The second telecoms pricing colloquium, hosted by the Department of Communications, got under way at Gallagher Estate in Midrand today.
Several high-level stakeholders will discuss telecoms pricing issues, and the colloquium working group will report back to delegates today.
The two-day colloquium aims to find strategies that will enable and encourage competition in the telecoms sector and assist in lowering the price of telecoms in SA. This in turn is expected to lower the cost of doing business in SA and encourage economic growth.
Communications minister Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri is scheduled to deliver an opening address today, while Dr Tim Kelly of the International Telecommunication Union will deliver the keynote address on global developments in telecoms. Independent Communications Authority of SA chairperson Paris Mashile will also give a presentation.
Later in the day, the working group that was nominated during the first colloquium in July will present its report and recommendations. The working group was appointed to advise the Department of Communications with the formulation of the agenda for the October colloquium.
"If all goes well, we will emerge with a workable policy proposal on how to achieve effective competition, that can be presented to the minister," says colloquium chairman and deputy communications minister Roy Padayachie.
He says immediate intervention policies are likely to include ministerial declarations, while regulatory issues would be addressed in the medium-term.
Padayachie has repeatedly emphasised government`s commitment to lowering telecoms prices and encouraging economic growth.
"It must be borne in mind that the central thrust to reducing telecoms costs is to encourage and intensify competition."
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