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Vote of no confidence for SA Connect

Bonnie Tubbs
By Bonnie Tubbs, ITWeb telecoms editor.
Johannesburg, 19 Mar 2015
Telecoms and postal services minister Siyabonga Cwele has yet to inspire confidence in SA's ICT sector.
Telecoms and postal services minister Siyabonga Cwele has yet to inspire confidence in SA's ICT sector.

The fact SA Connect, the country's long-awaited broadband policy, is due to be actioned in little more than a week's time has not done much to assuage the industry's many concerns around the state of ICT in SA.

Government's poor service delivery track record, a lack of engagement with and enablement of the private sector, Telkom's questionable appointment as lead broadband agency, and lingering discontent around SA's now riven ICT ministry have all put a damper on the industry's outlook when it comes to the delivery of SA Connect's objectives.

Earlier this month, telecoms and postal services minister Siyabonga Cwele said phase one of the broadband policy was on track to start being implemented in April. In line with this, the minister has promised to have 580 clinics, 4 444 schools, 182 police stations and 572 other government offices connected to the Internet by June.

While some have labelled this as "wishful thinking", others point out SA Connect is thin on specifics. ICT expert Adrian Schofield says there are too many questions surrounding the given numbers.

"[Are] none of them currently connected, or is it only a case of upgrading the speed of the existing connection? Is there a specific contract or work order in respect of each location? Will the DTPS [Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services] publish the list of locations and provide (say) a weekly progress report?"

He points out, going by Cwele's numbers, over a period of 13 weeks, the "connection teams" will have to complete nine clinics, 70 schools, two police stations and nine other offices per day. "Does connection mean a terminal point at the premises? When do the users get connected?"

Zero certainty

Regardless of specifics, Democratic Alliance shadow minister of telecoms and postal services, Marian Shinn, says she has "zero" confidence in Cwele and his department in as far as executing on promises.

The DTPS' third-quarter report, which was presented to the portfolio committee yesterday, illustrates "a department in paralysis", says Shinn. "[The DTPS] has done nothing of substance since last June. Targets have little hope of being achieved."

Independent telecoms researcher Samantha Perry says, while SA Connect lays out clear goals towards which government and industry can work, "whether government will enable industry to go ahead and meet its objectives is another story".

She says president Jacob Zuma's announcement that Telkom would be the vehicle to carry out the country's broadband initiatives is worrying. "There was no tender process, or any other process around this appointment, for a start."

ITWeb has sent the DTPS numerous requests for comment around this over the past five weeks, but has yet to get a response.

Perry points to "long overdue" issues like the allocation of high-demand radio frequency spectrum - which would enable the industry to work towards SA's broadband goal - but that has yet to take place.

"Other enabling interventions to aid in the roll out of fibre, for example, would also help ensure this target is met. The question is, 'Will government stand in industry's way or make a plan to enable the private sector to go ahead and do what it does best and better than government can?'."

In February, Zuma highlighted broadband as one of the country's nine focus points for this year during his State of the Nation Address, while Cwele stressed the critical role access to Internet connectivity has to play as the country seeks to grow the economy, which is languishing and only expected to grow 2% this year.

The hope is that, by 2030, SA will have achieved a 100% penetration rate for broadband, with all South Africans connected. Cwele says currently, Internet is at 49% penetration, while high-speed broadband only has a penetration rate of 17%.

Ovum analyst Richard Hurst says, looking at government's track record for service delivery, it is likely SA Connect will fall short of the objectives it outlines. That said, he adds having a plan is better than none at all. "At least it's a stake in the ground and we appear to be moving forward with a broadband policy and objectives."

The execution of phase one of SA Connect will give the industry an indication of how the rest of the ambitious broadband project is likely to go down, says Hurst. "It's going to be interesting to see just how far [government] gets during phase one."

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