UniNet chief executive office David Jarvis told ITWeb at the African WiFi Summit 2005 in Cape Town yesterday that his company had signed a contract, worth an initial R2.5 million, with the Southern Cape town.
Sixty-two municipal offices, up to a distance of 40kms of Knysna, will be linked. This will include substantial rural coverage, including that of many of the informal settlements that dot the landscape.
The CeI, e-government component for the Western Cape, aims to improve the quality and efficiency of government service delivery and to increase public participation in government, by using Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs).
Joe Mazibuko, State Information Technology Agency (SITA) marketing services managing executive, told delegates e-government would achieve greater transparency, revenue growth, cost reduction and convenience for local citizens.
The growing global demand for security, technological advancements and e-government is driving smart-card solutions. The guiding principles seek to ensure that citizens have easier access to government and private-sector services.
Read more: South Africa: The smart solution to security concerns
The technology enables a doctor who is kilometres away to conduct an X-ray on a patient using wireless technology provided by the state commercial signal distributor, Sentech.
Read more: South Africa: Sita conducts telemedicine pilot study