During her recent budget vote speech, Minister of Communications, Dina Pule, focused on the topics of digital migration, broadband and ICT policy. She highlighted these areas as being key to her department’s process of overhauling its existing policies, as part of a broader strategic plan to operate in line with government’s National Development Plan to eliminate poverty and reduce inequality by 2030.
On the subject of Strategic Integrated Project (SIP) 15 – which is focused on increasing access to ICT services through the rollout of broadband infrastructure and Digital Terrestrial Television – Pule (who is chairperson of the project) stated that there has been 'commendable progress'.
She went on to reveal that she is finalising a project action plan governing targets for the connectivity of public facilities such as schools, health centres, government offices, libraries and police stations. Whilst acknowledging the investment of the private sector, she urged continued cooperation with SIP 15 in expanding broadband infrastructure throughout the country.
Digital terrestrial television progress
With ICASA having finalised the broadcasting regulations for digital terrestrial television (DTT), Pule announced that she will shortly be releasing a notice in the Government Gazette setting the performance period for digital migration switch-on.
She stated that the broadcasting network currently reaches more than 80% of the country’s population, and that the target of 84% population coverage via terrestrial transmitters is expected to be reached by December 2013. Sentech will also launch a direct-to-home satellite broadcasting service later this year to provide TV and radio coverage to the Square Kilometre Array and all other areas where there is no DTT signal.
With regards to DTT Awareness, Pule says her department will intensify the implementation of its communications campaigns to inform and educate the public about the need for DTT. She also pointed out that, over the course of the year, the SA Post Office finalised the installation coupon distribution system that will ensure that poor South Africans receive the State-sponsored set-top boxes (STB).
She also said that the DoC has finalised the subsidy plan for poor households, and is ready to implement the STB manufacturing strategy which requires 30% local content as part of the electronic industry development. An STB compliance lab will be launched in June, in partnership with the Department of Trade and Industry and the SA Bureau of Standards.
Pule stated that in the order of R8 billion will be needed over the next three years in order to successfully roll out DTT and meet the 17 June, 2015 deadline set by the International Telecommunications Union.
Following disputes between free-to-air broadcasters and the DoC about the management of the STB control system, which have resulted in delays to the migration process of close to a year, Pule said a decision has been taken to consider making this system non-mandatory in an effort to fast track the rollout.
Broadband breakthrough?
On the broadband front, Pule provided cause for optimism as a policy is in the works which will pave the way for ICASA to license the much sought after 2,6 GHz and 800 MHz spectra, including the extended digital dividend, i.e. that part of the spectrum which will become available after the transition to Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) has been accomplished. This will function hand in hand with the DoC’s Radio Frequency Spectrum policy, which was adopted in 2010 to promote technologies that use spectrum more efficiently.
The public consultation phase of this New Broadband Policy has been closed, and the department will present it to cabinet in June this year.
A proposed Electronic Communications Amendment Bill due to be introduced later this year is intended to enhance competition and private investment in the sector and ensure that there is effective regulation where market failure is apparent.
Governance matters
Pule addressed the touchy issue of governance with the following statement: “Having a stable and capable leadership team that has integrity is crucial in our endeavour to improve the service delivery goals of our department and our portfolio of State-Owned Companies (SoCs).
“A stable leadership is crucial to achieving good corporate governance and accountability,” she said. “Guided by this desire to improve accountability, we have embarked on a partnership with the Auditor General to achieve a clean audit by the Department and its SoCs by 2014.
“To strengthen the leadership capability within the Department, we have appointed critical skills that will improve our ability to deliver quality services to our fellow South Africans. Our efforts are evidenced by the halving of the vacancy rate from 24% in 2012 to 12,5%.”
Pule said the DoC will transfer R1,5 billion or 76% of its budget to SoCs in its portfolio in 2013.
She continued on the topic of governance by saying that she is concerned about governance arrangements at the SABC and will be consulting with the Portfolio Committee on Communications to explore an urgent review and amendment to the Broadcasting Act.
She said the public broadcaster has accelerated the repayment of its government-guaranteed loan and plans to pay the outstanding balance of R222 million within four months. She also stated that the SABC can immediately migrate its three existing channels to the DTT platform and launch additional channels in due course.
On ICASA, Pule said “We are closely monitoring ICASA to ensure that it is able to perform its key role as a regulator. Part of this exercise will include strengthening governance measures and making sure that the regulator is able to effectively collect and account for revenues due.”
A legislative amendment will also be introduced in the course of the year in the form of the ICASA Amendment Bill which deals with the definition of broadband and empowers ICASA to enforce compliance and monitor radio frequency spectrum resources.
She stated that the DoC continues to monitor sector-wide job creation in line with the National Development Plan. The ICT sector has created more than 37 000 jobs since 2010, she said, and contributes an estimated 8% to the national economy.
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