The aim is to formulate a white paper on an integrated national ICT policy.
"We needed to have this policy review to overhaul all the legislation in our sector so it reflects the work the government does and helps this country and industry to benefit from sustainable ICT development and services for the next 20 years," Pule said.
The Minister said the review aimed to remove aspects of legislation that were irrelevant and hindering economic growth and social cohesion.
Pule also said the government was aiming to create one million jobs in the ICT Industry and achieve 100% broadband penetration by 2020.
"It is clear more needs to be done - with speed - to propel our country into an advanced information society and knowledge economy," Pule said.
A topical issue at the event was spectrum allocation, which has been consistently postponed over the years to the ire of industry. The postponements issue saw the authorities clash with the industry on numerous occasions.
The minister said her department was still studying the public submissions before a policy could be adopted.
Telecoms heavyweight and new Cell C CEO Alan Knott-Craig made his contribution during a panel discussion, saying that the costs of accessing the internet were high and this might affect the government's goal to provide broadband to all by 2020.
"Our world in 2030 will be a data world where data is the medium for everything. Will voice have completely disappeared? We'll have to wait and see as cost, speed and quality of data will be critical," he said
Robert Madzonga, chief of corporate services at MTN, said the spectrum allocation was counter-productive and hoped that they would have a consensus at the end of the Colloquium.
"We have been crying for spectrum, this is the technology we need to usher us in the new era. We are hopeful that the new leadership at the department will make correct decisions," Madzonga said.
The continuous delay of the department policy has been seen as putting spanners in the works of the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa's plans to allocate spectrum. The regulator cannot go ahead with plans outlined last month on licensing high-demand spectrum in the 800MHz and 2600MHz bands.
Another thorny issue in the Minister's portfolio is Telkom. She revealed that the government had appointed transactional advisors to assist on the Telkom and South Korean telecoms giant KT Corporation's possible partnership in which KT wants a stake in the operator.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Samuel Mungadze
Quelle/Source: Business LIVE, 20.04.2012
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