CUASA to discuss deregulation, liberalisation

Johannesburg, 23 Sept 2003

The ongoing saga of the second national operator (SNO) bid has sparked tremendous debate among communications specialists and members of the ICT industry alike.

For this reason, the Communications Users Association of SA (CUASA), along with the SA Value-Added Network Services (VANS) Association and the International Telecommunications Users Group (INTUG), will host a presentation on deregulation and liberalisation in SA and Africa, viewed from a multinational`s perspective.

The workshop will be hosted by INTUG`s Nick White, and will take place on 10 October at the UUNet Auditorium in Johannesburg, between 2.30pm and 5pm.

Issues that will be raised include the following: Where is SA positioned in terms of telecommunications and information technology infrastructure? How seriously is restrictive legislation hampering our growth? Will multinational companies forego SA`s great location, existing infrastructure and comparative stability to invest in other African countries with a more liberal view towards telecommunications and connectivity?

"Basically, the idea is to get an external view of the changing telecoms requirements and how quickly the country is meeting the expectations of the multinationals in this regard," says CUASA chairman, Mike van den Bergh.

"We hope to focus on the perceptions, expectations and needs of the multinationals, as well as looking at the affects on the industry that issues such as Telkom`s anti-competitive stance, the proposed convergence legislation and the endlessly delayed SNO licence could have," he says.

"Hopefully the forum will have a chance to discuss and debate the attractiveness of SA as an investment destination for multinationals, as well as how issues such as the SNO delays have affected their views of the country - because there is no doubt that these issues have coloured their perceptions in some ways."

Admission is free to all members of CUASA, SAVA and the press. A nominal entrance fee of R50 per person will be charged for other attendees. Limited seating is available and registration can be done at www.cuasa.org.za/invitation.