Early last year I was invited by friends to visit the United States in December 2001 on holiday. After much stupid procrastination the time came for me to purchase my foreign exchange. It cost me nearly 14 beleaguered rands to purchase 1 US dollar. At the best of times New York City is expensive - even to the average American. As a foreigner I found paying $50 (nearly R700) to enter a dance-club frightening and $5 (R70) for a glass of Coke once inside the club just a tad over-the-top (note the un-moderated sarcasm).
Despite these costs, the geek in me is always impressed by the staggering speed of Internet access in the USA. The average home user has either a cable connection or a DSL connection allowing download speeds in excess of 1 Mb/sec at a fraction of the cost of an equivalent connection in South Africa.
The good news is that Telkom SA is planning to release ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) technology to the South African market before the end of the first quarter of 2002. However, to-date Telkom has been very hesitant to release details on how the technology is being locally implemented. Rumours are rife about the potential options and pricing that are going to be introduced.
Telkom media relations manager, Ed Tillet, had the following to say after I unrepentantly badgered him for some news, "I have been informed of a definite first quarter announcement. Although one understands the reasons behind the heightened interest in DSL, particularly given its bandwidth speed benefits, I know that product management have been very careful not to succumb to public pressure to launch the product publicly before it has been thoroughly tested and re-tested."
"This (the testing) is time-consuming and requires patience all round but ultimately is best for all concerned. Releasing a product to the market prematurely, and then encountering previously undetected technology problems, robs the product of its credibility and ultimately is self-defeating," Tillet concluded.
Whilst I fully appreciate a cautious approach, I am not sure why Telkom deems it necessary to 'test and re-test' technology that has already been proven in many other countries around the world. I also hope that Telkom will be able to offer a service that is price-comparable with other developing countries where DSL provides a very affordable (emphasis on affordable), high-speed connection for not only Joe Public but also business. That said, I wait in eager anticipation of the DSL announcement!
Our fieldbus and industrial networking feature this month highlights the convergence of our traditional control technologies and the IT world. At the recent launch of its African operation, AspenTech technology guru Don Clark honed in on the importance of 'optimising the value chain' on the manufacturing process.
"The control room and technical staff are no longer discussing the physical parameters of the process, eg temperature, pressure, flow etc," Clark commented. "They are now discussing the costs involved in the process, the profitability of the plant, and what can be done to make the operation more efficient. We are seeing a major change in the focus of our operations."
Our instrument engineers and technicians are no longer required to 'simply' understand the processes and equipment comprising the plant. They increasingly need to understand the flow of information from the manufacturing process to the sales and financial offices of the company. This requires an increased understanding of business principles and of the IT and e-commerce technologies that link the various divisions of the company. I anticipate that the future will see an increasing number of engineering graduates and diplomats enrolling in the various business schools offering MBA type programs.
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Graeme Bell
Editor, SA Instrumentation & Control
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