Ftth Council Africa Annual Report 2014

8/11/2019 Ftth Council Africa Annual Report 2014

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A N N U A L R E P O R T

2014


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The FTTH Council Africa believes that the development and deployment of bre based broadband networks will enhance the quality of life for South

African citizens and Africa as a whole, and provide African countries with aninfrastructure that will allow its companies to increase their effectiveness and

competitiveness within the global marketplace.


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Contact UsWeb: www.ftthcouncilafrica.comFax: +27 (0) 86 579 2606

Postal: Postnet Suite #477, Private Bag X1007, Lyttelton, 0140Membership Enquiries: [email protected] Enquiries: [email protected] Enquiries: [email protected] Enquiries: [email protected]

CONTENTSFTTH Council AfricaForeword 2About the FTTH Council Africa 3Our members 3Partners 3

FTTH Council Africa ViewsShould local authorities have broadband strategies? 4The race to bre a continent... 5

Why Fibre?Why Fibre? 6

Business as usual is not an option 7Cloud with a chance of (big) business 8e-Education 9e-Health 10The Age of Social Media 11Market Intelligence 12

FTTH Council Africa ActivitiesServing Africa 13Putting bre on the map 14The future of telecommunication is bright (and green) 15Fibre Friendly Facility 15Fibre Council Global Alliance 16Conference 2014: Join Us In Jozi! 17The theme: Power to the Future 18The venue: Turbine Hall, Newtown 18Industry Awards 19

Inside the FTTH Council AfricaFTTH Council Board Members 20FTTH Council Africa Organigram 21

CONTENTS

FTTH COUNCIL AFRICA ANNUAL REPORT


4/24FTTH Annual Report 20142 www.ftthcouncilafrica.com

Richard Came, President, and Juanita Clark, Chief Executive Of cer

of the FTTH Council Africa.This Annual Report presents the results of a very successful year 2013/14. The FTTH CouncilAfrica has made huge progress and has taken many steps forward.

According to the feedback received, the FTTH Coun-cil Africa conference 2013 was a huge success. Onlyour second conference and the rst conference host -ed solely by the FTTH Council Africa.The aim of our annual conference is to bring industryparticipants together and provide a platform for di-alogue and problem solving. Further it aims to allowthe industry to network and showcase their products.We trust that this is an event that will grow annuallyand become the biggest bre stakeholder confer -ence on the continent. Thank you to all the attendeesthat supported the event, and thank you for all thegreat feedback received. Similarly, our annual golfday aims to do the same.While the conference is a serious event with serioustopics, our annual golf day is intended to be a day ofentertainment and networking in a relaxed environ-ment. We enjoy the opportunity to bring our mem -bers together for a more informal get-together.In addition the members meetings are a way to pro-vide a platform for networking and problem solv-ing. Some may have noticed that we have startedincorporating a master class during these events toprovide our members with value. Thank you to theindividuals that have come to share topics duringmember meetings.We have also had several opportunities to travel andspread the word on the Fibre Council. Attendingthese events is critical as it provides a great platformto take our message to the rest of the continent. Asusual, Juanita attended the FTTH Council Europeconference in London where she represented theAfrica chapter. In April we attended the IAD event inEthiopia where Richard was a speaker.Thank you to our members of the Board who alsoput their hands up to represent us in spite of theirown busy schedules. Al e Martin represented theCouncil in Tanzania and attended an Extensia eventwhere he spoke on behalf of the Council. The Coun -cil also attended the Asia Paci c conference in New

Zealand and Al e once again represented us in Mau -ritius at the Yes! Africa event where he met with sev-eral stakeholders.Juanita attended the FCGA meeting in Singapore atthe annual FCGA conference and was a speaker atCommunicAsia that annually attracts 30 000 attend-ees. On top of that we participated locally in severalconferences where we are invited to take the mes-sage of bre to the audience.

On a global scale the FTTH Council Global Alliancealso gained traction with some combined global pro-

jects and this year we saw the birth of The Light Agemagazine a global publication focussed on bredeployment on the continent that was launched inLondon. We also signed some partnership agree -ments with local publications that will allow our mem-bers a platform to take their individual messages tothe world and we have participated in several pressreleases to support our members. We have alsosigned co-operation agreeements with iMentors aEuropean Union initiative and with EcoSpeci er topromote the sustainability of bre optic infrastruc -

ture. Please read more on these organisations on ourwebsite.2013 saw the launch of the annual Gimme bre! dayand we have some big plans going forward to ensurethat this is a day that attracts attention.Our participation in government affairs has alsogrown and we have participated in several work-shops with national government on ICT.The coming year will be even more busy with thelaunch of the bre map and we are also planning in -dustry research that will be available to our members.Lastly, your participation in one of the Advisory Com-mittees will be appreciated make use of this plat-form to discuss issues, nd solutions and let us drivethe industry forward! These projects are only possiblethrough the support of our members. We thank youfor your continued support. ~ Richard and Juanita

The FTTHCouncil

Africa hasmade huge

progress andhas taken

many steps forward.

FTTH COUNCIL AFRICA


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In manycountries the

nancingrequirements

of currentand

prospectiveinfrastructure

needs faroutstrip

resourcesavailable.

Should local authorities have broadband strategies?With the risk of massive duplication, Public Private Partnerships (PPP) are the only way to en-sure ubiquitous access for all.We all know by now that 80% of the cost of a bre optic networkis in the trench.

In the face of ever-increasing public expectation and demand from society, coupled with budgetary constraints,governments are facing an increasing amount of pressure to deliver new and improved infrastructure projectsfrom transport (roads, railways, bridges); education (schools and universities); healthcare (hospitals, clinics

and treatment centres); waste management (collection, disposal, waste to energy plants); water (collection,treatment, distribution), government accommodation and defence.

