Mouse on a treadmill

Lately, I've felt like a mouse on a treadmill, working hard to find new developments in the telecommunications sector and finding the same old stuff that I reported on when I first joined ITWeb in 2005.

I've attended conferences, interviewed executives and attended one-on-one briefings and what I've mostly gathered is that:

a) The South African ICT regulatory environment is still lacklustre and unclear in certain areas.
b) SA still has strong pockets of monopoly forcing communications providers to use Telkom for certain services.
c) The fixed-line operator is still overcharging these communications providers.
d) The resultant costs are still being passed to the customer, inhibiting broadband adoption and usage.
e) South African broadband adoption is accelerating (mostly wireless), but it still lags behind its peers.

Sometimes, when I listen to operators explain these challenges, I'm tempted to say:" Didn't you say that last year, and the year before that?"

Then I chat to the Department of Communications (DOC), the Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) and Telkom about some of the issues, and they give the same old explanations: progress has been made in deregulating the South African telecoms market, prices have dropped and more will be accomplished in time.

"It's not just about doing the job faster," I'm told. "It's also about being thorough." Also, "It's all about economies of scale."

Huh! I guess I have to respect that.

But I can't help but remember that the DOC spent a lot of money in 2005, hosting two colloquia to unravel parts of the telecoms price problem and look for solutions.

There has been some progress. Slow, agonising progress.

Damaria Senne, senior journalist, ITWeb

More than 350 executives and senior managers took time out of their schedules each time to attend these events and share their input. We even came out with a document outlining recommended action.

Maybe it's because I was still new in the industry, because I believed the government officials who lashed out at Telkom for dragging its heels and who promised swift implementation of the recommendations from the event.

I even noted some of the timelines bandied around by these officials, and periodically checked with their institutions to find out how far they've come.

I also attended the multitudes of industry-initiated conferences, where the same issues are unravelled all over again and more/new solutions are put forward.

There has been some progress. Slow, agonising progress, but the Electronic Communications Act was promulgated, ICASA is in the process of converting the licensing framework, regulations are being passed, and, every so often, Telkom throws us a bone and drops wholesale or retail prices.

But these changes are not happening fast enough or effectively enough to silence ICT players whose plans are sometimes delayed due to lack of regulatory clarity. I can't even contemplate the price of lost opportunities it's so high.

The changes are also not having an impact to the extent that we, as journalists and the eyes and ears of the industry, begin to see new issues evolving.

It's a shame, because the story of the South African broadband explosion, and the impact it would have on business and socio-economic development would be more meaningful.

It would also be more interesting than having to find a new way to say: "SA's telecoms prices are too high."