PODCAST | Liquid pushes public broadband access with Western Cape

Liquid SA’s fibre expansion, in partnership with provincial authorities, is the focus of this edition of Business Day Spotlight. 

Host Mudiwa Gavaza is joined by Deon Geyser, CEO of Liquid Intelligent Technologies SA (Liquid SA).

Liquid SA and the Western Cape government have renewed their partnership to continue expanding connectivity in the province. 

The project will see an investment of more than R2bn over the next seven years through free public Wi-Fi hotspots. The public Wi-Fi network, already available in more than 26 municipalities at 1,600 locations, provides 6GB of data per device per month at speeds of up to 20 megabits per second (Mbps).

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Liquid’s part in the venture is providing the broadband infrastructure, mainly fibre, allowing internet service providers to then add the layer to which the public connects. 

Geyser, reaffirming the company’s commitment to its vision of leaving no South African behind, says: “Since the onset of our partnership, Liquid SA has established 1,600 free public Wi-Fi hotspots and more than 2,000 sites that include schools, hospitals, clinics and libraries used by almost 4-million citizens in the province.”

According to the 2023 general household survey by Stats SA, at 88.1%, the Western Cape already has the highest internet access rate in the country. 

Liquid hopes to push this up even further through this partnership.

Geyser explains that the Western Cape project is similar to one that the company is involved with in the Eastern Cape. He uses that project to explain the mechanics of Liquid’s involvement and the processes behind the scenes. 

Throughout the discussion, Geyser outlines the importance of public-private partnerships (PPPs); the Western Cape broadband access project; parallels with a similar project in the Eastern Cape; investment in broadband infrastructure; and ways in which the digital divide can be reduced. 

Business Day Spotlight is a MultimediaLIVE Production. 

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