In many countries the nancing requirements of current and prospective infrastructure needs far outstripresources available.

Meeting these needs is critical to ensure continued progress, development and economic growth. Budgetaryconstraints and an acknowledgement of private sector ef ciencies and know-how are two of the principalreasons why governments around the world are taking the economic and political decision to accelerate theuse of private sector nance and adopt Public Private Partnership models, in order to deliver infrastructureprojects which would have been previously built by the public sector using public sector nance.

Bene ts of PPPs are obvious and include:

The operational and project execution risk is transferred totally to the private sector, leaving the public compo -nent in a win-win situation;

PPPs allows government funds to be re-directed to other important socio-economic areas; Reduces government budgets and de cits; High quality standards should be obtained and maintained throughout the expected life-cycle of the project.

In addition, PPPs help the public sector develop a more disciplined and commercial approach to infrastruc-ture development whilst allowing them to retain strategic control of the overall project and service as theexpertise and experience of the private sector encourages innovation, resulting in shorter delivery times andimprovements in the construction and facility management processes. Developing these processes leads tobest practice and adds value.

In the US, when Google announced that it planned to build one or more community fbre net -works, more than 1,100 local governments proposed their communities as suitable locations.

These Google projects are a clear indicator that local authorities in the USA are capitalising on private sectorinfrastructure rather than trying to build it all themselves.

In Africa, private sector has already deployed thousands of kilometers of bre optic infrastructure and gov -ernments could easily leverage this and save money by avoiding duplication. Leveraging existing infrastruc -ture helps to reduce government debt and free up public capital to spend on providing infrastructure tounder-serviced areas, resulting in ubiquitous access. Further, the tax payer bene ts by avoiding higher taxesto nance duplicate infrastructure investment development. Ultimately PPP projects can deliver better for allinvolved.

Source: http://www.ipfa.org/about/project nance/bene ts

FTTH COUNCIL AFRICA VIEWS


7/24FTTH Annual Report 2014 5www.ftthcouncilafrica.com

The race to bre a continent...Over the last year bre deployments acrossthe continent has continued to grow steadily,in spite of many obstacles still experiencedby operators. Some countries have beenpro-active in supporting the deployment of

bre networks, resulting in a widening gap.On the whole, bre deployments have steadilygrown and this is good news, albeit not at the ratethat we see deployments around the world. So whatis the major obstacles to rapid deployment of infra -structure?

Ask any CEO what they deem the most debilitatingpart of getting infrastructure in the ground to be,and all might agree that without effective policiesand procedures in place the continent will continueto lag behind the rest of the world.

There are signi cant barriers to deploying bre opticnetworks and one of the biggest problems remainsa lack of education at all levels within the publicsector value chain. A massive effort in education isrequired to ensure that all parties in the value chainunderstand the bene ts of bre optic infrastructureand why it is important to deliver speedy approvals.

There are many stakeholders involved in the pro-cess. From getting cross border approvals, to envi -ronmental impact assessments, water-use licenses,

licenses from provincial, national and local author-ities, and licenses from Roads Agencies, etc. Cur -rently private sector spends much time educatingindirect entities on why they require permission todeploy a bre optic cables, etc on why you need ap -proval to lay a bre optic cable in a speci c area, forinstance across a border. Consider the time delays ineach one of these applications.

The role of the regulator in promoting and edu-cating indirect public sector departments on whyspeedy approvals need to be produced is gener-

ating considerable dialogue amongst regulators inAfrica.

Regulation, one of the three key levers of state pow-er, is of critical importance in shaping the welfareof economies and society and thus has a duty toensure that barriers to deployment are removed.

In the past, governments across Africa faced arange of challenges as they were surprised by theprivate sector requests for access to roads, bordercrossings, bridge attachments and water use licens-es, to name but a few.

They have now emerged from the crisis to some ex-tent, but African regulators across all sectors mustcreate a regulatory framework for the rollout of ter-

restrial bre in order to support an increase in highspeed broadband penetration across the continent.

Further, an integrated regulatory framework helpsensure that investors can safely and securely getmaximum bene t out of their investment. Econo -mies and societies need effective regulations tosupport growth, investment, innovation, marketopenness and uphold the rule of law.

A poor regulatory environment undermines busi-ness competitiveness and parties trust in govern-ment.

It remains a case of education at all levels withingovernment. With the increase in data on mobilenetworks, operators are under tremendous pres-

sure to deploy bre between base stations (FTTT Fibre to the Tower). If mobile operators are goingto continue to feed the data hungry population onthe continents, they need to deploy bre fast andef ciently.

Regulators and Telecomms/ICT Departments needto inform other affected departments within gov-ernment what it is about. The regulators need toeducate other institutions especially since manygovernments has their own broadband strategiesand will ultimately face similar challenges.

*Regulations include the rules and procedures thatframe the internal operation of public authorities, in -

cluding ministries and government agencies.

Withouteffective

policies andprocedures

in place the

continent willcontinue tolag behind the rest of the world.

FTTH COUNCIL AFRICA VIEWS



Why Fibre?The world is experiencing rapid urbanisation. An estimated 60 million people are moving tocities and urban areas very year more than one million every week. More than half of theworlds population now work or live in urban areas, a number expected to top 6.4 billion by2050. Living on a continent where the focus is repeatedly on job creation, businesses and in-dividuals need broadband to advertise and apply for these jobs.

