SA Government and ICASA work towards widespread broadband acce

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SA Government and ICASA work towards widespread broadband access --

Tue, 02 Sep 2014 10:18

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The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) released a Draft International Mobile Telephony (IMT) Roadmap on 1 September, outlining ways in which universal availability of broadband services could be reached in the country. This aligns with the objectives of broadband for all which is a target of SA Connect, the National Broadband Policy drawn up by previous communications minister Yunis Carrim.

ICASA maintains that the growing demand for mobile broadband in South Africa indicates a need for more mobile broadband bandwidth capacity in general. It is generally known that many rural areas do not have access to mobile bandwidth indicating a need for a more universal mobile broadband coverage, a need best served by deploying lower frequencies that propagate a wider market.

The roadmap involves moving a number of current licensees out of (or within) bands identified for IMT services.

Speaking at the annual Southern Africa Telecommunications Networks and Applications Conference (SATNAC) in Port Elizabeth on 1 September, minister of telecommunications and postal services, Siyabonga Cwele stated that the need for all-inclusive broadband was great but that strategic infrastructure and economic and social benefits require critical mass, according to a report on htxt.africa.

Cwele outlined the benefits of increased broadband availability which include job creation, social inclusivity and more involved and active citizenship, and said that government would make strong efforts to coordinate the formation of new broadband networks to guarantee universal access by 2020. In the meantime Cwele stated that equipping a sizable number of schools and government outfits with connectivity through public-private partnerships by 2016 was still an important goal for his department.

He added that a full white paper on the integrated ICT policy was scheduled for the end of March 2015.

Visit the ICASA website to view the Draft International Mobile Telephony (IMT) Roadmap

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