Telecoms clearly not a priority

What about the IT industry organize a strike, until SA gets Minister of Communications with a very strong IT back ground?
 
Yeah i'm still puzzled by his apointment. We'll have to see if he can do something about it.
 
What South Africa needs is a communications minister with vision and vigour, a solid understanding of technology and the political clout to get this crucial, but smothered and abused, industry rolling in South Africa.
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That is absolutely 100% correct. Vision and vigour are essential to turn around the current industry.

Ever since RPM started MyADSL I have keenly taken part in both commenting and watching the local Telecoms Industry. What I have noticed over the last 4 years is that the "average" politician seems to perceive the Telecoms Industry as a Cash Cow.

Lets forget the fact that there are probably a handful of individuals within government ranks who truly understand the need and use of broadband as vital economic drivers. The rest dont have the necessary skills, background and understanding of Telecoms as an industry from a technical perspective and neither do they "understand" and accept the past failures and mistakes. Like you said, urgency is not the order of the day.

Government unfortunately has had a hand in Telecoms forever. The most unfortunate part is that their hand has not been a wave of good but rather bad. From Telkom listing, to elephant consortium, to issuing telecoms reform in 2004 (Mbeki State of the Nations Address) and then doing nothing about it, and the consistent blocking of open competition. Ever since Mbeki stated his intentions for telecoms reform things actually got worse, local traffic became capped! We went backwards as an industry.
It was not until Altech won the court case last year, did our Industry "progress".

Because its a cash cow there is a lot of money floating around. Cell Providers, Telkom, Neotel and all the rest have to sweeten the mouth's of relevant ministers within GVT to get their way. Hence there is no competition.

Right now, JZ and his new cabinet are more worried about Elephant consortium making money out of the Vodacom/Vodaphone deal for funding COPE then they are about forcing companies like Telkom and the like to actually deliver what they promise?

Unfortunately our leaders seem to pursue political agenda's over and above the problems that exist. Until they can stop playing with themselves and get over their ego's will we actually see real change. They might as well have put a scarecrow in place of the new Minister of Telecoms. Same thing really.

Our only hope is the like's of Trevor and Praveen to see the light and urgent action required to reform our telecom's industry for the better of the whole country. I am not just talking about meeting mandates to provide call centers, 2010 requirements, etc..
I am talking about going beyond what is required, over delivering on that and more, and most importantly allowing "us" the industry workhorses to innovate and close the gap for the digital divide.

If government dont start creating facilities where computers and cheap, free and fast internet are available for the under privileged, then they are doing their own people a major disservice. We are too rich and advanced a nation not be able to deliver on things like this. There is not excuse or reason that is justifiable to the lack of service delivery the poor, middle class consumers and most importantly business as a whole require!

Personally I wont hold my breath for the new minister to reform telecoms. Political interference is more important then doing the right thing unfortunately. Lack of vision and vigour indeed!
 
If AKC played his cards right he could have been in there!
 
Fair and entertaining comment in the article.
However, if somebody had to ask me to nominate a person to fulfil the position, I would be looking on with a completely blank face.

I would hate for any of the management I have dealt with to have that position, and I have yet to meet somebody who can understand the impact of communication technology let alone qualify it's value.

i.e. I am not going to strike until somebody has a replacement that can do the job better.
 
I think the new minister has a wonderful opportunity to make a first-tier ministry out of what the writer labels as second-tier one.
 
I think the new minister has a wonderful opportunity to make a first-tier ministry out of what the writer labels as second-tier one.
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No offence. But hell will freeze over before that happens.
 
One begins to wonder at why the ANC government cannot understand the importance of a top quality telecoms infrastructure to business success.

Is it because they are still in a culture where the Internet does not exist?
Is it because they are too arrogant to listen their advisers?
Is it beacause they reap too much reward from Telkom?
Is it because they were too uneducated by the Apartheid regime?
Is it because they are too stupid?

There has to be a profound reason as to why this continuous lack of focus on what is arguably one of the most important pillars of a modern global economy.
 
bekdik said:
One begins to wonder at why the ANC government cannot understand the importance of a top quality telecoms infrastructure to business success.

Is it because they are still in a culture where the Internet does not exist?
Is it because they are too arrogant to listen their advisers?
Is it beacause they reap too much reward from Telkom?
Is it because they were too uneducated by the Apartheid regime?
Is it because they are too stupid?

There has to be a profound reason as to why this continuous lack of focus on what is arguably one of the most important pillars of a modern global economy.
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No, the ANC leaders know far to well what the importance of Telecoms is, that is why they are not keen on pushing forward. Simply put, telecoms = information to the people. And if you give information out freely, people will become more educated and less single minded on their choice of who runs the government.
 
This is a very depressing website. Why don't we just do something that does not require huge amounts of bandwidth? I have decided to not use websites that eat up my cap and take too long. I now just use the Internet for simple things. Maybe you guys should try this.
 
ldmelsa said:
This is a very depressing website. Why don't we just do something that does not require huge amounts of bandwidth? I have decided to not use websites that eat up my cap and take too long. I now just use the Internet for simple things. Maybe you guys should try this.
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You are kidding right?
 
They don't want to educate the masses. If they did, they wouldn't be voting for them in the next elections. If we all survive the next 5 years that is..
 
ldmelsa said:
This is a very depressing website. Why don't we just do something that does not require huge amounts of bandwidth? I have decided to not use websites that eat up my cap and take too long. I now just use the Internet for simple things. Maybe you guys should try this.
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Good advice. I'm now going to dispense with any technology created after 1820.
 
This is a very depressing website. Why don't we just do something that does not require huge amounts of bandwidth? I have decided to not use websites that eat up my cap and take too long. I now just use the Internet for simple things. Maybe you guys should try this.
Click to expand...

Hahaha... This might be a depressing website, but you are personally more depressing... Obviously you don't understand the uses of the internet at all.
 
ldmelsa said:
This is a very depressing website. Why don't we just do something that does not require huge amounts of bandwidth? I have decided to not use websites that eat up my cap and take too long. I now just use the Internet for simple things. Maybe you guys should try this.
Click to expand...

If you have a 50MB bundle from Iburst I can see that yes.

Otherwise, this site, in relation to other forums, really does not use much bandwidth at all.
 
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