When it comes to nding jobs, or applying for jobs,Broadband Internet access is essential. The FCC re -cently estimated that 80% of Fortune 500 compa-nies only advertised for positions online. High speedaccess accelerates business development, and pro-vides new opportunities for innovation, expansion,and e-commerce. Communities that connect theirresidents create wealth and attract business invest-ments. Access to the internet can also slow downurbanisation trends.Urbanisation is putting major strain on local gov -ernments trying to keep up with development ofinfrastructure in cities and towns. People ock tocities in the hope of nding jobs and the promiseof better living in the cities are attracting more andmore people to the cities. It is true that cities provideopportunities, but it is also lled with competition.All those who come in search of these opportunitiesmay not succeed. Urbanisation results in the un -precedented growth of cities, which in turn leads tounemployment, homelessness, poverty, crime, beg-ging, prostitution, stress, alcoholism, breakdown offamily structures, unlawful occupation of land andcon ict.But living in rural settings means:

Barriers to nding employment; Barriers to education; Poor accessibility between home and workplace; High costs of participating in the labour market; Social exclusion.

But broadband is the solution to these problems: Online applications from anywhere; Education through access to broadband; Ongoing transport not required; Self-employment; Social inclusion and participation.

Governments and city planners will face the effectsof increased competition for scarce land and re-sources brought about by urbanisation. The needfor effective solutions to overcome problems suchas environmental pollution, traf c congestion and

threats to public safety has never been more critical.One of the biggest potential solutions lie in workfrom home strategies where employees do nothave to leave their existing environment. Yet, whileremote working seems logical to most of us, manyemployers and managers dont like it. It is these oldfashioned attitudes from employers that we need toget past to ensure a more productive, happy world.As a Microsoft paper points out: Business leadersassume employees who work remotely and takeadvantage of the policy are not really working. Thisis because of the loss of control. Employers lose di -

rect oversight and cannot witness productivity rst-hand. They miss the obvious advantages of work -ing from home:

Environmentally friendly (23%) More time with family (29%) Less stressful environment (38%) Quieter atmosphere (43%) Eliminate long commute (44%) Less distractions/politics (44%) Improved productivity (45%) Avoid traf c (47%) Save fuel and toll fees (55%) Work/home balance (60%)

Source: Forbes

Working from home results in more positive, happyemployees and lower staff turnover; rather, it savescompanies millions on of ce space, fuel allowances,energy consumption, of ce refreshments the listgoes on. If managers set speci c, measurable

goals and outcomes they have nothing to fear,but they think they are witnessing productivitywhen a worker sits at his/her desk, but they arereally just witnessing presence.

The only two issues that hold us back from solvingmany of the worlds problems are company policyand access to broadband. The case and bene tsfor work-from-home is there, but as with any tech-nology situated in a rural area, access remains thebarrier.

Africahas bigger

problems than

broadband.Right?

WRONG.Broadband

has theability to

change lives.



Business as usual is not an option The value proposition for property managers:

Technology and Telecommunications is as much apart of the modern of ce space as coffee machinesand water coolers.

A visit to your property management companyof choices website is bound to greet you withsentences such as:

Our rentals and sales divisions are property expertswith a focus on

We provide a range of commercial property skills

We are a specialist property asset management group

In the past, this was good enough - back whenProperty Management had everything to do withproperty, and nothing to do with telecommunica-tion. But things have changed;

In order for todays businesses (tenants) to remaincompetitive, they need access to high speed band-width.

The speed of tenants internet service not onlyimpacts how quickly their employees access theiremail or nd important information it effects thequality of their customers experience when they ac-cess applications on their website. In fact, enhancingthe customer experience is a major driver of satis -faction and loyalty both of which are vital to thebottom line.

From marketing a business and providing good cus-tomer service to operating your modern day busi-nesses, internet speeds can have a huge impact onbusinesses of all sizes.

High speed bandwidth has many other bene ts forcompanies like Cloud Computing and Software asa Service, to name only two. But, once again, thisrelies heavily on access to high speed bandwidthwhich will, in turn, determine the perceived qualityof service. Applications such as these save compa -nies (with easy access to it) enormous amounts ofmoney annually.

Today technology allows businesses to automatecertain functions which have historically requiredadditional employees.

Property management companies have the oppor-tunity to offer tenants the tools they need to con-duct their businesses as effectively as possible.

Fibre helps meet the demands of tenants by provid-ing raging speeds for both uploading and down-loading large data les;

It provides a Unique Selling Point in comparison tohistorical property offerings;

Fibre is a key Value Proposition & strong Differen -tiator; and

The Tenant saves money in the long run.

Fibre also holds a host of bene ts for the PropertyManagement Company, e.g.:

1. Access attracts international clients and businesswith bandwidth intensive needs;

2. Better property security remote surveilancepossible over bre;

3. Rejuvenation (desirability) of certain areasthrough technology;

4. Based on European data, Fibre Access shouldstimulate an increase in property values;

5. More effective management and control oftechnology resources (power and connectivity)

6. Improved tenant satisfaction thanks to higherbandwidth capabilities.

The Property Management industry is highly com-petitive. Management Companies accept that theyhave a responsibility to their tenants to providethem with the best.

This is where bre will become the key differentiatorthat property management companies have beenwaiting for.

*List your bre friendly buildings on our website FREE.

WHY FIBRE?



Cloud with a chance of (big) businessThe CRN predicts that by 2014, small businesses will spend almost $100 billion on cloudcomputing services. But why are companies so eager to migrate to the cloud? Lets take aquick look at the top ten bene ts of moving your business to the cloud:

Cost savings!Cloud computing services are typically pay as you

go, so theres no need for capital expenditure at all.And because cloud computing is much faster to de-ploy, businesses have minimal project start-up costsand predictable ongoing operating expenses.

Flexibility The second a company needs more bandwidththan usual, a cloud-based service can instantly meetthe demand because of the vast capacity of the ser-vices remote servers. In fact, this exibility is so cru -cial that 65% of respondents to an InformationWeeksurvey said the ability to quickly meet business de-mands was an important reason to move to cloudcomputing.

