Cape Town -- As South Africans await election results, technology is playing a critical role in ensuring accurate results. The technical support provided by Telkom to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has been paramount. The IEC has a responsibility to capture data in high-density metropolitan areas as well as remote rural areas which require improved technology services. Telkom has provided the voice and data network backbone for the IEC, to allow for the collation and reporting of votes across the country.
“The people of South Africa are dependent on our connectivity to make their votes count. It all boils down to the technologies we deploy to service the electorate and the IEC, regardless of where voting is taking place,” says managing executive of Converged Communications at Telkom-owned BCX, Prashil Gareeb.
“Telkom has been helping to bring democracy to the people since our first democratic elections in 1994. In that time, we have helped to facilitate six national elections and five municipal polls. We have come a long way over this time,” says Gareeb.
This means using a wide range of technologies – from legacy copper connections to 60 satellites, high speed fibre lines and the latest in Wi-Fi tech.
These will include: Telkom’s fixed copper-line network, broadband wireless, Telkom’s fibre network, satellite communications and GSM technology.
In addition to this, Telkom has for the first time deployed the latest generation of W-LAN technology, WiFi 6, in support of the polls.
In communicating with media entities Neo Phukubje, executive for channel and business development at BCX Wireless, a subsidiary of Telkom, says this matrix of capabilities will guarantee that results are tabulated reliably, and data remains safe and secure.
IOL Tech