Telecoms1.09.2008

Neotel adds regulatory clout

NEW FIXED-LINE OPERATOR Neotel has described as a “coup” the appointment of highly respected former telecommunications regulator Icasa councillor Tracy Cohen as its new executive head for regulatory affairs from September. Fin24.com broke the news recently and Neotel followed that with an announcement a few days later.

There had been considerable speculation as to where Cohen would end up after her four-year term of office at Icasa expired (she chose not to offer herself for re-election). At Icasa she’d been responsible for the markets and competition division, along with fellow councillor Robert Nkuna. A key part of that portfolio was developing detailed market definitions to determine which players were dominant and assessing the effectiveness of competition in those markets.

Cohen had often been spoken of by various industry players as one of the regulator’s key resources because of her vast knowledge of regulatory matters and penchant for getting things done (bureaucracy permitting). She also established a reputation for fighting against monopolies and thus, perhaps, was most popular among emerging operators – although the incumbents all respected and possibly even feared her. So it seemed unlikely that Cohen would have joined one of the incumbent operators.

Cohen says she received numerous approaches and a few firm offers, some from players in the telecoms industry and others on its fringes. But, perhaps not surprisingly, none of the incumbents had approached her seriously.

Asked what had tipped the scales towards Neotel in her decision, Cohen says one of Icasa’s objectives was to increase competition and ease market access. “Joining a new entrant at this time, one with no market share but great promise, would be an extension of that work. Generally, though from different perspectives, the aspirations of new entrants and the regulator are aligned, at least for the short to medium term. Neotel is particularly exciting at this early stage of its operations and this is an opportunity to be part of a company that hopes to change market dynamics,” says Cohen.

Neotel executive head for external affairs, Wandile Zote, who joined in June to fill the gap after Fani Zulu returned to Eskom, says Cohen brought a “wealth of experience” to the company regarding regulatory matters, which would be invaluable. “As a young company we need all the experience we can get.”

The appointment of someone of her calibre demonstrated the importance Neotel placed on regulatory matters, says Zote. Cohen will report directly to Neotel MD Ajay Pandey.

Prior to her appointment at Icasa Cohen read for a doctoral degree in law at the University of Toronto. Her degree focused on telecoms regulation and international trade, with SA as a case study. Before that she lectured or held research posts at Wits, Columbia University, the University of Toronto and the London School of Economics.

Cohen has also undertaken various regulatory projects for organisations, including the International Telecommunication Union and the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation.

Neotel regulatory discussion

Finweek

 

Show comments

Latest news

More news

Trending news

Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter