The Department of Communications (DOC) will develop a national broadband strategy and national broadband implementation plan over the medium-term.
According to Treasury's Estimates of National Expenditure, the DOC was allocated R450 million over the 2011 medium-term expenditure framework to develop a national broadband strategy.
The plan will "provide guidance to all role players in the ICT sector, develop a broadband policy for all spheres of government including public entities, and deliver the broadband infrastructure and services to under-serviced and rural areas".
Some R100 million was initially allocated in the 2011/12 financial year, increasing to R150 million in the 2012/13 year, and R200 million the year after that.
Of the R100 million allocated in 2011/12, R10 million was set aside to develop the strategy, R5 million to develop a broadband policy for three spheres of government, and R85 million was allocated for broadband ICT infrastructure.
However, the department has yet to spend the R100 million set aside last year for the project, and the expenditure has now been adjusted. The DOC has now been allocated R100 million in 2012/13; R125 million in 2013/14; and R210 million in 2014/15.
In total, the department has a budget of R1.7 billion for the coming financial year, which increases to R1.942 billion next year, before declining slightly to R1.924 billion in 2014/15.
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