PROMISES of jobs are unrealistic in the face of technology progressively replacing humans, FibreCo chairman Andile Ngcaba said yesterday.
Speaking at the East London Industrial Development Zone, Ngcaba said promises of jobs were based on a tunnel vision of a bygone industrial era.
Ngcaba was in East London to launch a fibre optic training programme to produce technicians able to install and repair optic fibre at a local level.
FACE FACTS: East London-born Dr Andile Ngcaba, chairman of FibreCo speaks at the fibre optic training launch at the IDZ Picture: STEPHANIE LLOYD
He said this would prepare young people for business opportunities in the sector.
Ngcaba said many jobs in manufacturing and ICT continued to be replaced by robots and other forms of technology, warning the youth to shift away from the mindset of being job-seekers.
Optic fibre technology is set to revolutionise data transfer and telephone communication and reduce costs. In comparison to two large copper cables to connect one house, 500-million users can connect on one pair of optic fibres, each the width of a hair, Ngcaba explained.
Ngcaba, who was born and grew up in Duncan Village, is a trailblazer in the ICT sector and is also executive chairman of Dimension Data Middle East and Africa division.
Since 2012 FibreCo has been on a drive to connect East London to cities such as Johannesburg and Bloemfontein through optic fibre.
According to the company’s website its 12000km optic fibre project is worth R5-billion.
A total of 2400km of the network is already live, interconnecting Johannesburg, Bloemfontein, East London and Cape Town in the first 5000km phase.
He said opportunities for trainees would come from telecommunications companies such as Cell C, Telkom, Vodacom and MTN.
“We install optic fibre networks between cities. To connect to each house or building we need to use partners. If each room and each desk in a building has to be connected with fibre, they will be able to do that installation. Whether it’s a high storey building or an ordinary room, people want connectivity because data is very expensive.”
At least 200 technicians around the country have been or are to be trained to gain the internationally recognised certification offered by FibreCo.
FibreCo secured BT, Cell C and Internet Solutions as the first three key anchor tenants on its network.
MTN is the first operator to light up new capacity on FibreCo’s network between Johannesburg and East London. FibreCo’s investment in this first link is over R700-million. — siyam@dispatch.co.za
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