Liberalisation: ICASA aims to be flexible

Johannesburg, 19 Nov 2004

In the face of the recent deregulation announcements, the Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) is walking a fine line trying to balance the expectations people have with the realities of the industry.

Speaking about the regulator`s view on the communication minister`s liberalisation of the industry at yesterday`s ICT law seminar at Webber Wentzel Bowens Attorneys, councillor Zolisa Masiza said there are two sides to the deregulation of the sector.

"The deregulation of the industry has created a situation that is much like Dickens described in A Tale of Two Cities - it is the best of times and it is the worst of times," he said.

"While the liberalisation is great from the point of view that it means we will finally have true competition in the industry, it also means we will have to put in place plenty of new regulations.

"This may not sit too well with certain areas of the industry, particularly those that haven`t really been regulated before."

He said ICASA`s main imperative is to create an environment that supports technological change, rather than one which holds back the process.

"We have to be flexible and responsive to the sector`s needs, and we cannot simply work by the book, as a textbook approach to an unorthodox problem cannot solve anything.

"There are many current issues that need to be sorted out by the regulator, including the licensing of the second national operator, the second round of underserviced area licences and the driving forward of the Convergence Bill," he said.

"I foresee the next three years being mostly about transition and consolidation, while in the following three we will be focusing on the technological challenges involved in creating an enabling environment for the 2010 World Cup."

Masiza said the authority`s key themes as it moves forward will be the issues of consumer protection, better pricing, better universal service, further infrastructure development and the growth and development of black empowerment in the industry.