How remarkable is the internet? It has transformed our engagement and interaction with one another and society. There are challenges, yes, but that is not surprising given the disparities in our world. Clearly visible in our own country.

Connectivity is the cold face of engagement and in South Africa there are many initiatives at work to improve it. I recently learned of such a plan when Graeme Schippers spoke to me about Vodacom’s plans to connect taxi commuters through a Wi-Fi network.

The project is in the pilot phase but will be extending to all provinces including the Western Cape.

I am thankful to Graeme for highlighting this plan – but would it not be miraculous if Government also steps up and completes South Africa’s digital migration? Which has been in the pipeline since 2008!

Putting Wi-Fi in taxis

This plan is coming alive through collaborative efforts. Once again highlighting that as the world rapidly changes, it demands us to improve our partnerships with one another. Failure to do so will further exacerbate the social ills of the Twentieth Century – which many are working to change.

Graeme explains during our conversation that they are targeting the new Quantum vans and the retrofitted taxis. The reason is that both have the necessary infrastructure for connectivity.

Imagine value chain of content and opportunities that will unleash.  There are benefits for content providers, commuters can access content, and use the connectivity for a range of applications. It’s encouraging to see that commuters are acknowledged. It is a ‘market’ that simply cannot be ignored. Moreover, broadly speaking, it also makes in-roads in narrowing the digital divide.

The taxi industry responded positively to the plan, welcoming the opportunity to further enhance the passenger experience. It must be noted that this is not the first of it’s kind. For example, Old Mutual started a similar project last year, and in 2014 Santaco started installing Wi-FI in taxi’s.