Disaster recovery When companies start relying on cloud-based ser-vices, they no longer need complex disaster recov-ery plans. Cloud computing providers take care ofmost issues, and they do it faster. Aberdeen Groupfound that businesses which used the cloud wereable to resolve issues in an average of 2.1 hours,nearly four times faster than businesses that didntuse the cloud (8 hours). The same study found thatmid-sized businesses had the best recovery times ofall, taking almost half the time of larger companiesto recover.

Automatic software updatesIn 2010, UK companies spent 18 working days permonth managing on-site security alone. But cloudcomputing suppliers do the server maintenance including security updates themselves, freeing uptheir customers time and resources for other tasks.

Increased collaborationCloud computing increases collaboration by allow-

ing all employees wherever they are to sync upand work on documents and shared apps simulta-

neously, and follow colleagues and records to re-ceive critical updates in real time. A survey by Frost& Sullivan found that companies which invested incollaboration technology had a 400% return on in-vestment.

Work from anywhereAs long as employees have internet access, they canwork from anywhere. This has a positive impact onurbanisation as it allows people in rural settings towork from home. Further, this exibility positivelyaffects knowledge workers work-life balance andproductivity. One study found that 42% of workingadults would give up some of their salary if theycould telecommute, and on average they wouldtake a 6% salary cut.

Document controlAccording to one study, 73% of knowledge workerscollaborate with people in different time zones andregions at least monthly. If a company doesnt usethe cloud, workers have to send les back and forthover email, meaning only one person can work ona le at a time and the same document has tonnesof names and formats. Cloud computing keeps allthe les in one central location, and everyone worksoff of one central copy. Employees can even chat

to each other whilst making changes together. Thiswhole process makes collaboration stronger, whichincreases ef ciency and improves a companys bot -tom line.

Security Some 800,000 laptops are lost each year in airportsalone. This can have some serious monetary impli -cations, but when everything is stored in the cloud,data can still be accessed no matter what happensto a machine.

CompetitivenessThe cloud grants SMEs access to enterprise-class

technology. It also allows smaller businesses to actfaster than big, established competitors. A study ondisaster recovery eventually concluded that compa-nies that didnt use the cloud had to rely on tapebackup methods and complicated procedures torecover slow, laborious things which cloud us-ers simply dont use, allowing David to once againout-manoeuvre Goliath.

Environmentally friendly Businesses using cloud computing only use theserver space they need, which decreases their car-bon footprint. Using the cloud results in at least 30%less energy consumption and carbon emissionsthan using on-site servers. And again, SMEs get themost bene t: for small companies, the cut in energyuse and carbon emissions is likely to be 90%.

Source: Salesforce

84% ofCIOs cut

applicationcosts by

moving to the cloud- business

insider

WHY FIBRE?



e-educationIn the past decade, online education has sig-ni cantly increased in popularity among stu-dents of all ages. This is mainly because tak-ing courses online offers clear bene ts overtaking courses at conventional educationalfacilities.

Lets take a closer look at some of the bene ts ofe-education.

1. First off, online education, or e-education offerssavings because there are no additional costsfor transportation and accommodation. Onlineeducation programmes and courses are cheap-er than courses that can be taken in a traditionalschool. Students are given the opportunity tochoose from various schools, programmes andcourses which are not available in the area wherethey live in. This is especially bene cial for thosewho live in rural areas that only have limited ed-

ucational facilities.2. Another bene t of taking online courses is thatit offers exibility to students, because they canattend classes and courses whenever and wher-ever there is a computer and access to the in-ternet. They can easily plan out a schedule thatwould work for them because of the exibility of -fered by online learning, not only undergraduatestudents, but also individuals who already havefull-time jobs or other commitments are able totake supplementary courses and even earn theirdegrees online.

3. Online learning allows a more student-centred teaching approach. Because every student has his or her

way of learning that works for them, getting an online education may help in ensuring that each lessonor material is completely understood before moving on to the next, which in turn, could result in betterlearning.

4. Online course materials can be accessed 24 hours a day every day. This means that students can eas -ily read and review lectures, discussions and other materials relevant to their course. There are somestudents who nd it a bit dif cult to understand spoken material in a typical classroom setting becauseof a number of distractions, boredom or tiredness. Because they can simply access the material onlineonce they are prepared to learn, students are able to take in and understand the material a lot better. In an online setting, a student is marked present if the student has actually participated in the classroomdiscussion. This encourages students to interact, increasing the diversity of opinion as everyone, and not

just one or two students, is given the opportunity to share their thoughts.5. There are also plenty of online course offerings and education programmes that offer the opportunity to

students to connect with the most renowned professors and lecturers in the world.

6. Making use of the tools and resources available on the internet to attend classes, research informationand communicate or interact with other students can help in learning the skills an individual needs inorder to adapt with the present and future technology that is used in the business world or in the industryhe or she is interested to work in.

7. Students who are taking online classes can also socialise, interact and discuss things that are not related tothe course through chat rooms which are usually offered by most online institutions.

8. Because online instructors usually come from different locations across the globe, students are exposedto knowledge shared by the instructors which cannot be learned in books. The different personal back -grounds of online instructors also allow them to teach students different perspectives on how class con-cepts can be applied in actual business situations (in the case of students taking business courses).

9. Students of online courses are also given the chance to talk with their instructors whenever they wantto. Through online chat, email and newsgroup discussions, students and teachers can discuss concernsrelated to the material without having to wait for of ce hours.

10. Lastly, more and more schools and universities are starting to offer online education to students. Thisgives even more options as far as online education programmes and courses are concerned, allowingstudents to choose those which they think would best help them in achieving their personal and educa-tional goals.

