The overall aim of ngo.za is to meet the SA NGO sector"s connectivity, hardware and e-business infrastructure requirements, and as a result, transform the ICT usage, capacity and infrastructure levels of the sector. In view of the fast-changing nature of ICT products and services, and the growing ICT awareness and requirements of the local NGO sector, SANGONeT conceptualized this new initiative aimed at providing the NGO sector with a wide range of affordable ICT solutions.

SANGONeT has been at the forefront of providing ICT services to the SA NGO sector since its inception in 1987. It is still one of very few NGOs in Africa involved in the ICT field, and continues to serve civil society with a wide range of ICT products and services. Icoza is said to be SA"s first independently empowered Tier 1 ISP. It aims to offer a complete range of Internet and value-added services to support clients" connectivity and e-business infrastructure in a close collaboration between the J&J Group and IS. The collective experience and expertise of SANGONeT and Icoza will result in the provision of an extensive range of relevant and affordable ICT services through ngo.za to the NGO sector throughout the country.

The following range of services will be offered through ngo.za: - Connectivity - lease line, ADSL, ISDN and dial-up with free 24/7/365 telephonic technical support, virus protection and spam filtering; - Hardware: a full range of computer hardware solutions; - Outlook SMS: e-mail to SMS messaging enabling cost-effective communication; - Hosting: a comprehensive Web hosting service on dedicated servers; - Vax/Fax Solutions: save on the cost of a fax machine and paper by sending and receiving faxes using e-mail.

This range of services will be expanded during the next few months in line with the ICT needs and requirements of the NGO sector and new developments in the ICT field, the company says.

Visit http://www.ngo.za for more information on the new ngo.za initiative and services (the site will be live from Thursday).