Department of Communications plans to have internet to all by 2030

The Department of Communications and Digital Technologies has announced a plan to equip the entire country with internet access by the year 2030.

This, as G20 Digital Economy Working Group meeting continues in Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape.

Today’s discussion was around providing the necessary infrastructure for digital inclusion that would enable other sectors of government to effectively deliver on their service delivery mandates.

Deputy Director General for International Relations, Ali Mashishi says around 18 million people in the country still do not have internet access.

“For us to be able to move forward, we need to make sure that everybody is in this space of digital coverage, so the challenge is that when sometimes these big countries are here, we think that they don’t have the same challenges that we have but actually we have the same challenges. It’s just the magnitude of the challenges that differ in size. So, we sit here and we ask ourselves what is it that requires to close that gap, is it about financing? Or is it about just us making sure that devices that are needed to be there, have to be there.”