Sunday Times E-Edition

UIGC GETS THE PUBLIC CONNECTED

By RYLAND FISHER

A private company started by the University of Venda about 13 years ago has been steadily adding to the university’s revenue, and is set to increase its contributions significantly over the next few years as it branches out into providing fibre and mobile connectivity.

The University of Venda Innovative Growth Company (UIGC) is wholly owned by the university and has contributed about R100-million a year towards the university’s revenue and has grown into a group of companies with a holding company, says the Group CEO, Dr John Mudau.

But with the launch of UIGC Connect, formed to operate in the technology space providing fibre and mobile connectivity, projections are that UIGC Connect will add more than R700-million to the university’s revenue in the first years of operation, with this amount steadily increasing over the next few years.

Mudau explains that UIGC Connect is an internet service provider. “We build, operate, and maintain our own internet infrastructure within the Vhembe District Municipality,” says

Mudau. This is a fourth industrial revolution brand operating in the Limpopo Province, with two licences granted by ICASA:

• Class Electronic Communications

Network Services Licence (No: 1743/ CECNS/NOV/ 2020).

• Class Electronic Communications Service

Licence (No 1743/ CECS/ NOV/ 2020). These two licences Mudau explains, allow UIGC

to build network infrastructure and provide data to the public. He adds that the university wants to ensure that its students, particularly those who are in private residences, have stable internet connectivity. “The university has also been granted wayleaves by both Thulamela and Collins Chabane municipalities. These wayleaves allowed the university through UIGC Connect to build network infrastructure in those areas.” Right now, UIGC Connect is the only company that can set up fibre in the district allowing them to provide Wi-Fi to the public.

UIGC Connect operates in phases. Phase one was geared to benefit 42 university-accredited private accommodation spots. Phase two will then cater for the public.

“We already have more than 4 000 subscribers in Thulamela. While our target was to connect the university community, then the entire Vhembe community, our ultimate goal is to eventually offer our services to the entire country.

“UIGC Connect will provide many employment programmes, one of which will train artisans or technicians in the IT space, they will assist us to ensure that the platform runs properly. We are going to appoint more than 20 technicians.

“We are also in the process of building fibre networks. To date we have already appointed about 70 people to undertake temporary work building the fibre network within the Thulamela municipality. We are also going to public stores and facilities where our products, including branded UIGC Connect SIM cards, will be sold enabling people to make calls even at the furthest end of the district.

“From there, we want to establish four stores, one in each local municipality. For us this is a good thing because this is where our contribution towards job creation, particularly sustainable jobs, will be realised. We envision that UIGC will create about 200 sustainable jobs.”

PLAYING WITH THE BIG BOYS

“It is quite exciting to think that a company owned by the university is now participating with the giants in the telecom space. We already have an advantage in that we have locked in the market within the Vhembe district, where we are the service provider of choice in terms of building fibre networks and ensuring that there is proper connectivity,” Mudau explains.

“Some of those big companies have already approached us to partner with them, particularly because we are an ISP. Some of these companies are keen to use our fibre network.

“We are excited about this because we think it will change the face of internet in the area as it is going to assist the local municipalities to morph into smart cities.

“Our control room, our operating centre in Thohoyandou, has state-of-art equipment to do what we envision for the province. We are very confident that in about 24 months, Thulamela municipality will become a smart city, all because of UIGC Connect. We are excited about this. We think the nation has to know that amazing things are happening in rural areas.”

Mudau says that they project that the

Wi-Fi for the students and the community will bring in almost R700-million in the first five years. “In the next five years, we will be sitting at R3.5-billion revenue, this is based on our calculations for providing Wi-Fi and connectivity throughout the Republic.

“UIGC Connect will provide the biggest revenue the company has ever realised in the past 12 years.

Univen Innovative Growth Company

en-za

2022-06-26T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-06-26T07:00:00.0000000Z

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