 |
|
Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. As sponsor of this lunch, Telkom extends a warm welcome to each and every one of you. A special word of welcome to our overseas friends who have come such a long way to be part of the Africa Telecom event. We trust your stay in our country will be a memorable one.
Flanked by Johannesburg, the gold capital of the world, on the one side and the Republic’s administrative capital Pretoria, on the other, the high-tech corridor of Midrand where Gallagher Estate is situated, is the most rapidly developing area in the country. This comes as no surprise when one considers that Gauteng is the most densely populated province, generating roughly 38% of South Africa’s GDP.
The modern financial, manufacturing and industrial sectors so typical of Gauteng cannot function without the muscle of Information and Communication Technology, especially in a world where nations and economies are becoming increasingly interdependent.
This is where Telkom comes into the picture, providing total communication solutions which include voice, data, video, internet and e-commerce. The fact that we are the official telecommunications supplier for the Africa Telecom event, exemplifies our commitment and drive to make the South African business community part of the global information economy.
But if you travel in the area, you cannot but notice the other face of South Africa. It is a bitter fact that wealth and poverty exist side by side. This is the other challenge confronting Telkom – connecting the unconnected, bridging the digital divide, improving the quality of ordinary people’s lives.
Since the previous ITU event held in South Africa in 1998, we have made enormous progress in expanding our network. We have already installed 1.4 million lines in under-serviced areas, and we have connected whole communities to our network, wiring-up, for example almost 2 700 villages.
In fact, we have already invested R34 billion in our network expansion and modernisation programme to ensure South Africa becomes a true and worthy citizen of the global village.
When I look back on the four years since Telkom was licenced, I stand amazed at what we’ve been able to achieve. The Telkom of today is miles removed from the Telkom of yesteryear. The multi-faceted business transformation process we have worked so hard at these past few years, have paid off and I can say without any hesitation whatsoever that we are more than ready for the challenges which lie ahead. And this includes, as you know, both privatisation and competition.
But ladies and gentlemen, when I think back o the past four years, it is not the new technologies or digitisation initiatives that stick in my mind. It is the happy smile of the woman who makes her first phone call from a village deep in rural Kwa-Zulu, it is the look of wonder on the face of the Soweto schoolboy as he surfs the Web for the first time, that makes it all worthwhile. This is the true wonder and value of communications.
Thank you for your attention. Thank you for sharing the afternoon with us and please enjoy yourselves.
|
|
|
|
|