Online course

offerings andeducationprogrammes

offer theopportunity to students to connect

with the mostrenowned

professorsand lecturersin the world.

WHY FIBRE?



e-HEALTH Telemedicine/TelehealthThere are many forms of telehealth such as live-interactive video-conferencing, remote monitoring, store-and-forward imaging andprovider education. The biggest bene t of telehealth will be on theindividuals who have access to it.

Telemedicine is de ned as the use of telecommunications technology, by med -ical practitioners, to remotely evaluate, diagnose and treat patients. Telehealthcan help rural providers deliver better health care by connecting rural provid-ers and their patients to services at distant sites and promoting patient-centredhealth care.

This capability enables patients to receive care in their communities and avoidlong travel times as well as the cost of travel. Telemedicine can bring previouslyunavailable levels of care to remote or rural areas of the country and the world.

Giving patients in these areas access to necessary specialists and better overallcare is one of the cornerstones of telemedicine.

Given the shortage of some medical specialties in rural areas, telehealth will playan important role in ensuring patients in rural communities can access the carethey need today.

Just another bene t of high speed broadband access.

Given the shortage of somemedical specialties in rural

areas, telehealth will play an important role in

ensuring patients in ruralcommunities can access the

care they need.

WHY FIBRE?



The Age Of Social MediaCorporates are keenly aware of where their web-traf c is coming from and are experimentingwith mobile apps, websites and multimedia content in an attempt to position their companies.

But social media is not just a nice to have. Social Me -dia Examiner recently released its 2013 Social MediaMarketing Industry Report, which set out to uncoverthe who, what, where, when, and why of social me-dia marketing.

More than 3,000 marketers were surveyed, and theirresponses provide valuable insights into the bene tsof social media marketing.

Their survey found: 89% of respondents said that social media market-

ing has generated more business exposure

64% saw lead generation increase by using socialmedia 6 hours or less per day

69% of marketers use social media to gather mar-ketplace intelligence

62% of marketers using social media for 2+ yearsreported a rise in search engine rankings

62% of businesses with 10 employees or less re-ported that social media has reduced marketingexpenses

89% of marketers say that social media generatesmore business exposure

Can your company afford not to use this powerfultool?

But this is for business, what about other applica-tions? In general: If you want to know the future oftechnology and its impact on society, study howyounger generations interact with one another to-day.

Raising the digital nativesSocial media allows the youth of today to grow up in

a world without borders. They live in an always on,always available world.

93% of ages 12-17 go online

69% have their own computer

63% of internet users go online every day 27% use their phone to get online

24% with a game console use it to go online

73% are on a social network and have an average of201 Facebook friends

37% send messages to friends every day

8% use Twitter

The digital natives share information, connect withnew friends, exchange ideas, look for jobs, do pro -

jects, do homework, play games, study, and shoponline.

They are the rst generation of children and teensgrowing up with social media as an integral part oftheir life. It is changing how they interact with peers,parents and how they use technology.

For parents this remains a problem and parents arealways looking for ways to limit the amount of timetheir teens spend engaging with others. For theyouth however this is simply their life and they donot understand why parents behave the way they

do. Parents cannot really change this global phe -nomenon, but it remains the responsibility of theparent to educate on the potential dangers thatcomes with social media and being connected withpeople around the globe.

The important thing to remember always is that so-cial media is a wonderful tool that has erased bor-ders, however, as with many things in life it is opento abuse by humans.

The good news is that society is becoming moreaware of the signs and are arming themselvesagainst possible online abuse.

This, combined with effective legislation, will hope-fully result in safe online experiences. Social mediawas after all developed with good intent in the rstplace.

89% ofrespondents

said thatsocial media

marketinghasgenerated

morebusiness

exposure.



Market IntelligenceParticipation in the global rankings initiative shows a countrys willingness to deploy broad-band and, in doing so, contribute to a countrys economic growth and social upliftment.

Economies around the globe are more competitive than ever before. Information and money ow morequickly than ever, mass communications and quick dissemination of information through the Internet is com-monplace. Globally companies are constantly looking for areas where they can invest, but one thing that isbecoming more critical than ever is abundant connectivity.

Globalisation is an economic tidal wave that is sweeping over the world. It cant be stopped, and there willbe winners and losers. One way to win the race is by showcasing your always-on, always-available capa -bilities. Companies want to know that their global of ces can connect to central servers fast and ef ciently.Employees need to update reports on servers elsewhere in the world. They need to communicate via videoconferencing with their peers in other parts of the world. These interactions and reports in turn are critical tothe organisation sustainability.

Poor in-country connectivity is therefore a major barrier to investment.

The Fibre Council Global Rankings is a platform for countries to showcase their connectivity. It is an independ -ent graph of their broadband capabilities, whether this is through private sector initiatives or effective policyand regulation instituted by government, removing obstacles for broadband deployment.

*Entry into the Global Rankings means a country has a minimum of 200 000 end user connections (Fibre to the Building).

WHY FIBRE?



This map embodies the massive scale of Africa, which is larger than theUSA, China, India, Japan, and all of Europe - combined!

Serving AfricaIt is imperative that governments across Africa truly come to termswith the bene ts of a connected society.

Africa has challenges. But there are ways of overcoming them and providingthe continent with connectivity is one of the best avenues of solving some ofits problems. Since most connectivity technologies relies on bre as part of its

architecture, it is important that bre networks receive singular consideration.Governments must break down the barriers to deployment. Already the sheersize of the continent is a big obstacle, and close co-operation between nationalgovernments and private sector is imperative to ensuring effective broadbandstrategies are delivered. Taking the message of the importance of bre to thecontinent requires a regional approach. FTTH Council Africa chapters include:

WEST AFRICANigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, Ivory Coast

EAST AFRICAEthiopia, Kenya Tanzania, Uganda and South Sudan

SADECNamibia, Zambia, Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and South AfricaParticipation at regional level is important as the environments are unique intheir requirements, and at a different stage of deployment. This area focus givesthe regional chapters a greater strength to adapt their activities to the particularmarket situation of their region.

