NEWS
Limelight Networks opens
new Point-of-Presence in
South Africa
Oracle
prepares
young South
Africans for
employment in
ICT sector
A
total of 22 previously disadvantaged
(PDI) South African students have
kick started their career in the country’s
fast growing ICT industry following the
completion of the fourth edition of Oracle’s
Graduate Leadership Programme.
Lex Van Wyk, CEO
of Teraco
L
imelight Networks, a global leader in
digital content delivery, has announced
the opening of a new Point-of-Presence
(PoP) in South Africa. It is situated at
vendor neutral data centre Teraco,
alongside Africa’s largest Internet
Exchange (IXP), NAPAfrica Johannesburg.
Limelight’s expansion into Africa follows
positive signs of online traffic growth
within the continent. According to reports,
the global mobile Content Delivery
Network (CDN) market is predicted to
reach US$70.3 billion by 2025. This is
indicative of the continued growth of
online video content, increasing use of
Internet services and the rise of mobile
web access.
Lex Van Wyk, CEO of Teraco said: “CDNs
already host a large proportion of global
Internet traffic and it’s predicted that in
five years CDN traffic will exceed 70%
of total online traffic, making it the new
Internet. Limelight is a top global CDN
and we are excited to see the impact of
their investment into Africa.”
10
INTELLIGENTCIO
Teraco’s facilities offer a diverse
interconnection hub and the company
is focused on local Internet growth and
expansion via NAPAfrica Johannesburg,
providing a platform for Limelight to
deliver fast, high-quality and scalable
online traffic to countries across sub-
Saharan Africa for its local and
global customers.
“Movies, music and sports are the
foundation of digital content for
most countries and South Africa is no
different,” said Simon Beech, Head of
EMEA Partnerships at Limelight Networks.
“The decision to address the African
market with further infrastructure
investment is directly related to the
rapidly growing demand for CDN
services and capabilities locally. As
connectivity improves, it i s essential
to provide the highest quality online
experiences to stay competitive. We look
forward to bringing a range of exciting
new services to the region through local
sales partnerships.”
“Attracting and retaining candidates with
requisite ICT skills is an on-going industry
wide challenge; the ICT skills shortage
continues to constrain the country’s
capability to increase economic growth and
job creation,” said Stefan Diedericks, Alliance
and Channel Director, Oracle South Africa.
“It is through programmes and initiatives
such as this that we are able to address the
growing skills gap within the local market.”
“In his 2018 State of the Nation address,
president Cyril Ramaphosa said South
Africa’s prosperity as a nation depends on
the country’s ability to take full advantage
of rapid technological change and that
capabilities in the areas of science,
technology and innovation should be
developed as a matter of urgency.
“In line with government’s objective to
drive skills development and create job
opportunities, the Oracle Graduate Leadership
Programme focuses on PDI students who
have fully or partially completed a university
degree. Spread over a period of one year, the
programme is based on a blended learning
approach, combining classroom training with
e-learning and structured on-the-job training.
Oracle South Africa sponsors the full cost of
training for all programme participants.”
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