Department, network providers to meet

By Damaria Senne, ITWeb senior journalist

Johannesburg, 13 Oct 2005

The Department of Communications is to convene a roundtable next week with network service providers to address their concerns regarding lowering of telecoms prices, says deputy minister Roy Padayachie.

In his closing statement at the second colloquium in Midrand, Padayachie also said there was no doubt that some of the stakeholders would have found the colloquium bruising, especially as the issue of price was a sensitive one.

He also reiterated his appeal to all telecoms stakeholders to move from defending their particular interests and recognise the need to use telecoms reform for the social upliftment of South Africans.

Padayachie said government had a sense of immediacy, determination and conviction that the colloquium process produces recommendations to take decisive action. He added that a period of six to eight weeks gave realistic time to see the first steps of implementation taking place.

Tim Kelly, head of the International Telecommunications Union`s strategy and policy unit, warned that while South Africans had a reputation for good consultative processes, there was a tendency to neglect implementing policies and seeing them to delivery.

Kelly agreed with suggestions that targets set by the working group report be revised. For example, instead of aiming for phone access in each home by 2010, the target should be that SA`s telecoms penetration levels compared to other countries. Universal broadband access should also be excluded, he said.

Many of the delegates also called for action. Where additional market research was suggested, a number of delegates argued that time for research was over, as it was now time to produce results.

"We need concrete goals that can be achievable yesterday and not have a talk-shop," said a representative from a Springs-based non-governmental organisation.

The Department of Communications will also meet the Independent Communications Authority of SA next week to sort out matters that the regulator should attend to.