Telkom has a lot on its plate, as it is operating in a liberalised and increasingly competitive landscape, South African Telecommunication Network and Application Conference delegates heard this morning.
The annual three-day conference, taking place in Cape Town, has attracted over 500 local and international delegates from the ICT sector, business, academic and research institutions.
In his keynote address, Telkom CEO Papi Molotsane said Telkom and other telecoms operators in emerging markets face regulatory challenges, a lack of infrastructure, political risks and scarcity of skills.
The challenge faced by these operators lies in balancing the need to keep up with technological developments, as demanded by more sophisticated, well-informed customers, and the need to meet developmental needs, Molotsane said. ICT must make a difference in people`s lives, he added.
However, certain African counties have superfluous and contradictory regulations, allowing room for "bargaining" and concessions, while others are poorly legislated, he said.
Judith O`Neal, chairperson of the telecoms department of international law firm Greenberg Traurig, noted that regulations take time to develop, while technology charges forwarded. As a result, regulations are constantly trying to catch up with technological developments, and there are instances where regulations no longer fit the technology, she pointed out.
Appropriate technology
Access to electricity and roads, as well as the appropriate technology to meet the needs of the community, also play a major role in the ability for technology to be deployed, O`Neal stated.
Professor Cheryl de la Rey, deputy vice-chancellor of the University of Cape Town, also emphasised the need to grow SA`s ICT skills base, and commended Telkom for its contribution through the 16 centres of excellence based at academic institutions nationwide.
More than 1 400 students were awarded degrees from 16 centres since the inception of the programme, she said.
The conference has a technical programme where students from the centres share the results of their research.
Discussions at the event also include whether the changing ICT landscape really supports the evolution of next-generation services, if the provisioning of next-generation services meets customer expectations, how next-generation services are enabled, as well as how these services are accessed by the customer.
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SATNAC 2006 focuses on next-generation services
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