Geekery

Nevermind the soccer – bring on the technology

Posted on 19. Jan, 2010 by Jake in News

The arrival of the Soccer World Cup later this year is either going to be a massive boost to the economy and to national morale or a waste of resources that will only benefit the rich, depending on who you ask. But while you could argue that many of the stadiums that are being built will end up sitting empty, there is one legacy that 2010 will leave us that will have a positive effect on the lives of anyone with access to television and cellular phones – i.e. most South Africans. Both television and cellular technology will be significantly improved due to the World Cup.

According to a story on IOL, South Africa’s cellular infrastructure will be boosted heavily so that visitors from around the world will be able to communicate effectively during the World Cup. This means that new towers are being built and more fibre optic cables are being layed. And, the good news is that these developments will of course stay in place long after the tourists have gone home – meaning that the World Cup will leave us with far speedier and more reliable cellular communications.

On the television front, Fifa have brought in their own broadcasters, Host Broadcast Services (HBS) to handle television coverage of the World Cup. HBS will share expertise with SABC and M-Net that will speed-up our transition to HDTV – high definition television, a development that will provide us with a much higher resolution picture. This would entail a switch from analogue to digital broadcasting, and while this transition will take time, it will undoubtedly be sped up by the boost in resources and technology that the World Cup, and the presence of HBS, will bring.

So, when things start getting crowded and the tourists start pouring in take solace in the fact that, thanks to World Cup 2010, both our ability to communicate and entertain ourselves will improve!

Tags: cellular technology, Fifa, HBS, HDTV, World Cup 2010