The Southern African Telecommunications Networks and Applications Conference (SATNAC) 2005. Opening Address by the Honourable Minister of Science and Technology, Mosibudi Mangena

12 September 2005

Venue: Central Drakensberg, Kwazulu-Natal

Programme Director
The CEO of Telkom South Africa, Mr Nxasana,
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen

It may not be an overstatement to claim that the development of the Internet has finally made digital convergence a reality. Today, even in developing countries, technology-based applications such the telephone, fax, cellular phone, and in certain cases, the e-mail and Internet, have begun to find popular usage that has extended to remote rural areas. At the upper end of the digital scale, where individuals and organisations are compelled to work with large volumes of information, the intersection of various information technologies for the purposes of transmitting and manipulating information has become a normal way of doing business.

For those who operate at the cutting-edge of the modern information and knowledge driven society, the development of new uses for computing cannot happen fast enough. But for average consumers of high-tech goods and services, the diffusion of such technologies, at best takes a decade for adoption to happen, largely because of the high cost and complexity of the required infrastructure. However, for both low and high intensity technology consumers, the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of connectivity and bandwidth have become major areas of concern.

Information technology has radically impacted on the methods and tools of research. In many areas, including particle physics, remote sensing of earth resources, oceanography and astronomy, sophisticated measuring instruments routinely gather huge amounts of data and convert it into a digital form for subsequent analysis. Information technology enables researchers to add value from anywhere in the world, provided that they have adequate access to the data and computing resources.

The changing face of science requires coordinated resource sharing, collaborative processing and the analysis of huge amounts of data. This presents opportunities not visualised before, particularly in developing countries. Researchers situated remotely from instruments can participate in cutting-edge science using those instruments. It also enables large-scale scientific instruments such as the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT), and the proposed Square Kilometre Array (SKA) to be situated outside Europe and North America, but still give researchers from these regions access to these instruments from the comfort of their desktops.

At the moment, the ICT industry represents just less than 10% of our GDP, which means that one rand in every 10 is spent on ICT. The state has committed to spending at least 1% of the GDP on research and development (R&D). We are currently spending R10,1 billion, which is 0,81% of GDP. According to the 2003 statistics, out of the total R&D expenditure, ICT research and development accounted for 10,5%. We seriously need to increase our expenditure on overall R&D if we are to improve our competitiveness.

Increasingly, ICT companies are responding to the reality that conducting R&D in their field of operation is essential for their survival. This has resulted in many of them spending significant percentages of their annual revenues on R&D activities.

A key to the success of the information age is the development of world-class infrastructure and products by a highly skilled workforce. The Telkom Centres of Excellence programme fits well into our science and technology capacity building programme, and our efforts to build ICT capacity in South Africa. I believe that the programme is making a major contribution towards keeping talented young South Africans in the country by providing them opportunities of doing world-class research.

We understand that the programme offers participating universities their independence while working closely with industry to ensure that their research work is outcome-focused. The programme is financed by Telkom, industry and the Technology and Human Resource for Industry Programme (THRIP), which is a programme of the Department of Trade and Industry that is managed by the Department of Science and Technology through the National Research Foundation (NRF). I am indeed encouraged that my department is a part of this initiative.

Our vision is to make South Africa a part of the vibrant and innovative knowledge society. Our challenge is to create an environment where ICT based innovation originating from different levels of society flourishes. Developing a strong culture of innovation and entrepreneurship is essential to the growth and success of the ICT Sector. What we need to do is to actively encourage the process of innovation from basic ICT research and development through to diffusion of ICT into the economy as a whole.

In order to achieve this, we need common open ICT standards especially for the delivery of essential social, economic, security and developmental services. The global enthusiasm for open technologies in part relates to the belief that technology has transformative power, that it can re-invent government, improve public services and spur economic growth. In extreme cases, maybe even help save lives.

The tsunami that devastated South Eastern Asian countries and the north-eastern parts of Africa, is perhaps the most graphic, albeit unfortunate, demonstration of the need for global collaboration, and open ICT standards. The incalculable loss of life and damage to property was exacerbated by the fact that responding agencies and non-governmental groups were unable to share information vital to the rescue effort. Each was using different data and document formats. Relief was slowed, and coordination complicated.

As long as the providers of ICT lack the willingness to evolve to a more open, accessible and flexible ecosystem, convergence, and indeed its supporting technological infrastructure, will remain unaffordable and inaccessible to the majority of the people living in developing countries. This decision is one of the most far-reaching issues facing governments, and indeed, all enterprises today. This is not merely a technology decision; it is a decision that has enormous impact on government, the economy, industry and social development.

To stimulate change in the South African ICT industry, and to turn it into an industry that is to be envied globally for its innovation and global competitiveness, is no small task. We need people and institutions, to contribute to a future ICT industry where South African innovation is at the core and not on the periphery. All role players, including business leaders and researchers, must show an interest in developing an innovation pathway for South Africa.

Most ICT research is undertaken in the private sector – mainly in large financial institutions. Government, for its part, has increased funding for R&D, and developed a number of initiatives intended to increase the openness and flexibility of this sector. These include the reduction of duties in a number of classes of ICT imports, deregulation of the telecommunications sector, and the development of an ICT R&D strategy due to be released later this year, among others.

The South African ICT Sector is in a unique position to grow its expertise base as a provider of ICT based solutions. The developed and developing world socio-economic classes that coexist in this country provide a ready made arena for the research and development of ICT based products and services that directly address the needs of the developed world, as well as the digital gaps between these two worlds. It is therefore up to you to ensure that you grab these opportunities.

The time is ripe for an enhanced partnership, with a future-orientated vision; a partnership between the ICT industry, government and research-related bodies that would fully embed a strong culture of R&D and innovation in all its thinking.

Deep commitment to knowledge generation and innovation, including the development of human capital for research, specifically in the field of information and communication technology, is critical. We need a common objective to harness information and communication technology as an instrument for the growth and development of our societies.

We should look beyond the obvious in this regard. There are opportunities for the ICT industry to play a significant role in the development of the Square Kilometer Array (SKA), also known as “the software telescope”. One of the key features of this massive billion-dollar telescope, which we hope to attract to South Africa, is the potential to develop new inventions and innovations to decrease the cost of connectivity by a factor of 10, and develop a new range of wireless high-bandwidth applications. This is a major science platform that will result in the effective use of scarce resources in a truly challenging science that is designed to spill over rapidly into commercial applications.

The potential massive investment flow into South Africa from the realisation of the SKA and the construction of telescope demonstrators is a great opportunity, which our ICT industry dare not miss. Strategic opportunities that exist in space science and satellite arena need to be identified and fully exploited.

Programme Director, it now gives me great pleasure to declare Southern African Telecommunications Networks and Applications Conference 2005 officially opened. I wish the conference great success so that it develops outcomes that could bring rich benefits to the industry, and the community of developing countries.

I thank you.