Page 43 - U4SSC Simple ways to be smart

This means that many people in Johannesburg are excluded from the online world and thus also
excluded from opportunities to communicate and socialise, gain access to information, learn, and
pursue employment opportunities. The City of Johannesburg has embarked on a comprehensive
smart city strategy; however, their efforts are hampered by this lack of access. Where people cannot
engage electronically with the city, much of the service provision has to be face-to-face, and so the
efficiencies that technology promises cannot be realised.

The solution

To expand access to the Internet, the City of Johannesburg has been providing free public Wi-Fi
at city libraries, community centres and bus stops since 2015. The motivation for the project was
to facilitate better communication with residents, to increase the information available to residents
and to improve economic opportunities for residents, where the provincial unemployment rate
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is 28.9%. 68

At the libraries, some computers are provided, but many people bring their laptops to work on.
Many also connect to the public Wi-Fi using mobile devices. By using the city libraries and bus
stops the city takes advantage of infrastructure which they control, and so it is easier to deploy and
manage the technology. Each user is provided with 300 megabytes of data per day or 9 gigabytes
per month, if used daily. There is also unlimited access to a set of services provided on the City’s
Maru a Jozi portal. 69

To assist residents to use the service the city set up a partnership with the University of Johannesburg.
Students were employed as ‘Digital Ambassadors’ to spend time at libraries explaining to residents
and library staff how they could connect and showing them how to search for information on the
Internet. This service was provided for a limited time, establishing a base of residents with skills, and
training librarians. Now many users of the library service are able to ask other users for assistance.

Results

By the end of 2016, the City had provided more than 1000 hotspots and they had been used by
more than 400 000 residents. 70

Residents have identified benefits from the program, including:
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• Easier communication and more avenues for communicating.

• Savings on their data costs.
• Access to learning materials and opportunities.

• Access to job opportunities.

• Identifying business opportunities and earning through online initiatives.
• The wi-fi hotspots have become social sites where residents have met people and made friends.

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