Broadband is pitiful, says CompCom

Shred said:
Lets talk some more...
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Agreed! Unless someone actually gets off their toosh :D and physically starts doing something about it; this is just another load of hot air!
 
the problem is that no gives a damn and the damage is already done - it could all be changed in weeks, but the sad part is even if that happened it would take years to see results
 
It's not the broadband that is pitiful, it is the way that the broadband is fed to us, and the cost of it that is pitiful. There is nothing wrong with the broadband, just with the price and delivery.

Get rid of Government interference, get rid of ICASA, open up the market and then go from there.
 
Garyvdh said:
Get rid of Government interference, get rid of ICASA, open up the market and then go from there.
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What effect is Government and ICASA having on the market? A big fat ZERO. If you got rid of "Government Interference" and ICASA, you would still have exactly what you have now. A pricing cartel. Run by the dominant player for the financial benefit of the dominant players.

The real problem is a lack of effective government interference, and a toothless and directionless regulator.

There can be no text book competition in SA - competition that will drive down prices - until the playing field has been flattened. And you need strong and efficient regulation to ensure a fair playing field.

The competition commission has demonstrated it has the teeth. It is just a crying shame that the high court ruled it had no jurisdiction in the telecoms sector, and placed the competition "ball" in the shaky butter fingers of ICASA.
 
Budza said:
These losers get paid for that amazing statement?
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Exactly, friends dog could have told us all that. How about actually doing something about it?

We're all so sick and tired of endless talk talk talk. I prefer to have some quite while I'm getting raped thanks.
 
Lewis argued that the telecommunications sector needed robust competition rules, adding however that it would take time before the competition act came into full effect.

Lewis also stressed the need for a study to be conducted in the telecommunications sector. "The telecoms sector is ripe for a study; a public market enquiry is needed to open up the sector to scrutiny," he said.
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:sick:
 
Gatecrasher said:
What effect is Government and ICASA having on the market? A big fat ZERO. If you got rid of "Government Interference" and ICASA, you would still have exactly what you have now. A pricing cartel. Run by the dominant player for the financial benefit of the dominant players.

The real problem is a lack of effective government interference, and a toothless and directionless regulator.

There can be no text book competition in SA - competition that will drive down prices - until the playing field has been flattened. And you need strong and efficient regulation to ensure a fair playing field.

The competition commission has demonstrated it has the teeth. It is just a crying shame that the high court ruled it had no jurisdiction in the telecoms sector, and placed the competition "ball" in the shaky butter fingers of ICASA.
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I think government's conflict of interest due to their shareholding of Telkom / Vodacom / MTN / choose your pie has a pretty big effect.
 
BruceS said:
I think government's conflict of interest due to their shareholding of Telkom / Vodacom / MTN / choose your pie has a pretty big effect.
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It's not their shareholding. It is our shareholding. Dividends go to the Treasury. Without them, our taxes would be higher. You really think government says to Telkom, "Keep your prices artificially high. Don't service poor areas. Don't expand the number of landlines. Strip the assets and pay ludicrously high dividends"? They don't. But what they could do and should do is wield a stick to help achieve Government's stated objectives of substantially reduced telecoms prices. Because it can be achieved without crippling Telkom's financial performance. And doing so might just be the bitter pill that ensures Telkom's longer term health.
 
Gatecrasher said:
<snip>But what they could do and should do is wield a stick to help achieve Government's stated objectives of substantially reduced telecoms prices. <snip>
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They haven't done this so far, why is that? As long as they (new elite) have a conflict of interest they will never do this.

Also, I think the economic benefits of lower telecoms costs if Telkom were exposed to full competition will more than offset whatever dividends go to the state coffers.
 
Gatecrasher said:
It's not their shareholding. It is our shareholding. Dividends go to the Treasury. Without them, our taxes would be higher...
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Really a useless statement, as the tax money isn't being used for what it should.
Did you just hear that tree falling in the woods?
 
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