South Africa’s long-awaited National Broadband Policy would be delivered by the end of November, Communications Minister Yunus Carrim said on Monday. Speaking at the sixteenth Southern Africa Telecommunications Networks and Applications Conference, or Satnac, in Stellenbosch, he said that the nation’s broadband policy had seen too many delays and that it was time to progress the document. Winde announces pilot sites for WC broadband roll-out DoC to table final broadband policy next month DoC calls for broadband policy comments Following the tweaking and shortening of a document that the Minister found to be “depressing” and “too long”, the document was set to be finalised by the Department of Communications (DoC) in ten days, after which it would be tabled with the relevant government departments and the committee responsible for overseeing the implementation of Strategic Integrated Project 15 of the National Infrastructure Plan. By November, the document would be delivered, Carrim averred, adding that he could be held accountable for its progression. The DoC last year initiated the development of the National Broadband Policy as part of its move to transform the country’s information and communication technology’s (ICT’s) inadequate policies in an effort to fast-track South Africa’s broadband backbone and access infrastructure, particularly within rural and underserved areas, and meet the country’s vision of broadband for all by 2020. The DoC’s earlier draft broadband policy, which was intended to facilitate growth, did not adequately deal with a number of challenges including market structure and the regulatory environment. A review of the policies and regulations governing the ICT landscape had shown that South Africa had limited ICT infrastructure, with low-to-average broadband speed capabilities and low broadband penetration, limited ICT skills and limited granting of new ICT licences. Carrim pointed to insufficient collaboration between government and industry as part of the reason for the failures of the regulatory frameworks, adding that, working together, the country could sustainably progress its aims. The revised broadband policy deals with the complete value chain of broadband roll-out, including attracting related investment in broadband infrastructure; enterprise development; local end-user equipment manufacturing; research and development; and reducing the cost of broadband roll-out through the creation of a single point of entry for regulatory approvals. The period for public comment on the proposed broadband policy closed in early May. The DoC expected to table the green paper for the National Integrated ICT Policy within the next two-and-a-half months, with a white paper published by year-end. Carrim also promised to finalise, by March, the long-awaited spectrum policy, which would enable the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa to license the much sought-after 2.6 GHz and 800 MHz band spectrum, which would, in turn, increase network capacity, improve coverage and promote competition.
Posted on: Thu, 26 Sep 2013 07:52:16 +0000