COUNCILFTTHW E S T A F R I C A

COUNCILFTTH

E A S T A F R I C A

COUNCILFTTH

S A D E C

FTTH COUNCIL ACTIVITIES



Putting bre on the mapCreating a central repository for all bre in Sub Saharan Africa

Uptake is a critical component of achieving ROI. Buthow is the end user supposed to know where the

bre is?

Creating a bre map has multiple bene ts. Not onlywill it support operators to advertise their routesand stimulate uptake, it will also support govern-ment in identifying underserviced areas, and adjusttheir strategies to accommodate. It also limits du -plication and allows for better co-operation withinthe industry.

The intention of the FTTH Council Africa to developa single bre map that end users can access has ob -vious bene ts.

Across Africa governments have come to realise thatprivate sector will service the needs of business andareas where they can achieve a return on their in-vestment. However, in order to ensure ubiquitousaccess, governments realise that they need to focus

on under-serviced areas.

This is easier said than done. In an attempt to do soone has to be able to identify these areas. Howev -er, an aerial view of a fully populated bre map willeasily identify such areas.

For the private sector uptake is critical to ensure thatROIs are achieved and further investment in net-works can be made. The single biggest obstacle touptake is the lack of end user awareness of wherethe bre rings are located. Once again, a single mapshowing all the access bre networks will allow endusers to easily identify whether their business parkor street has a bre connection.

To support this further, the FTTH Council Africa hasdeveloped a logo Fibre Friendly Facility for useby all companies that have a bre connection to abuilding.

Aaah, simplicity! One site, all the connections.

The intention

of the FTTHCouncilAfrica to

develop asingle bre

map thatend users

can accesshas obvious

bene ts.




Fibre Friendly Facility The faster your broadband, the more you can do online, quicker. Pretty obvious stuff really!

So how fast is fast?

120Mb broadband makes light work of even theheftiest downloads:

A whole music album (60MB) in 6 seconds A TV show (350MB) in 30 seconds A high quality movie (1GB) in 1 minutes An HD movie (4GB) in 6 minutes

What can you do with it?When broadband comes to you via bre optic cablerather than regular copper telephone wires, it givesyou more bandwidth, so everyone can do theirthing online at the same time.

Say goodbye to buffering, forever!

Here are some of the other things you can do:

Download games and apps faster Upload photos to Facebook faster Skype friends and family around the world in high

quality

Access your cloud apps faster Download music and movies faster Turn your building into a smart building and re-

motely manage your life!

And if you are still not convinced get on the inter-net and see the bene ts bre has for the environ -ment over copper. No more mining! Ever!

Does your building have a bre connection? List iton our website now!

Whenbroadband

comes to you via bre optic

cable rather than regular

copper

telephone wires, it givesyou more

bandwidth,so everyonecan do their thing onlineat the same

time. Saygoodbye to

buffering, forever!

The future of telecommunication isbright (and green)An optical bre is a hair-thin, highly transparent strand of glass and since glass ismade of sand, it limits the need for copper mining.

Also, with no high-voltage electrical transmitters needed, bre can help saveyour provider and you money because bre optics uses light instead of electricity

in sending information. Just imagine the bene ts for electricity utilities.The FTTH Council Africa is a partner of ecospeci er*.*ecospeci er is an award winning knowledge base of environmentally friendly, ecospeci er veri ed andecospeci er global GreenTag Certi ed life cycle assessed eco and health preferable products, materialsand technologies for the built environment. ecospeci er provides information on how to design anddeliver buildings, interiors and surrounds using environmentally preferable products.



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Join Us In Jozi!Message from Richard Came, President of the FTTH Council Africa

It is with great pleasure that we invite you to join us at the third annual FTTH Council Africa Con-ference to be hosted on 28 and 29 October 2014 at Turbine Hall in the heart of Jozi.

The history of Turbine Hall, the last and largest of three steam-driven power stations built in Newtowndates back to 1927. I am sure that at the time this was a state of the art electricity station built to power

the City of Johannesburg.Some may know that the rst commercial demonstration of electricity, done by Cooke and Wheatstonein 1873, was a demonstration of the electrical telegraph. Indeed, the usage of electricity within telecom -munications was one of its earliest applications.

With the construction of the rst intercontinental, and then transatlantic, telegraph systems in the 1860s,electricity had enabled communications in minutes across the globe and here in South Africa the city ofPort Elizabeth opened the countrys rst telephone exchange in May 1882.

A watershed moment for the world, and life would never be the same. on the back of a few watts, theinformation age was birthed.

Fast forward to the early 1990s and the Internet reached critical mass and the adoption of technology

grew at an unprecedented rate in the following years. This brought about a rapid advancement of tech -nology in daily life, and the Information Age allowed global communications and networking to shapemodern society.

In the year 2000 the world generated 2 Exabytes of new data. That may seem impressive, but if youconsider that in 2011 the world generated 2 Exabytes of data EVERY DAY it fades in signi cance andpredictions are it will be 50 times that in the next 10 years.

This, to me, means we need to be prepared.

Technology adoption always relies on end user experience and QoS, and true cloud-based solutionsrequire an aggregate of critical infrastructure, one of the most important being fast and reliable connec-tivity and this is where end to end bre networks will remain the ultimate method of delivery.

The proliferation of bre optic networks will play a massive role in the adoption of cloud based tech -nologies which, in turn, will result in an explosion of data ooding organisations on a continuous basis.The intelligence in this data will provide businesses with relevant information that will change the waycompanies behave towards their clients, and this is just the beginning.

