Telkom’s university centres promote research

Mail & Guardian reporter

Telkom has set up Centres of excellence at tertiary institutions to promote postgraduate research in communication technology and allied social sciences, and to provide facilities for young scientists and engineers.

The programme, launched in 1997, is a partnership between Telkom, the private sector and the Department of Trade and Industry.

Thami Msimango, Telkom's managing executive for network infrastructure provisioning, says, "The Centres of Excellence have built substantial local telecommunications and IT competence. They have also realised a cumulative investment of about R175 million in telecommunications research."

Fifteen centres are located at tertiary institutions around the country. This year some 350 students are conducting postgraduate telecommunications research, while 73 students receive support from Telkom to conduct full-time research.

Each centre has a unique research focus area. They range from multimedia to broadband networks, Internet protocol and modelling optical communication.

"In addition to developing skills in science, engineering and technology, the centres promote partnerships between historically disadvantaged and advantaged institutions," says Msimango. "This approach provides for the transfer of skills and the upliftment of previously disadvantaged institutions."

An example is the partnership between Rhodes University and the University of Fort Hare. The Rhodes Centre of Excellence, launched in March 1997, helped build capacity at Fort Hare. This proved so successfu1 that an independent Centre of Excellence was established at the University of Fort Hare in November 2002.

This year the Rhodes centre comprises five PhD students, 14 masters students and 22 honours students. Core studies include the communication needs of interactive multimedia applications, delivery across heterogeneous networks, and the requirements of education, entertainment and virtual reality.

"The centre's projects are intended to deliver high-quality manpower, specific research and prototype software products of interest to industry partners," says Msimango.

One of the projects, developed by Professor Peter Wentworth and his student group, allows control of a computer from behind a sheet of safety glass. The system is being tested in areas where street children and emerging entrepreneurs can use it for accessing information.

A high-profile website featuring novel bandwidth adaptation has been designed in collaboration with the Rhodes department of journalism to celebrate the 10th anniversary of democracy in South Africa.

A range of outreach activities is undertaken by members of the Rhodes centre to promote public awareness of technology in local communities. They are involved in supporting IT and network infrastructures at previously disadvantaged schools in the Grahamstown area.

The centre has been directly involved with Nathanial Nyaluza High School and Nombulelo Senior Secondary School for almost four years, and with the Good Shepherd School and George Dickerson School for the past year.

It plans to provide similar support to a general multi-purpose centre in the Grahamstown township that will support adult learning and emerging entrepreneurs.