MTN signs an agreement with Bloodhound SSC to create land speed record and inspire future generation to take up careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Johannesburg, 08 June 2012 – MTN today affirmed its commitment to supporting initiatives that seek to improve the quality of education in South Africa. The leading telecommunications operator officially signed an agreement with Bloodhound SSC to be the telecommunications sponsor for the Bloodhound Engineering Adventure that was created to inspire the youth to take up careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
The BLOODHOUND Project is a three-year mission led by Project Director, Richard Noble, to create a land speed record car capable of achieving 1000mph / 1600km/h. The primary goal of the project is to inspire future generations to take up careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics by showcasing these subjects in the most exciting way possible.
Pictured above: Richard Noble and Kanagaratnam Lambotharan at the Bloodhound launch
The Northern Cape provincial government, the Premier and the province’s tourism department are already actively involved. The project has already created 300 jobs for the people of the Northern Cape.
“As an innovative technology company, it was only natural that MTN partner with Bloodhound SSC on this engineering adventure to empower young minds with the knowledge and skills to lead in this space,” said Kanagaratnam Lambotharan, Chief Technology Officer at MTN SA. “The project will enable MTN to showcase its world-class network infrastructure and skilled manpower which will support Bloodhound SSC to realise this fantastic milestone.”
MTN SA will provide voice and data connectivity for the Bloodhound crew and enable the downloading of on-car data and HD streaming video as well as high speed data backhaul to a Fibre Point of Presence in Upington, Northern Cape, so that it is uploaded on the World Wide Web in real time. This will allow the Bloodhound SSC crew to complete the record breaking as prescribed in international rules.
“BLOODHOUND SSC will also be the catalyst for a raft of cutting-edge research in fields such as aerodynamics, computational fluid dynamics, materials technology, composite manufacturing and sustainable high-tech engineering,” explained Richard Noble. “Designing, building and running BLOODHOUND SSC will be a unique engineering adventure, one that will be shared with the public every step of the way. We are proud that youth in South African will have the opportunity to learn and be empowered by the project just like their counterparts in the United Kingdom.”
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