dominic
Legal Expert: Telecoms
@ wbgworld - interesting posts some of which i can agree with and some not
the 1996 telecommunications act was all about protecting telkom's exclusivity - is was explicitly stated as this was the policy - give telkom a further 3 years of monopoly while tying is to universal access objectives. The act was then amended under the name of ""managed liberalisation" allowing for the licensing of the SNO etc. In hindsight we know that this has largely been a failure largely due to ineptitude and control issues (leading to ICASA being ineffectual in controlling telkom).
the new act is, imo, a significant improvement but it remains to be seen how it will be implemented and there does appear to be agenda on the part of the government to exert more control over ICASA which is fuel for conspiracy
as regards type approval sure there are issues but i have not seen it acting as a bar to entry into the market in practice and given that the supplier gets the type approval. this also leaves aside the fact that, as the law currently stands, there are not a hell of a lot of uncontroversial uses for the equipment
on the ground there is lot happening at local government level
the 1996 telecommunications act was all about protecting telkom's exclusivity - is was explicitly stated as this was the policy - give telkom a further 3 years of monopoly while tying is to universal access objectives. The act was then amended under the name of ""managed liberalisation" allowing for the licensing of the SNO etc. In hindsight we know that this has largely been a failure largely due to ineptitude and control issues (leading to ICASA being ineffectual in controlling telkom).
the new act is, imo, a significant improvement but it remains to be seen how it will be implemented and there does appear to be agenda on the part of the government to exert more control over ICASA which is fuel for conspiracy
as regards type approval sure there are issues but i have not seen it acting as a bar to entry into the market in practice and given that the supplier gets the type approval. this also leaves aside the fact that, as the law currently stands, there are not a hell of a lot of uncontroversial uses for the equipment
on the ground there is lot happening at local government level