CRAN celebrates 10 years
The Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN) that supervises and promotes the provision of telecommunications services and networks, broadcasting, postal services and the use and allocation of radio spectrums in Namibia, yesterday marked 10 years since its inception on 18 May 2011.
CRAN, an independent regulator, successfully delivered on its mandate, mission and vision, and has effectively contributed positively towards the socio-economic development of Namibians through “Pushing ICT Forward”.
In 2011, CRAN opened its doors with only five employees, and now has a workforce of 63. Since inception, CRAN promoted 20 employees to various roles, employed eight interns on a permanent basis, and boasts a mere 2% staff turnover.
“Through commitment, determination and team work, both from within the Authority and with external strategic stakeholders, CRAN has in a relatively short time been instrumental in the issuance of 58 telecommunications service licences, 14 community broadcasting service licences, one signal distributor and 20 commercial broadcasting service licences, thus providing a wide array of telecommunications, broadcasting and postal services throughout Namibia,” said CEO Emilia Nghikembua.
“CRAN established a firm regulatory framework for the Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) switchover process, and formulated a comprehensive DTT FrequencyChanneling Plan, which other Southern African Development Community (SADC) regulators used as a benchmark. And most recently, CRAN established the regulatory framework for Digital Sound Broadcasting (DSB), paving the way forward for radio broadcasting to embrace a digital world,” added Nghikembua.
CRAN reached a milestone when it ensured that a 120% mobile penetration rate in the country was reached. This was achieved because CRAN made sure to establish regulatory frameworks that created an environment which promotes fair competition, as can be seen by the termination rates in Namibia that decreased from 1.06c to 0.10c for mobile and fixed operators alike between January 2009 and October 2016. And in accordance with the Communications Act (No. 8 of 2009), a streamlined complaints handling system was also implemented to further ensure fair competition and consumer protection in the telecommunications sector. In addition, CRAN has developed an extensive database allowing it to collect data from all licensees through a live portal. This information was expanded to build a database for determining the access gap in Namibia by mapping all the information. In
2017, Namibia won the ITU award for improvement in data collection.
Furthermore, CRAN facilitated the extension and digitisation of
ICT infrastructure, and the introduction of the 4th generation (LTE) mobile technology in the country. And with CRAN finalising the regulatory framework on the numbering plan and number portability for Namibia, consumers will soon be able to move with their numbers from one network to another with ease.
“As we celebrate a decade of excellence, CRAN commits to continued efforts in ensuring consumer protection and advocacy, as it remains an integral part of our mandate. Thank you to everyone who has walked with us so far. We appreciate your support, and will continue to work towards achieving our vision – access, quality and affordability for all,” said
Nghikembua.