The whole IECS debate now seems pretty irrelevant given that the Minister of Comms has decided they will not get one ..

To allow ~500 licensed operators (including Telkom, which is also partially state-owned) to be vertically integrated, and to deny this to Broadband Infraco seems inconsistent (and unfair?).

Then I read this in an ITWeb article:

ITWeb is in possession of an advance copy of the department’s new draft broadband policy, which is expected to be gazetted in the next few days.

The new draft policy has realigned the state’s role in the provision of broadband. It specifically states that “government should not operate directly in retail service provision, but leave these markets to the private sector players”.

Does that mean the state will dispose of their Telkom shares?

Perhaps the future holds something even more interesting. To quote Gartner analyst Will Hahn commenting on the Competition Commission’s recommended R3.6 billion Telkom fine:

In most mature telecom regimes, the company in Telkom’s shoes has had to undergo either rigorous functional separation between network ops/wholesale on the one hand and retail on the other, or it has gone further, approaching structural separation (where these functions would be vested in completely separate companies).

Although highly unlikely, if there is a coherent government plan to put an end to the turf war between the DPE and the DOC and get their telecoms house in order, it might be in the form of what Hahn is talking about.

The Department of Communications (DOC) says SA will use its position as the chair of SADC to drive ICT issues in the region, in particular Zimbabwe. “Our ICT intellectual affairs and trade branch will come up with an ICT proposal in which key issues, such as digital migration, will form part of the SADC programme,” says DOC spokesman Joe Makhafola.
– Moneyweb