Next year is set to be a pivotal time for those in the broadcasting - and greater telecoms - industries when it comes to policy reform, says Calvo Mawela, MultiChoice's newly-appointed head of stakeholder and regulatory affairs.
Appointed to the new role in October, Mawela is the satellite TV operator's go-between for the company and key entities like the Department of Communications (DOC) and government at large. He also sits on the ICT Policy Review Panel, set up by the DOC a year ago to advise the department on an integrated national ICT policy.
He says 2014 holds promise for the sector, which has not seen a policy review in 15 years. "If you look at how fast the landscape [in telecoms] changes, a review is long overdue now, but next year presents a good opportunity for players to look at the sector as a whole and draw up new guidelines. The aim is to come up with forward-looking policies that drive growth in the sector."
Modern day challenges
The ICT Policy Review Panel, he says, will look at the current legislation and devise policies that make it work better within the current landscape - now a mix of over-the-top (OTT) and traditional players - to the ultimate end of increasing investment and growth in the sector.
"This is the new area I will operate in and, as a member of the panel, I look forward to seeing what can be achieved given the right kinds of policies. But it is not easy. There are challenges that come with the introduction of OTT players, which are not regulated. On the other hand, you have the traditional broadcasting industry, which is heavily regulated.
"There are jurisdiction and tax issues. The interesting debate is whether or not taxes, compliance and regulation need to extend to OTT platforms (like Google and Netflix) and how this would be achieved."
The review panel should have a green paper to hand to the DOC around June next year, says Mawela. "Our work ends at that point. The [communications] minister will take it from there to the end of developing a white paper. What usually follows after that is legislation that will govern the sector."
Engineer to advisor
Mawela kicked off his career as an engineer at Sentech, where he was responsible for commissioning transmitter sites. After five years with Sentech, he joined the Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA), where he was in charge of planning SA's broadcasting spectrum and drafting regulations around this.
It was at ICASA, says Mawela, where the "change in career direction" took place. This led him to MultiChoice, which he joined in 2006 when he started work as regulatory affairs manager at the group's subsidiary Orbicom. Here, Mawela oversaw all aspects of regulation and spectrum-related issues.
From there, Mawela was promoted to general manager of regulatory affairs for both the company's Internet service provider MWeb and Orbicom - a position he held until the recent MultiChoice management shakeup and the creation of his new position as head of stakeholder and regulatory affairs for the MultiChoice SA Group.
The company says Mawela's appointment represents a "major achievement for transformation in the country" and it will ultimately make him one of the key players in the ICT industry. "It provides a platform for him to make a difference in the ICT sector as a whole and to SA's future in the ICT landscape."
In the seven-odd years Mawela has been with MultiChoice, he has established a regulatory and compliance team for MWeb, and successfully licensed MWeb's individual electronic communications services and electronic communication network services.
Mawela played a significant role during Regional Radio Communication Conference 2006, leading the planning team on the digital broadcasting plan for SA; and served as a planning expert to the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) at this conference.
He also served as a councillor in the communication minister's advisory body for digital migration, the Digital Dzonga, which advised the minister on the broadcasting digital migration process.
Currently, apart from being part of the said policy review panel, Mawela is an ICASA representative at organs of the ITU for the Africa region.
He is a registered professional engineer and a member of the South African Institute of Electrical Engineers.
"I am looking forward to next year in my new role. It gives me a bird's-eye view of regulatory, business and consumer activities. I can see new regulations and changes in the policy landscape being a big part of the year."
He says competition in the local broadcasting sector is also set to heat up in 2014. "It will be interesting to see what happens. The biggest competition will come from the non-traditional players and this is the game-changer. It will all come down to how we innovate as to how we keep up."
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