mayor Kgosientso Ramokgopa, who switched on the wi-fi hotspot at Church Square in the city centre, described the initiative as an “out of the box” project.
He said the wi-fi project was a legacy the current municipal administration would be remembered for years to come.
The mayor promised that in about two years, there would be free internet in every corner of the capital city.
Ramokgopa said the free internet would change the face of the city and give young people an opportunity to contribute to the economy.
“The five sites that went live today were chosen strategically to be closer to people in need and with main emphasis on education.
“It is for this reason that the wi-fi hotspots going live as part of phase one are accessible to the student population,” said the mayor.
“When I sit in a South African Local Government Association meetings, I will be proud to tell other representatives that I am from the first metro in South Africa that offers free internet connection.”
He said the initiative would hopefully mean more access to jobs and education by all resident in the city.
Businessman Kingsley Mboweni said the business sector would also benefit immensely from the free internet.
“Data has become very expensive, and communication is internet based these days. I am extremely excited about the free internet. My local hotspot is Church Square and it will make electronic communication much easier,” said Mboweni. - Pretoria News
HOW TO USE IT
l Take your wi-fi enabled device. No-strings attached, just connect, click and surf.
l The free internet zones are designed to support 10 000 users each
l Users can enjoy 250MB of data daily
l Community members within these zones have immediate access