The annual iWeek Internet industry conference and exhibition kicked off yesterday (26 August) live at Joburg’s landmark Indaba Hotel and Conference Centre and via streaming video in Soweto.
iWeek represents an opportunity for the Internet Service Providers’ Association (ISPA) to get closer to its members.
This year, grassroots ICT advocacy organisation YEM Online Media is helping ISPA reach a new audience of young Sowetans interested in ICT. With ISPA’s support, YEM Online Media and YEM Online Radio have set up a remote iWeek hub at the Jabavu Centre in Soweto.
According to Sithembiso Xhakaza, project manager of YEM Online Media, partnerships like the one that kicked off today are key to helping communities get to grips with the Fourth Industrial Revolution that will be key to their upliftment.
“Making iWeek accessible via a venue like the Jabavu Centre in Soweto helps young people identify the main players in the ICT sector. Putting names to organisations and individuals helps develop their interest in technology and what it can do for their communities,” says Xhakaza.
iWeek will run until tomorrow (28 August). “We have a great programme focussing on practical issues for South African ISPs — dealing with pressures to police content, developing staff skills, and surviving in a rapidly evolving and highly competitive access market. We are thrilled young South Africans will have better access to this content through our partnership with YEM,” says ISPA chair Graham Beneke.
Other topics up for discussion include the ICT industry skills shortage, running an effective abuse reporting system, making the most of SETA registration, a guide to take-down notices, responding to requests from law enforcement agencies, putting security incident reports to good use, an update on cybersecurity legislation, the enforcement of open access models and how the market has changed since VANS licensing.
Knowledge and learning always take centre stage at iWeek. All manner of topics will be presented, from Adrian Tiplady speaking about the Square Kilometre Array to Google’s Yolanda Mlozi participating in a panel discussion with South Africa’s leading telecoms regulatory experts.