The Department of Communications (DOC) is moving apace with key issues, such as extending broadband access and wrapping up the ICT policy, and has made these issues priorities for the next three years.
The DOC is formulating various enabling policy frameworks in response to SA's National Development Plan, which aims to increase economic growth and trim unemployment. The department's policies are in keeping with the plan's aim of ensuring SA's capacity to develop as an information society and knowledge economy is enhanced.
To achieve the target of 100% broadband penetration by 2020, as outlined in the plan, the department has developed the national broadband policy, strategy and implementation plan, which ensures the roles and responsibilities of key stakeholders in the sector are clearly defined and maps the rollout of broadband infrastructure across the country.
The DOC is sharpening its focus on implementing the broadband policy and finalising the broadband implementation plan over the next three years. The policy, Connect SA, was approved by Cabinet last December, although commentators note implementation details have yet to be outlined.
An enabling environment for the growth of the ICT sector is also set to be created "through policy and legislative reform". It will publish the much-delayed White Paper on National Integrated ICT Policy by March 2015; draft the National Integrated ICT Bill by March 2016 - for tabling a year later - and develop an approved e-strategy by March 2017.
It has also, together with the Independent Communications Authority of SA, prioritised several initiatives over the medium-term in an effort to reduce the costs of communication. These include finalising a data portal on ICT statistics, such as pricing trends used in the department's economic analysis, and conducting a broadband value chain analysis to promote competition and address market failures.
The department will issue three policy directives to reduce the costs of communication by 2016/17.
Coordinated approach
In addition, the department will review ICT policies, and accelerate access to ICT "by coordinating the participation of the government in specialised ICT agencies," National Treasury's Estimates of National Expenditure reveals.
Government is also taking steps to make it easier to do business in SA. Among the aspects mentioned by finance minister Pravin Gordhan in his budget 2014 speech today was communications minister Yunus Carrim's publication of the broadband policy, which will "in due course lead to the modernisation of our communications capabilities".
Gordhan also noted several cities are bringing WiFi connectivity to "their environs".
The department has also received additional allocations for the school connectivity project. A recent progress update to the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Communications revealed that 6.8% of all the schools that have been connected since 2009, by the public and private sector, have been hooked up in the past two months, although just more than 200 still need to be connected before the elections.
The department's budget for the financial year that will kick off in April is R1.59 billion - some R328 million more than anticipated a year ago. The budget will grow to R2 billion by 2016/17.
The DOC aims to upgrade its IT systems over the medium-term to improve efficiency and will appoint service providers to deal with this task.
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