Draft broadband policy lacks detail — experts
Proposed infrastructure will need affordable mobile, computing devices, writes Thabiso Mochiko
INFORMATION and communications technology (ICT) industry experts have criticised the draft national broadband policy, particularly about it lacking implementation details.
The Department of Communications recently published the draft national broadband policy for public comment. It outlines government plans for extending broadband infrastructure to rural and other under-served areas, of reducing broadband service prices, and of providing affordable devices to promote access to broadband.
The government says broadband should form part of basic infrastructure such as water, roads, sanitation and electricity. Further, it has to be made available to all.
Globally, broadband has been identified as an accelerator of economic and social development. The lack of broadband access has also affected on SA’s global ranking on overall digital technologies.
Last week, the World Economic Forum (WEF) ranked SA 70th in its ranking of 144 countries in its report on global information technology. Rankings were determined by, among other things, a country’s regulatory and business environment, the use of ICT and the effect on the economy and society. WEF said good broadband internet access in a country contributed 0.25-1.4% to economic growth.
BMI-TechKnowledge MD Denis Smit says while there has been a slight improvement from the previous draft national broadband policy, “a number of questions remain to be clarified”. He wants clarity on telecoms utility Telkom’s role in the overall broadband roll-out programme.
It is also not clear what role other state-owned entities, including Broadband Infraco, will play, neither is there a clear articulation of the government’s role against that of the private sector.
The draft policy states that Telkom will provide the bulk of the core backbone infrastructure. Other stateowned enterprises and the private sector would support Telkom.
Mr Smit says the draft policy lacks implementation details. In addition, it has many general targets.
Frost & Sullivan research analyst Naila Govan-Vassen says the draft policy provides valuable information on government intentions and plans in the short to the long term. But “the implementation of these policies is effectively the main issue”.
“This can be attributed to various challenges such as ICT not forming a top priority for government,” she says. “In the past five years, more than three ministers have headed up the Department of Communications, thus creating uncertainties and delays in the implementation of the government broadband blueprint.”
The document states that the policy will promote public and private sector deployment of wholesale backbone networks. The government plans to ensure that the wholesale networks woill be “operated on open-access and nondiscriminatory principles to allow innovation and competition by service providers in the provision of services to consumers”.
The policy also aims to have all submarine cable landing stations “declared essential facilities”, a move that privately owned undersea cable companies may strongly oppose.
Despite the criticism, the government aims to have 100% broadband access by 2020. Many people access broadband services via mobile devices. Mobile network operators have invested billions of rand in deploying faster wireless networks to cater for the demand in data services.
Ms Govan-Vassen says it is “highly unlikely” the target will be met. The delays in digital migration to free up the much-needed spectrum for rural broadband roll-out, local loop unbundling and the high cost of customer premises equipment were some of the hurdles.
The draft policy says strategies to promote the availability of “affordable end-user equipment” will be implemented. Broadband will require affordable mobile and computing devices among other things.
The other issues raised include the fragmentation of the broadband rollout projects by local and provincial governments, which the communications ministry wants to co-ordinate to “streamline and maximise government investment”.