Department of Communications fails to deliver on promise
The preliminary findings in the Working Group’s report as presented at the last DoC Colloquium held on the 11th & 12th of October 2005 outlined measures that would bring down the prices of telecoms in South Africa.
The initial report focused on the need for increased competition in the telco environment as well as implement strong regulations to support these decreases.
Some of the recommendations included unbundling the local loop, formation of a broadband task team, prohibit bit caps, review the radio frequency spectrum plan, permit VANS to provide their own infrastructure and for ICASA to regulate access to international cables.
The Working Group compiled a list of five targets:
• Every person will have access to a telephone service within a reasonable walking distance (1 per 500m);
• By 2010 all households must have access to a service, fixed or mobile;
• An Internet access target of 25% in 5 years;
• The broadband connection of all public institutions within 3 years and;
• 5% broadband penetration by 2010.
During the second DoC Colloquium, improvements from the floor were suggested, and the direction of the targets and recommendations found general approval.
A call for more research to establish whether telecom costs are too high was quickly put down as a delaying tactic, and the general consensus from the Colloquium was that urgent action was required.
The deputy minister of communications, Roy Padayachie, even reported to ITWeb that: "There will not be another colloquium. It’s time to take action."
Padayachie further stated that “government had a sense of immediacy, determination and conviction that the colloquium process produces recommendations to take decisive action". He added that a period of six to eight weeks gave realistic time to see the first steps of implementation taking place.
But it is action and determination that is sadly lacking from the DoC.
Broadband users and the general public have been waiting anxiously for concrete actions regarding the specific suggestions made at the second colloquium but there is simply no information available regarding the progress of the Working Group.
It might be argued that the licensing of the SNO forms part of the changes Mr. Padayachie was talking about, but it will definitely not be justified to take credit for something that is four years overdue.
It is also debatable whether licensing the SNO was part of the Working Group’s mandate as it was only mentioned twice in the report.
The first mentioned of the SNO concerned the need for ICASA to regulate prices considering Telkom’s fixed-line monopoly until the second operator was functional.
The second mention concerned the need for ISP’s and VANS to be able to self provide rather than having to obtain facilities from Telkom and the SNO.
At this stage the general public is in the dark as to whether the DoC is in fact acting on these recommendations from their Working Group.
Ironically the country’s communication department is not a particularly good communicator, and when approached for comment the DoC was unable to provide an adequate answer.
And it was not through a lack of trying. MyADSL have unsuccessfully tried to get information from the minister’s office, the deputy minister’s office, the DG’s office, the head of ministry, the media liaison officer and various other people along the line.
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