Broadband a ‘basic right’ for S Africans

18/05/09. More and more school children are using the internet. Picture: Damaris Helwig

18/05/09. More and more school children are using the internet. Picture: Damaris Helwig

Published Jun 11, 2012

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Communications Minister Dina Pule has declared that access to broadband internet is a basic human right, and plans to increase access to about 80 percent of South Africans by 2020.

Pule was speaking after last week’s information and communications technology (ICT) Indaba at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, held to discuss Africa’s interaction with the rest of the world.

Hosted by the national Communications Department, the indaba saw heads of communications from across Africa gathering to discuss ICT system development – identified as a major contributor to Africa’s growth.

Pule said the attainment of a knowledge-based economy in Africa would require “accelerating investment in robust and secure infrastructure”.

It would boost employment creation in the sectors, see the sharing of skills across the continent, and collaboration on ICT innovation.

A primary goal for 2020 was increasing broadband penetration to about 80 percent by 2020.

- Weekend Argus

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