Joe Mjwara to chair ICT review panel
Minister of Communications, Dina Pule, has appointed Joe Mjwara as the chairperson of the ICT Policy Review Panel. Lucky Masilela has been appointed as the deputy chairperson of the review panel. Pule also announced the appointment of the members as chairs of various committees. Libby Lloyd will head up the Broadcasting committee; Tracy Cohen was appointed to chair the [...]
Govt mulls options for Telkom
Communications minister, Dina Pule, is finalising the options for Telkom‘s future. According to her department, she is completing the process in consultation with the Telkom board. This is after options were submitted to Cabinet and returned to Pule following the board changes at the company. Pule has met with Telkom twice already with the last [...]
ICT policy on track – Pule
Communications minister, Dina Pule, says her department is on track to deliver the national ICT policy. Following the first meeting of the newly appointed ICT policy review panel earlier this month, Pule said the department was making progress on its goal to deliver a white paper on ICT policy. “We are firmly on track to [...]
“Special leave” for Communications DG
Communications minister, Dina Pule, has placed the Director General of the department, Rosey Sekese, on special leave. This follows comments by Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Communications that the DG had misled them on the signing of her performance agreement for the 2012/13 financial year. In a statement, the department revealed that Deputy Director General, Gift [...]
January deadline for ICASA bill
Communications minister, Dina Pule, has extended the consultation period on the ICASA Amendment Bill to 30 January 2013. The proposed bill was first gazetted in November last year. The Bill aims to clarify the powers and duties of the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) and improve its efficiency by aligning it to existing [...]
Progress on BRICS submarine cable
Feasibility studies for the upcoming BRICS undersea cable have been completed, says the Department of Communications. Speaking at the North-West ICT Summit, Communications minister, Dina Pule explained that Alcatel had already mapped the cable route, which will connect the BRICS cable with existing undersea cables along the way. “The speed of the cable is set [...]
Spectrum licensing is urgent - ISPA
The Internet Service Providers Association (ISPA) has called on Communications minister, Dina Pule, to urgently finalise policy directions on high demand frequency and the exploitation of the digital dividend. ISPA says that this is vital to booting competition at all levels in the local telecommunications market. Dominic Cull, ISPA regulatory advisor, says that it is [...]
2013 deadline for spectrum policy
The Department of Communications (DOC) says it will finalise policy directions on high demand spectrum within the current financial year.
Addressing Parliament during her budget vote speech, Communications minister, Dina Pule, said the department had prioritised broadband access and the policy would facilitate the licensing of broadband applications.
“We are acutely aware of the interconnectedness of broadband and the licensing of radio frequency spectrum, which is a scarce natural resource,” said Pule.
R6.7bn shortfall for digital tv
The Department of Communications (DOC) says it has a R6.7 billion funding shortfall for Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) infrastructure projects.
While DTT services are set to kick-off in September – the DOC says its State-Owned Enterprises did not have enough money to fulfil DTT obligations over the next three years and Treasury had refused to approve additional funding.
According to the DOC, the total funding shortfall over three years for the DTT project of the SABC was R3.9 billion; while Sentech needed R140 million and the Universal Service and Access Agency of SA (USAASA) would need R2.6 billion for the Set Top Box (STB) project.
ICT policy overhaul in motion - Pule
Communications minister, Dina Pule, has acknowledged challenges facing policy development process for the telecommunications, broadcasting, multimedia and postal sectors – saying they must be dealt with.
Speaking at an ICT colloquium held by the Department of Communications (DOC) in Midrand, Pule said the department was in the process of overhauling ICT policy was.
“The process we are embarking upon today, the comprehensive policy overhaul, is a critical step in assisting us to design the future we want to see. It provides an opportunity to all South Africans to input in the development of a shared and common vision for the ICT sector,” she said.
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