BT unveils African leg of network
BRITISH Telecoms (BT) yesterday launched the first African centre for its Global Media Network in Johannesburg.
The network is based on an international terrestrial undersea fibre-optic cable network that connects major video and film production hubs around the world.
Martin Springer, business manager for new media at the British-based telecommunications multinational, said: “Growth in the SA media market has accelerated significantly following the allocation of four new pay-TV licenses.
“SA’s extension of GMN will allow those licensees efficient access to the entire global ecosystem of content and will facilitate alternative revenue models such as IPTV, Mobile TV and HD cost effectively.
“GMN’s high speed and global reach will help the local post-production market to win more international contracts.”
The network is scheduled to go live in January next year. The motivation behind the network is that 80 percent of media content production is done in 15 major cities around the world, including SA and Nigerian cities in Africa.
The network will enable consumers to access and store their favourite TV series directly from the producers, rather than having to buy DVDs from online retailers at expensive delivery rates.
Tshepo Tsele, the managing director of Paperless IT Consulting Services, said: “Satellite is very expensive and if infrastructure is there, it [GMN] will be a good idea, but at the moment it’s not everyone who will be able to make full use of it, just the broadcasters. ”
A broadcast industry executive said there were benefits and constraints to the new network.
“In SA the main issues will be access to fibre, speed and unlimited bandwidth. For now it’s not viable, but in the long term it’s a great concept.”
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