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Mobile phone boost for South Africa ahead of World CupJOHANNESBURG, Jan 18, 2010 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- A massive investment in the South Africa's mobile phone network infrastructure is under way to ensure people will be able to communicate efficiently during the FIFA World Cup. Apart from five new and five refurbished stadiums, World Cup 2010 will leave South Africa with a legacy of state-of-the-art TV broadcasting and mobile phone technology. And South Africa is about to be hit by "massive world class technology" which will provide a starting point for the transition to high definition television (HDTV) providing "superb broadcasting pleasure" for future events, said Delia Fischer, FIFA media manager on Monday. FIFA said it had appointed its own service provider, Host Broadcast Services (HBS), as the official host broadcaster for the World Cup. The South African Broadcasting Corporation and pribate station SuperSport will benefit from the HBS team which will share their expertise and experience and this will enable them to speed up their move to HDTV. While SuperSport had the recent cricket tests between South Africa and England live on HDTV, it is still in a test phase and its official HD channel launch is on February 12, coinciding with the start of the Super 14 rugby tournament. On the mobile phone front, the construction of towers and laying of more fiber optic cables for data communication will benefit South Africans for years after the World Cup. Last year, the Independent Communication Authority of South Africa (ICASA) chairman, Paris Mashile, expressed concern at networks' inability to cope, based on their failure to handle heavier loads around Christmas and New Year. MTN, the official FIFA network partner, has focused on improving coverage around airports and stadiums. Bridget Bhengu, senior manager: communications for MTN, said they were ready for the World Cup. She said MTN is setting up special equipment rooms at stadiums. "The system has been designed so that fans are guaranteed coverage in the stadium and in the vicinity at any time. Support staff will be on hand at each stadium to help. "Communities around stadiums that host matches are assured that the network will not be affected." Andries Delport, executive director: engineering and technology for mobile service provider Vodacom, said the company has invested significant time, resources and funds to ensure that their network could handle an increase in traffic during the World Cup. ICASA's Mashile said: "Having seen the reports and assuming that this is not a marketing gimmick, I am of the view that their systems pass muster. However, our field and test engineers will intensify their own independent testing and evaluation as to the efficacy of the networks to meet busy and peak period demands." FIFA will provide material, including live match feeds, shot for mobile operators who have been given rights. |