I believe this organisation has an important place to ll in the wider technology industry. It is our mainintention to close the gap between stakeholders and establish meaningful relationships with all vestedparties. This conference is where we will discuss opportunities and challenges, showcase where we areat and learn where we need to go and what needs doing differently.

The theme for 2014: Power to the Future!I look forward to seeing you at Turbine Hall a place where you cannot help but feel a bit humbled by

its presence and energy a clear reminder that the future does not wait for anyone. I would like to closewith a quote from Barack Obama, delivered to joint session of Congress on September 9, 2009. We didnot come to fear the future. We came to shape it.

May this be true for all of us.

It is our mainintention to

close thegap betweenstakeholders

and establishmeaningful

relationships with all vestedparties.




The theme: Power to the FutureThe rapid adoption of key technologies over thelast 40 years, including email, mobile phones andbusiness software, has meant the contribution ofinformation and communications technology to of-

ce worker productivity per hour is nearly ve times(480%) more than what it was in the 1970s.

As communication and information travels fasterand faster, the world seems smaller and smaller, andthis has large implications for the way we conductbusiness.

Storing important les on a computer rather than ina drawer has made information easily accessible formultiple people who need simultaneous access to it.E-mail allows businesses to communicate and send

information quickly to remote locations at any timeand in any place.

The internet has made a massive difference to theway we live and play. Today you do not have toleave your house to shop, you dont need to driveacross borders to visit family, you simply connectwith them over the internet.

In turn, companies are collecting information abouttheir clients which will help them understand thembetter, thereby offering best suited products for in-dividual requirements.

The FTTH Council believes Africa needs to invest inthe required infrastructure to ensure we stay com-petitive in the global market place.

The venue: Turbine Hall,NewtownThis year, the FTTH Council Africa is proud to hostits conference at Turbine Hall in Newtown, Johan-nesburg.

Turbine Hall started its life as Johannesburgs Jeppe

Street Power Station, the last and largest of threesteam-driven power stations built in Newtown tosupply power to the city. Constructed between1927 and 1934, it was further extended in 1934 tokeep up with the citys growing demand for elec-tricity. However demand outstripped supply and in1942 Orlando Power Station took over the supplyof electricity to Johannesburg. The plant was shutdown in 1961 but because of expansion in Johan-nesburgs Central Business District during the mid-60s Turbine Hall was re-equipped to be used as astandby and for peak loading periods. It continuedto function through the 70s.

Today, Turbine Hall is a world-class event venue thatcontinues to speak volumes in terms of its powerfulheritage. We look forward to hosting you in this ex -tremely impressive building.



Industry AwardsThe FTTH Council Africa is proud to announce the rst annual FTTH Council Africa IndustryAwards. Celebrate your excellence at the FTTH Council Africa Industry Awards - the bench-mark for outstanding performance throughout the industry.

The categories include:

INDIVIDUAL AWARDSLifetime Achievement AwardAs the most prestigious of all accolades, the aimof this award is to recognise contributions over thewhole of a career. This should be an industry ex -ecutive whose leadership has, over time, remainedsteadfast and resulted in notable success.

Industry Role modelThe winner will be an individual who has consistentlydemonstrated excellence in leadership, and will be aperson looked to by others as an example to be im-itated. This is the person that you would want as a

mentor. (*The size of the organisation is immaterial.)

The Judges AwardThis award honours an individual for his/her specialefforts to make bre happen in Africa. The winnerof this award could be a manager within an opera-tor company who made a clear decision on behalfof bre on an individual basis, or a person that hasgone out of their way to educate on the bene ts of

bre and thereby supporting an entire industry. Thiswill be a bre Ambassador that has demonstratedtenacity and a passion for the industry. The JudgesAward will recognise an Individual whose contribu-tion during the past 12 months deserves singularrecognition.

COMPANY AWARDSInfrastructure Innovation of the Year Awarded to an innovative new network deploymentthat has delivered measurable bene t for end usersin a speci c area. This should be a turn-key deploy -ment and should consider the project, constructioncoordination and complete installation, as well asoutline the bene ts to the end user.

Big Data Project of the Year Presented to organisations and its project teamswho have achieved exceptional results through theiroutstanding project implementation. It should out -line the solution and ultimate bene ts to the cus -tomer.

Best not for pro t project The Award will be given to an organisation to recog-nise commitment to corporate social responsibility(CSR) and reward good corporate citizenship, anda companys commitment to contribute generouslyto the upliftment and care of broader African soci-ety through technology. It should indicate how this

project has improved the quality of life of people inthe community.

Government Excellence AwardAn Individual/decision maker/politician/regulator or

department that created a positive environment forthe deployment of bre. The winner will be an ad -ministration/administrator that has removed obsta-cles to obtaining RoW approvals, or has put in placeeffective policy or systems to speed up the rate atwhich bre is being deployed.

Eligibility The Awards are open to all organisations in Sub Sa-haran Africa and may be members and non-mem-bers of the FTTH Council Africa.

Nomination/Selection Process

Nominations will be petitioned each year, up to thenominations deadline decided by the Awards Com-mittee.

The Chair of the Awards Committee will annuallyannounce the opening and closing deadlines.

The Chair and the Awards Committee will evaluateall submissions and select the winners.

The Chair will communicate the selections to theboard of directors and outline the selection processand criteria for adjudicating the winners.

The winners of the awards will be presented in aplenary session at the FTTH Conference on 29 Oc-tober 2014 in Johannesburg.

The winner of each category will receive an awardtrophy as well as a digital certi cate for use on com -pany collateral.

PresentationThe award will be presented at the annual FTTHCouncil Africa conference. Annually (as appropri -ate); no more than two awards will be given percategory.

