2011 will be a memorable year for the Siyakhula Living Lab. Through the support of Saab South Africa and its subsidiary Saab Grintek Technologies, the Siyakhula Living Lab is embarking on a major and exciting expansion of its telecommunications network infrastructure within the rural Mbashe Municipality of the Eastern Cape.This expansion includes the addition of a mobile WiMAX basestation and a redundant backhaul VSAT connection to the already existing fixed WiMAX/WiFi/VSAT network.

From 2006 to 2010, the Siyakhula Living Lab established five Digital Access Nodes for community access at Mpume JSS, Ngwane JSS, Mtokwane JSS, Nondobo JSS and Nqabara SSS, in the vicinity of the Dwesa Nature Reserve. The expansion in 2011 will see the addition of eleven DANs to the wireless broadband island, at the schools Ntubeni JSS, Ngqeza JSS, Lurwayizo SSS, Lurwayizo JSS, Ngoma JSS, Badi SSS, Mevana JSS, Kunene SPS, Hlabizulu JSS, Nquba SSS and Zwelidumile JSS (the last is located 9km from Willowvale town). Preparations are underway to ensure the launch the new, extended Siyakhula Living Lab network in mid 2012. Article by Sibukele Gumbo