South Africans should brace themselves for what could be the biggest satellite launch across the African continent. This is according to Dr Andile Ngcaba, the Executive Chairman of Dimension Data SA, who regards the project as his pride and joy.
South Africans should brace themselves for what could be the biggest satellite launch across the African continent. This is according to Dr Andile Ngcaba, the Executive Chairman of Dimension Data SA, who regards the project as his pride and joy.
“New Dawn Satellite will be launched in January 2011 and it will provide voice communication, wireless backhaul, internet connectivity and broadcast media application,” he said.
The satellite, which weighs three tons and cost $250-million (R1.8-billion) will be situated 36 000km above
the equator and will rotate at the same speed as the earth.
Currently there are two satellites that are servicing the country but none are as big as New Dawn. Ngcaba is no stranger to the Information Communication Technology (ICT) industry as he has over 30 years behind him in the business.
His love for Information Technology (IT) began when he was young and used to visit his father who worked at the post office.
“In those days, the post office was responsible for installing your home telephone and that is where my love for technology and electronics was sparked,” he said.
His passion for electronics is insatiable. “I read a book about computers like people would read a novel, that is how passionate I am about technology,” said Ngcaba.
Although he has contributed significantly to the shaping of the ICT landscape in South Africa, Ngcaba said that he is not satisfied with what he has achieved thus far in his career.
“My wish is for every young person to have access to all the social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, he said.
“I will be satisfied when people who live in rural and urban areas have access to the same information.” Ngcaba has taken the first step in ensuring that he achieves this objective by promoting the importance of new media through his schoolbased projects.
One of those initiatives involves tele-learning where a teacher conducts a lesson which can be viewed by other learners at other schools.
He believes that the future of online media is very bright which is one of the reasons that his company, Convergence Partners, has awarded scholarships to three Rhodes students at the Journalism school. “For now, the focus will be on awarding scholarships but we will see how the future goes,” he said.
