Another reason to deregulate

[plug]

The 2002 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) report reveals that South Africa has below the average rate of entrepreneurial activity compared to 36 other countries that took part in the survey.
http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?ao=21329

Opening up the telecomminications market will surely open up a whole new industry with entreperneurs.

Just another reason to deregulate.

I will not go into the uses of Internet access for a business but I believe it can play a big part in getting people to succeed with a successful start up.

[Pavlov]

Interesting what a little competition will do...
We often compare our lot here in South Africa with Australia and New Zealand, given there geography and distance away from the great big Internet pipes in the US and Europe. Here is an axample of the Australian and New Zealand process of competition.

I wonder if the government realises what 14% (VAT) on 5 - 12 bn would be and what the job creation would be?

In July 1997 the Australian telecommunications sector was opened for full competition with removal of restrictions on the number of licensed operators and anti-competition mechanisms (replaced by general competition law under the oversight of the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission).

By the end of 1998 there were over 20 licensed telecommunications carriers controlling facilities in Australia; several hundred other entities used those facilities to provide services. That had climbed to 99 by May 2002 (with 11 licences surrendered); the Australian Communications Authority estimated that the benefits to consumers of telecommunications services from competition in 2000/1 were between $5.5 billion and $12 billion.[?]

http://www.caslon.com.au/austelecomsprofile1.htm