The Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services believes it has won widespread support from the information and communications technology (ICT) sector for its wholesale open-access network proposal for radio spectrum and that the emphasis has shifted to how the policy will be implemented.
This was the conclusion drawn from a consultation in Pretoria on Friday organised by the National ICT Forum to discuss the implementation of the national integrated ICT policy white paper. It was attended by more than 300 government officials, business leaders, industry associations, labour representatives and the National Consumer Commission. Telecommunications and Postal Services Minister Siyabonga Cwele led the discussions.
In terms of the white paper, a single wireless open-access network will be created that will offer broadband to all players and give the control and management of radio frequency spectrum to the minister.
It will also create a new regulatory body.
In the past, the industry criticised aspects of the policy, especially the radio frequency spectrum management, as well as the open-access model for wireless networks.
"We are making progress towards implementing the new ICT policy. Our preference for consultation is yielding the desired results because we are edging closer to an agreement on how best we speedily implement this very important policy," Cwele said.
One of the results of the consultation was the commitment by cellphone network operators to purchase a significant amount of capacity from the wholesale open-access network.
"We are committed to consultations but we must speedily implement the policy because the sector is dynamic," the minister added.
The consultations were meant to ensure the policy was implemented in as least disruptive manner possible.
The department will process all the inputs as it develops the implementation plan for the white paper, which will be submitted to Cabinet. It aims to finalise the plan by the end of March and to start implementing soon thereafter those aspects of the policy that do not require legislative changes.
In terms of the policy, the wholesale open-access network should be majority black-and female-owned and controlled "in line with the call for radical economic transformation". The state’s aim, Cwele noted, was to encourage competition in services and reduce competition in infrastructure because it was when companies competed on services that consumer prices fell.
"The meeting also discussed facilitating transformation and [small business] development through procurement," department spokesman Siya Qoza said. "The delegates proposed that a minimum of 30% of government ICT spend should be set aside for broad-based black economic empowerment level-one companies in year one, increasing to 40% in year two and 51% in year three.
"The proposal is for these procurement targets to be applicable to state-owned companies as well."
Discussions also focused on empowering the regulator to oversee the sector.