Web access is 'govt's duty'
2008-06-05 11:30
Johannesburg - A lawyer has called on government to take more aggressive steps to achieve the roll-out of internet access points for citizens.
Speaking on the opening day of the Cellular Backhaul conference at the South African Reserve Bank in Pretoria on Wednesday, Brendan Hughes argued that there is a constitutional duty on the state to achieve the full and equal enjoyment of all constitutional rights, including the right to receive, impart or
access information.
Hughes called for more extensive state support of
current projects designed to make internet access points available at several hundred public libraries and post offices throughout the country.
Delegates were gathered at the Reserve Bank in Pretoria to discuss ways in which the growing need for data communications could be met by cellular backhaul technologies which are used to transport data traffic between distributed sites and more centralised points of presence.
With the last few years of wireless broadband being largely driven by 3G networks, operators are increasingly using backhaul as a strategic lever to balance user demand and increasing operational expenditures.
The conference continues until Thursday.
Legal challenges
Hughes also called for a more liberal approach in the licensing of electronic communications network services and said that letting the market decide who dies, survives or thrives in internet access industries will be the most efficient way to achieve greater broadband penetration in South Africa.
The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) is currently engaged in the process of issuing individual electronic communications network service licences but the process has been marred by legal challenges over the right
of service providers to provide communications over their own wireless networks rather than being required to lease the networks of existing telecommunications service providers such as Telkom and Neotel.
In April this year, Altech Autopage Cellular, the country's largest independent mobile cellular service provider, launched a court application to stop Icasa from continuing with the competitive process that it is currently conducting with a view to granting selected companies with individual electronic communications network service providers.
The interdict application is being opposed by Internet Solutions and Vox Telecom who believe it is unnecessary to delay the issuing of their licences.
The court hearing is scheduled to take place from July 29-31.