Communications Minister Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri will present her decision and a report on the second national full license operator (SNO) to cabinet in August, the Department of Communications (DOC) said today.
Deputy Minister of Communications Radhakrishna Padayachee represented the DOC at a media briefing by the government departments clustered under the economic portfolio in parliament.
SNO a matter of urgency
The DOC statement touched on various issues apart from the SNO and these were the draft Convergence Bill, the granting of Under Serviced Area Licenses (USAL), price structuring in the telecommunications industry, developments within the Post Office, broadcasting, redressing Africa`s 'e-marginalisation` and World Summit on Information Society (WSIS).
Deputy Minister Padayachee said the issue of the SNO was being sorted out as a matter of urgency as indicated in President Thabo Mbeki`s state-of-the-nation address.
Cost of telecoms
Pakamile Pongwana, senior general manager of the DOC`s Telecommunications Business Unit, said a feasibility study had been completed by the DOC to look at ways to reduce the cost of doing telecommunications business in the country.
"The main focus of the study was how existing laws could be better implemented and it did touch on available technologies such as voice-over-IP," he said.
Convergence Bill redrafted
Redrafting the Convergence Bill was underway and the DOC said that it should be presented to cabinet in the last quarter of this year and then be presented to the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Communications before more public comment is received.
"The original intentions of the Convergence Bill remain in place," Deputy Minister Padayachee said in reply to a question from ITWeb on just how much of the original draft had been rewritten.
Seven organisations have received ICASA (Independent Communications Authority of SA) recommendations for receiving USALs to operate telecommunications services in underserviced areas. The DOC says final approval should be granted by cabinet in the coming weeks.
Radio and satellite
Broadcasting has received special attention by the DOC, "as it constitutes the biggest and most important provider of information to the public sector, especially those in the second economy," the statement says.
Radio, in turn, has been singled out for special attention and the DOC has begun the roll out of a Satellite Communications Network that will offer a dedicated parliamentary service and programme sharing among community stations. The entire process will be completed before the end of 2005.
A public/private partnership model approved by the Department of Finance will be used for the roll-out of regional TV services, the DOC said.
Citizens` post offices.
Post Office plans include the roll-out of 600 Public Internet Terminals and of 17 Citizens` Post Offices.
In terms of meeting the New Economic Plan for Africa`s Development (NEPAD) objectives, the DOC is involved in two projects: the closing of the undersea cable loop around the continent with the East African Submarine Cable System (EASSY), and the e-Schools project that will ensure children leave the schooling system with skills to function in the information society.
The DOC said it was preparing for the final leg of the World Summit on Information Society to be held in Tunis in 2005 after participating in the first round last year in Geneva.
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