It is important SA has clear and measurable ICT targets, the presidential international advisory council on information society and development heard this weekend.
The council convened for its annual meeting in Zeerust in the Northwest. Established five years ago, the council`s objective is to advise the president on bridging the digital divide, including making telephony accessible to the disadvantaged.
The council deliberated on three key issues, says presidential spokesperson Murphy Morobe: the need for accelerated shared growth strategies, developments in the ICT sector and specific focus areas for ICT applications.
A need to develop a strategy that would set the development goals for 2014 into operation was expressed, Morobe says. The council also emphasised the need for effective tools to assess progress, which would enable it to properly measure advances on strategies and goals.
Also discussed was the impact of such strategies on the regulatory environment, as the environment is influenced by strategic imperatives of the country, Morobe says.
Developments in the sector
The introduction of the second national operator was a key strategy to encourage competition and the question of unbundling the local loop was also discussed, Morobe says.
In addition to acting as a catalyst for competition, unbundling the local loop will provide opportunities for operators, he says.
The council also discussed the importance of developing a business model to ensure rural people are not left behind. It was noted that wireless technology is a key technology that could assist with this, Morobe says.
The role of government in the promotion of ICT applications and creating opportunities and incentives among young people was seen as important. "With a great investment in the youth, a more sustainable medium to strengthen competency is gained," he says.
ICT applications
The third area of focus was the application of current ICT, such as Web-based learning and e‑health to make government more accessible. It was noted that SA could build on its distance-learning experience, to assist when developing Web-based learning tools.
It was also proposed that government look at networking technology that could be used to support the development of small and medium enterprises. The council noted that some costs are high for small business.
It is therefore important to find ways to develop technology that suits the unique needs and budgets of small business, it added.
The development of these operational goals creates new areas of opportunity for ICT companies, says Morobe.
A memorandum of agreement was signed with three international companies, which will work with government at a public-private-partnership level, he concludes.
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