Altron Nexus has appointed Telcolink as a project house on the Gauteng Broadband Network (GBN) initiative.
The appointment reflects the ongoing commitment of Telcolink over the past two years in working with Altron to ensure pupils from disadvantaged communities are connected to the internet. The broadband network is a step towards bridging the digital divide and providing greater accessibility to government services, allowing provincial government to implement smart provincial initiatives and facilitate projects such as e-learning, e-government and e-health, amongst others.
“Being recognised as a project house is testament to our relentless pursuit to empower learners in Gauteng with the much-needed access they need to equip themselves with the skills required for a digital future. We are proud of this recognition and looking forward to working even closer with Altron as we deliver high-speed, reliable internet access to schools in the province,” says Cecil Mashawana, director at Telcolink.
The appointment will see Telcolink managing and assisting SMMEs in the West-Rand who form part of the Altron network as more schools in townships across the province go online.
Since the launch of the GBN in 2014, more than 1 500km of fibre has been rolled out linking eight core nodes in Gauteng. Additionally, more than 1 181 sites have been connected as the Gauteng Provincial Government remains focused on implementing smart provincial initiatives and facilitating ancillary projects such as e-learning, e-government, and e-health, amongst others.
Established in 2013, Telcolink is a 100% black-owned telecommunications and consulting company with an AA Empowerdex rating. Its focus has been on providing customised solutions and services that assist both private and public sector organisations deliver on their business objectives.
“Given global events and the resultant lockdown conditions in South Africa and many other countries, it has become clear that being connected remains paramount to success in the new normal. Reliable infrastructure is fundamental in this regard with the quality of access crucial to the success of any business. The GBN initiative forms an integral part of this as it seeks to help learners bridge the digital divide and access the resources they would not ordinarily have had access to,” adds Mashawana.
Telcolink has also been working with pan-African investment company Afribiz and the Collen Mashawana Foundation to build and renovate houses.
Together, the three organisations have been involved in a myriad of projects. One of these involved building a house for a former SANDF member in Limpopo who, at the time, was left stranded without a roof over his head. In another case, we worked to renovate a house for a beneficiary in Mamelodi after it had become unsafe to live in.