Hi rpm,
You could point out that some of the goals of the Telecommunications Act were:
"The primary object of this Act is to provide for the regulation and control of telecommunication matters in the public interest, and for that purpose to-
a) promote the universal and affordable provision of telecommunication services;
b) promote the provision of a wide range of telecommunication services in the interest of the economic growth and development of the Republic;
f) promote the development of telecommunication services which are responsive to the needs of users and consumers;
m) protect the interests of telecommunications users and consumers;
o) promote small, medium and micro-enterprises within the telecommunications industry."
This is the direct wording of the 1996 Telecoms Act, available at:
http://www.polity.org.za/html/govdocs/legislation/1996/act96-103.html.
You could point out how the huge price of broadband connections is negating these objectives.
Here are a few direct quotes from the LINK centre (at Wits university) from their 2004 ICT Sector Performance Review:
"South Africa’s “e-preparedness” is still lagging behind many other lower-middle-income
countries, with the number of South African broadband subscribers in 2004 -- specifically ADSL – lagging far behind countries at similar stages of economic development, e.g. Argentina, Mexico and Chile. At the beginning of 2004, South Africa’s broadband penetration as a percentage of residential lines sat at 0,008%, significantly behind the average of 1,96% in other comparable countries in the lower-middle-income index. The continued decline of residential lines during 2004 and the jump in ADSL subscriptions in anticipation of the February 2005 liberalisation will adjust this figure upwards, but unless there is a quantum leap in the number of broadband connections South Africa will continue to lag significantly behind global broadband trends."
"In comparison to other lower-middle-income countries, South Africa does not have a
broadband market to speak of. Lack of competition and Telkom’s fear of cannibalising its ISDN service offerings has made the incumbent slow to introduce vital new technologies. ADSL was only introduced in anticipation of competition in 2002, though it is understood to have been deployable by Telkom well before then. With just over 36 000 Telkom ADSL customers signed up since 2002, compared to an average of just under 3 million in other middle-income countries, South Africa performs poorly in this vital indicator of preparedness for e-commerce (ITU, 2003). The effects of Telkom’s aggressive marketing of ISDN can be seen in the strong growth of the ISDN market. Between 2002 and 2004, and with significant price reductions in the last year, there has been an average growth of over 40% to a total ISDN subscriber base of 656 000. Despite a considerably higher growth rate in the ADSL market than in the ISDN market over the past six months, ADSL subscriber numbers, working off a much smaller base, are still only expected to sit at about 75 000 in March 2005, compared to the expected ISDN subscriber total of just under 750 000."
"In terms of broadband prices as a percentage of monthly income, South Africa is listed as less favourable than other middle-income countries such as Argentina (3,98%), Mexico (4,56%) and Sri Lanka (4,81%). Out of the 61 countries listed, South Africa is at 48th position (meaning its broadband access is more costly than in 47 other countries) with broadband prices making up 7,95% of monthly income."
This is an excellent research paper which might give you a few good solid facts on how SA's broadband market compares with its peers in other middle-income countries. It is available at:
http://link.wits.ac.za/papers/tspr2004.pdf.
Hope this helps.
Debbie
