Communications minister Siphiwe Nyanda is now touting his predecessor's policy of managed liberalisation in the local telecoms market.
The ministry recently released a draft broadband policy, which details how government plans to boost competition in the telecoms space. The draft had many in the industry hopeful that the department's mantra of managed liberalisation had been scrapped.
However, at the official unveiling of Neotel's telepresence service, and the opening of the company's new campus in Midrand, Nyanda confirmed he plans to uphold the concept.
“This is a culmination of a vision, of our forebearers, of my predecessors, who saw it within them to begin the liberalisation of the telecoms industry in SA. When managed liberalisation takes root, we can begin to provide quality and affordable telecoms to the people.”
The concept of managed liberalisation was birthed by former and late communications minister, Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri. The sentiment that the industry should be liberalised in a controlled environment did not make the late minister popular, and many in the industry hoped the term would be dropped under the new administration.
Despite dashing these hopes, Nyanda said competition will be essential to the industry and he hopes that Neotel will help to start that process. “In the beginning, Neotel was just a word; then it became an entity; and now it is a fact. This is where competition is born.”
He added that Neotel is now expected to be a positive influence in “realising cheaper telecommunications”.
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