Nominate your company now!Receiving industry awards enhances your repu-tation, generates sales growth, and boosts brandrecognition. Industry validation through awardsenhances the credibility of your business. (*Nom -inations are open to everyone and can be madeanonymously.)

Nominations must be made electronically, to:

The Chair: Awards Committee, FTTH Council Africa Mail: [email protected]

and must include the company name/name ofnominated individual, contact address, includingthe e-mail address (if known).

Each entry should provide a maximum 500-wordexplanation for how they meet the criteria, plus amaximum 250-word summary of why they believethey should win this award.




INSIDE THE FTTH COUNCIL AFRICAFTTH Council Board MembersRichard Came - PresidentRichard Came is an ICT entrepreneur who has been active in the South Africanand international market since the 1980s. Some of his more notable venturesinclude co-founding Dimension Data, Dark Fibre Africa and the Protocol and theArchway Venture Partner venture capital funds. He is the chairman of the Trade -bridge Group which supplies value added transaction switching solutions and is

an active investor in a number of other IT and telecommunications companies.

Juanita Clark - CEOWith almost 20 years experience in the telecommunications industry, JuanitaClark is the co-founder and Chief Executive Of cer of the FTTH Council Africa.Juanita is also co-founder of the Fibre Optic Association Africa, a society for breoptic professionals with a core focus on skills development.

Pieter Steenekamp - TreasurerPieter Steenekamp, founder and CEO of ClearlineIS, has more than 21 yearsexperience in working with large telecommunication providers and global enter-prise organisations. Prior to establishing ClearlineIS, Pieter acted as the GeneralManager for Dimension Datas Middle East and Africa Advanced Infrastructure

line of business. Pieter began his education in Electronic Engineering and hassince obtained a post-graduate quali cation in Business and Financial Manage -ment.

Tshego Ditshego - Board Member Tshego Ditshego is the Executive: Brand and Communication for Dark Fibre Afri -ca (DFA). Tshego has 20 years sales and marketing experience across a spectrumof industries including petroleum, retail, nancial services and ICT. His quali ca -tions comprises of a National Diploma in Marketing from CPUT, ManagementAdvancement Programme (MAP) from Wits and Executive Development Pro -gramme from Unisa. Previously, Tshego held senior positions at Standard Bank,Gallo Record Company, Smart Source Learning Solutions and Vodacom.

Johan Kleynhans - Board MemberJohan Kleynhans joined MCT Telecommunications, a full-turnkey bre optic net -work provider, in 2010 where serves as their CEO. Johan obtained his B.Eng(Electronics) Pr.Eng with Honours from the University of Pretoria in 1990 andcontinued with post graduate studies in Bio Medical Engineering and Telecom-munications. Johan has a strong engineering and telecommunications back -ground, gained from many years spent within the CSIR and Siemens.

Zellah Fuphe - Board Member Zellah Fuphe is the Executive for Strategic Relations in the Middle East and Africa(MEA) region for Dimension Data MEA. In addition, Zellah serves on the boardsof Plessey, AECI and Engen. She has served as a non-executive director on thea number of boards, including African Investment Holdings and UNISA School

of Business Leadership. Zellah holds a Bachelors degree in Social Sciences fromthe University of Cape Town.

Brandon Doyle - Board MemberAs CEO & Founding Partner, Brandon has run Convergence Partners since in-ception. Prior to that he spent 5 years with Nedbank where he was head ofInvestment Banking and an Executive Committee member at Nedbank Capital.Prior to joining Nedbank, Brandon was head of Corporate Finance and ProjectEquity Finance at FBC Fidelity for 3 years where he was involved in a number ofmilestone BEE transactions.

Al e Martin - Board Member Al e Martin has been involved in the Fibre-to-the-Premises Industry since 2004and is responsible for the design and implementation of an increasing numberof Passive Optical Networks in Southern Africa and surrounding islands. Consid -ered to be one of the pioneers of Fibre-to-the-Premises networks in South Afri-ca, Al e was responsible for the design and implementation of the countrys rstpre-standards Triple-Play network in 2005.


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ADVISORY COMMITTEES

TECHNICAL POLICY &REGULATORY OPERATORS

CIVILS & PLANNING

WORLD OFAPPLICATIONS

BEE(South Africa only)

MEMBERS

BOARD OF DIRECTORS, LED BY PRESIDENT CONTRACTED TEAM, LED

BY CEO Administration

Web/Social Media Bookkeeping Press Of ce

Events/Projects Research

Conference supported byconference team

FTTH Council Africa Organigram

Advisory CommitteesIn an attempt to accommodate the needs of a rapidly growingindustry body, the FTTH Council Africa board of Directors took acloser look at how to better serve the needs of its members.

Advisory Committees function to support the industry with topicalcontent. They are responsible for discussion speci c viewpoints ofthe organisation and deliver supporting documents on relevanttopics as required from time to time.

TECHNICAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE (Tech Committee) POLICY & REGULATORY ADVISORY COMMITTEE (P&R Committee) OPERATORS ADVISORY COMMITTEE (Ops Committee) CIVILS & PLANNING ADVISORY COMMITTEE (C&P Committee)

WORLD OF APPLICATIONS ADVISORY COMMITTEE (Apps Com-mittee)

PUBLIC SECTOR SMART CITIES COMMITTEE (Smart Committee)

BEE Committee (South Africa only)

Each Committee is managed by a Chair, with support from a ViceChair, elected by the members of the committee.

Member companies may participate in any committee they deemt.

For more information, please visit our website www.ftthcouncilaf -rica.com

INSIDE THE FTTH COUNCIL AFRICA


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Ftth Council Africa Annual Report 2014

Documents

Transcript of Ftth Council Africa Annual Report 2014