ICT

Port Shepstone has a new incubator.

SECTOR INSIGHT

Dube iConnect is an accredited service provider.

ASmartXchange SMME Incubator has been launched in Port Shepstone on the South Coast. The concept of ICT has been expanded to include media and electronics, so the hub is called an MICTe Incubator.

The province’s SmartXchange is an example of a successful publicprivate partnership that supports businesses in the information technology and communications sector. Incubation strategies for startups and skills development (including links to educational institutions) are important parts of the organisation’s brief. After the successful launch of the first such incubator outside Durban in the Ray Nkonyeni Local Municipality, there are now plans to establish three more, at Newcastle, Richards Bay and Pietermaritzburg.

Spending on information and communications technology (ICT) has been steadily increasing in the private and public sectors in recent years in KwaZulu-Natal.

The eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality, which administers Durban, has actively been promoting ICT since the launch of its MetroConnect programme in 2008. A key component of the strategy has been the sale at hugely discounted rates of spare capacity on the municipal fibre network.

The Dube TradePort (pictured) has spent more than R100-million on ICT infrastructure that includes two data centres. Dube iConnect has a licence from the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa to be a service provider. An advanced metro Ethernet network connects businesses within the precinct and surrounding areas with one another and with the world.

ONLINE RESOURCES

Dube TradePort: www.dubetradeport.co.za Information Technology Association of South Africa: www.ita.org.za SmartExchange: www.smartxchange.co.za South African Vanguard of Technology: www.savant.co.za

KwaZulu-Natal has an established skills base in microprocessors and radio-based systems and a strong manufacturing base.

Some companies within the domestic sector specialise in supporting specific systems. In the case of Pinetown-based RN Software, support is provided for Syspro, an enterprise resource software (ERP) system most commonly applied to manufacturing and logistics to enhance performance and control costs.

South African Vanguard of Technology (Savant) is a Department of Trade and Industry (dti) programme. It is the marketing and awareness programme for the South African ICT and electronics sector. The aim is to develop South African exports and to attract foreign investment.

The State Information Technology Agency (SITA) is a state-owned enterprise that provides ICT services to government and leads projects in the sector.

Sentech is the state agency that provides broadband infrastructure and signals for the country's broadcasters. Internet connectivity is provided to government departments, municipalities and other institutions through a VSAT service.