LIBRARY SCIENCE WORKSHOP

“Universal Access and Service to ICT for All”29 November 2019

What does USAASA do

• Bridge the digital divide by rolling out Information and Communication Technologies ( ICT’s) in under-serviced areas

• Subsidise internet connectivity in schools, clinics and community access centers

• Subsidise end-user devices such as tablets, desktop computers and laptops in schools, clinics and access centers

• Subsidise the extension and/or construction of broadband infrastructure in under-serviced areas

• Subsidise the rollout of set-top boxes to poor TV owning households

Vision, Mission and Values

• Vision

• Universal Access and

Service to ICT for All

• Mission

• To facilitate the rollout of adequate Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure to enable universal access to under-serviced areas in South Africa.

• To facilitate ICT service to under-serviced areas and thereby contributing to the reduction of poverty and unemployment in South Africa.

• To promote and pursue the goal of Universal Access and Services and contribute to the sharing and preservation of information in order to build South Africa’s sustainable knowledge society.

Legislative and Policy Mandates

• South Africa Connect Policy, 2013• robust and cost effective broadband solution to universal, affordable broadband access

• market structure and associated regulatory regime required to induce sufficient public and private investment.

• mechanisms for greater co-ordination at all tiers of government, to enable more equitable access to broadband and to manage the removal of impediments to broadband network extension.

• co-ordination between state owned entities through clear role definition, integration of planning, monitoring and evaluation.

• Facilitate infrastructure planning through the mapping of existing broadband networks, co-ordination of deployment plans of operators and infrastructure sharing in order to limit the duplication of civil works.

• vision, model and plan towards a world class open-access national broadband network and harnessing public and private sector contributions, capabilities and resources.

To present a vision, strategy and a long-term plan that is immediately implementable and that will catalyse broadband connectivity in South Africa:

SA Connect Policy Targets

TargetPenetration

MeasureBaseline (2013) By 2016 By 2020 By 2030

Broadband access in Mbps user experience

% of population33.7% internet

access50% at 5Mbps

90% at 5Mbps50% at 100Mbps

100% at 10Mbps80% at 100Mbps

Schools % of schools 25% connected 50% at 10Mbps100% at 10Mbps80% at 100Mbps

100% at 1Gbps

Health facilities% of health

facilities13% connected 50% at 10Mbps

100% at 10Mbps80% at 100Mbps

100% at 1Gbps

Government facilities

% of government

offices50% at 5Mbps 100% at 10Mbps

100% at 100Mbps

CONNECTIVITY PROGRAMME

Connect schools and clinics

Cover entire municipality with broadband infrastructure

Connects government departments

Rollout Wi-Fi hotspots

Create opportunities for local entrepreneurs

Foster adoption of e-health, e-education, e-agriculture and e-government

ICT’s in Library services

• Libraries are information hubs

• ICT’s benefits cut across all sectorsICT’s present enormous benefits for Libraries

• People expect, especially millennials, better library performance

• Application of ICT to Library services is still inadequate

• High speed broadband is paramount

• Library services will become better and faster

Benefits of ICT in Libraries

• Virtual libraries

• Improves access to digital information

• Access to information with ease

• ICT could play an important role in acquisition, storage, organisation and dissemination of information

• Make it easy for collaboration among researchers irrespective of their location

• Save Space

Challenges

• Fast and reliable telecommunications network

• ICT Skills within the library staff

• Financial resources

• Bold ICT policies

Enkosi